This is part 14 of a multi-part series on the book of Mark and concludes the series.
Today, we’re in Mark 14:3-9.
This story houses a few precious gems that don’t immediately come to the surface – we have to dig just a bit to see them. Jesus is in the house of Simon the leper, which says a lot about Simon. For one, Simon was no longer a leper or social events would have been a non-starter, which means that Jesus had healed him. We don’t often get a glimpse of life for those who were healed by Jesus after the healing, but here is one.
Second, Jesus was at his house in Bethany shortly before his death, and many scholars believe this is the same story from a different angle as John 12:1-8. In other words, perhaps Simon is the father of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Mary, therefore, is the woman who poured out incredibly expensive perfume on Jesus (14:3).
God’s Money and Our Hearts
From God’s perspective, money fulfills two functions: (1) it facilitates trade in the world he created (though it isn’t His currency per se), and more importantly, (2) it acts as a spiritual barometer to show where are hearts are at as we spend it. Jesus talks so much about money not because it was important to him but because of its importance as a measuring stick of our faith. If we cannot part with it, we have a serious sickness that prevents us from following Him (see Mark 10:17-31 for an example).
That said, I’m convinced that we as humans see money as far more important than it is, whether we are rich or poor, whether we are speaking of buying things or giving them away. I don’t think God cares nearly as much as we do about it, and Mary is about to prove my point.
Mary’s Money and Jesus’ Heart
She pours a perfume on Jesus that was worth perhaps $25,000. It was likely a family heirloom and there it went in one go. It would be like receiving an inheritance from your parents and giving the entire amount in cash away. You wouldn’t be able to simply go out and replace it by working hard. This frustrated the disciples, because they also put too high a priority on money. It felt like such a waste and they were actually offended (14:5).
When we are offended about something deep in our souls but know it doesn’t sound “spiritual,” we simply make up a “spiritual” reason to be offended! Enter: Judas. “Why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12:5). John outs him to his readers: “He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it” (John 12:6). This is an interesting fact in itself, and we will return to it shortly.
Jesus’ reply shows how much he cares about money: “She has done a beautiful thing for me…and truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her” (14:6b,9). In the purest sense of the word, money was completely wasted just now. Perfume is temporary and the fragrance will go away soon, so it is best practice to use a bit at a time. But Jesus couldn’t care less about the efficient use of money – he cared only what it told him about someone’s heart!
Our Money and God’s Heart
When we make a big deal about wasting money or winning the lottery or the guy that has too much of it or the lady who has a bigger house than she needs, we expose in ourselves that, like Judas, we actually care way too much about the stuff. Money is only a medium of the current world (I’m convinced it won’t even exist on the new earth Eternity) to keep people engaged in working for what they have. Jesus cared so little about the thing itself and a great deal about how it affected his people.
Lastly, there is a fascinating point that so easily gets missed in Jesus’ last statement. Why would he say that wherever the gospel is proclaimed in all the world her deed would be told with it? The fact that you have almost certainly never heard a “gospel presentation” where this passage was mentioned demonstrates how we have reduced the gospel to a statement of fact rather than the story it actually is.
Good News and Our Eternity
Good news is supposed to come in story form! The good news is so much more than our personal salvation, though that is certainly good news. The greatest news is that we are saved to be a part of God’s renewed civilization for all eternity! And when the STORY of the Good News is proclaimed (meaning ALLLLLL of the story), Mary’s deed here will certainly be shared.
Unfortunately, we have reduced the gospel to some variation of: “Jesus died in your place for your sins so that you could be saved.” True though that is, it has produced legions of uninterested, unengaged Christians who think the end has been accomplished and all they must do now is wait for Jesus to return so they can sing for eternity around his throne.
Friend, unless you love to sing even more than life itself, you have been sold a small part of the gospel! We were certainly not saved to sing for eternity, though I’m sure we will sing plenty. We were saved to fit back into God’s original plan: to cultivate his world and expand his dominion over it for all Eternity. Doesn’t that sound a lot more fun?
To learn more about B4T, read Business for Transformation by Patrick Lai.