The Lutheran Hour
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"The Cost of Real Love"
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Text: Matthew 26:6-13
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PRAYER: Blessed heavenly Father: In this life we struggle for direction and purpose. In our struggle, O Lord, we often peruse books, especially biographies and self-help books. In this, we are seeking positive role models. By Your Spirit, O Lord, enable us instead to open the Bible, Your Holy Word, and see examples of love and sacrifice. Most important, O Lord, lead us to the Scriptures so that we will joyfully see Jesus, the Creator and the Perfector of our faith. O Lord, open our eyes of faith. Enable us to see the bloody cross and realize that Jesus Christ died for our sins and that He rose again that we, too, might rise unto eternal life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Several years ago, a wealthy businessman met with a lawyer to draw up a will. This “well healed” businessman told the attorney, “I want the majority of my inheritance to be given to the Lord’s work, primarily mission work.”
A few years later, this wealthy businessman suddenly died. When his will was read, stating most of his inheritance was to go to the Lord’s work, some relatives were shocked. In indignation, they asked, “Why was this money not given to some person or some group more worthy? Or why was not all the inheritance left to family members?” In the minds of many, this compelling new story immediately recalls another similar event in the Bible.
Now, one day, the Bible says, Jesus arrived in the village of Bethany. He was visiting in the house of Simon the leper. Now while Jesus was there, the Bible tells us a woman came to Him. She had a vial, or a bottle, of very costly perfume. This woman took this very expensive perfume, the entire bottle, and poured it on Jesus’ head. And this all took place while Jesus reclined at the table, the Bible tells us.
Now listen to this: When Jesus’ disciples saw how this lady had poured an entire bottle of expensive perfume on Jesus’ head, they were very upset. “Why was this expensive perfume wasted?” they said. “This perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”
Jesus, however, responded by saying, “Why do you bother this woman? She has done a good deed to Me.” “The poor,” Jesus said, “you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me with you.”
“This woman,” Jesus continued to explain, “poured this perfume on My body, and she did it to prepare Me for burial.” Then, Jesus made this profound statement. He said, “Truly, truly I say unto you, wherever this Gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken in memory of her.”
Now, we may be shocked to hear there were people in Jesus’ day who had little or no genuine concern for the Lord and His mission. But this hypocritical and selfish attitude is very prevalent, even in our lives today. For example, when we compare what this lady did to what most people do today, especially when it comes to giving and sacrificing for the Lord, our eyes are opened! Nowadays, most popular family budgeting and spending habits clash directly with the will and Word of God. You see, instead of giving God a percentage or a proportion of our gross income, we prefer to give God part of our “net” income, or that which is left over. Consequently, since the budgets of many people today are very tight, and after we first spend what we want, well, there is very little or nothing left over for the Lord and His work.
In his New Testament letter to the Christian Church in Corinth, St. Paul urges all people to “put aside and save” a special offering for the poor and the needy. In this case, Paul was gathering money, preparing to take it to the poor fellow believers in Jerusalem. Here the Apostle Paul also emphasized this be done on the first day of the week. Why? Because this offering would then become part of the entire budget. Plus, the first day being the Lord’s day and the day of the resurrection, this is a reminder that our offering for God is in response to what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. You see, in Christ, we have redemption from our sins and in Christ, we have a hope that is eternal!
Now, let’s think again about the woman who anointed Jesus’ body with very expensive perfume. You see, the point is this: This woman gave her very best. She didn’t give what was left over. Only the very best was good enough for her Savior. This is something for all of us to think about today.
Not long ago “Newsweek” magazine pointed out that in the past, people in many religious groups practiced tithing. But, this same “Newsweek” article then also pointed out that “this practice of tithing is no longer the case.” In fact, the article said, “Giving to the church nowadays is substantially less than it used to be, for most people.”
Not long ago, two researchers published a book titled, “The Day America Told the Truth: What People Really Believe About Everything That Really Matters.” Now, this book “offers plenty of evidence” the authors point out, “that Americans are materialistic and shallow. A quarter of those surveyed, for example, said they would abandon their families for $10 million, and 23 percent said they would become a prostitute for a week for that amount of money.” Asked what their major wish in life would be, most people said, “money — $5 million and two days at the mall.” Then, the authors made this conclusion: Amazingly, according to research, “nearly one-third of all Americans have never contributed to any charitable cause whatsoever.” Well, that’s not very encouraging, is it? But let’s return again to the Bible story we were talking about just a few moments ago.
What a thrill it is that Jesus Himself singled out how this woman had willingly and joyfully anointed His body! She gave with deep love and sacrifice. And then Jesus said, “What this woman has done shall be spoken of in memory of her, wherever this Gospel is preached in the whole world.”
Again and again, this event, the love of this woman, this anointing of Jesus, has for centuries been remembered from countless pulpits and innumerable Bible classes. And may God continue to raise up this compelling Bible story again and again. We need to hear this story because we live in a society aptly titled a culture of “me-ism” — self-centered and self-serving.
This lady’s remarkable sacrifice and her willingness to spend much on her Master, should never be used, however, to browbeat or legalistically bludgeon anyone into religious submission or into giving to the Lord’s work. Instead, at the core of every reference to this compelling story, it must be — yes, must be — Jesus’ Words explaining that when this woman poured the expensive perfume on His body, by doing this she was preparing His body for burial. Now, did this lady know exactly what she was doing? We don’t know. But we do know this — any time a pastor or teacher speaks, preaches, or teaches the true Gospel of God, then the death of Christ must always be mentioned. You see, the Apostle Paul points out how important this is when he writes, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached unto you, unless you believed in vain. For,” the Apostle Paul says, “I delivered unto you as of first importance what I also received, that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and He was buried and He was raised again on the third day, according to the Scriptures.”
And therefore, today, as you hear this Gospel, know one thing for sure. When Jesus died, He died for you. On the bloody cross, Jesus suffered the punishment that you deserve for your sins, and mistakes, and failures. Isaiah the prophet writes, “Jesus Christ was pierced through for your transgressions. He was crushed for your iniquities. The chastening for your well-being fell upon Jesus, and by His scourging you are healed…. All of us,” the Bible says, “have gone astray; every one of us has turned unto his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall upon Jesus.”
Isaiah spoke about how Jesus the Messiah would suffer and die, and Jesus said it was for this death that the lady in our Bible story today, anointed His body. Referring to this same death, St. Paul says in Ephesians 1:7, “In Him, in Jesus Christ, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses and sins according to the riches of God’s grace.”
Dear Heavenly Father, we pray: When the lady anointed the body of Your blessed Son Jesus, Jesus clearly stated what she had done would be spoken of wherever the Gospel is preached in the whole world. O Lord, let her act of sacrifice for the Gospel be a model for all of us. But even more important, let her actions remind all of us that Christ’s death and burial was for us! O Lord, in Jesus You reconciled us to Yourself. And now, Heavenly Father, plant into our hearts a solid faith, so that all who believe in Your mercy, in Jesus Christ, will surely be saved. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for November 11, 2001
ANNOUNCER: I’m Mark Eischer. Joining me once again is Dr. Wallace Schulz. In today’s message we heard about the woman who poured expensive perfume on Jesus, anointing Him, preparing Him for burial. Jesus said that what this woman did would be remembered wherever the Gospel is preached, all over the world. That is certainly quite a statement.
SCHULZ: I agree, Mark. And I think the words of Jesus have a very special meaning in these days following the crisis in the United States that has spread throughout the entire world.
ANNOUNCER: Why do you say that?
SCHULZ: Well, I think the bombing of the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington and the plane crash in Pennsylvania, probably woke up a lot of people, spiritually. You know, when we have a long period of affluence like in the last several decades, it is very easy for any of us to get “lulled into” complacency. We think the good ol’ days are just going to go on and on! We become self-centered. As for the lady who anointed Jesus’ body, we become everything she was not.
ANNOUNCER: Because she wasn’t focused on the cost of the perfume?
SCHULZ: That’s right!
ANNOUNCER: Her attention was on the Lord. But why would you say this national crisis is a wake up call from the Lord?
SCHULZ: Let’s not say the Lord sent this crisis. However, in history, we do see the Lord has used all kinds of things, good and bad, to draw people unto Himself. Personally, let me say on the Sunday following the bombings, I noticed quite a few people attending churches who probably haven’t darkened the church door for many, many years. I also noticed many of them were really struggling during the church service as to how to sing, what to do, how to act, and so on.
ANNOUNCER: Well, Dr. Schulz, we pray they heard the message of Christ and His cross and through that message, they received hope and assurance. Do you suppose that’s why they were there?
SCHULZ: Well, of course. In a national crisis of this magnitude, people suddenly realize, once again, there is something larger than technology, something more important than money controlling things in life. When we see so much death — instantly, and for no reason — this has a way of jolting people, at least in the short run.
ANNOUNCER: Dr. Schulz, what kind of message would you have for our listeners today, as they continue to cope with this crisis?
SCHULZ: We have to take note throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament and recall stories where God has sent messengers to wake up His people. When we read about the lady who anointed Jesus’ body, this turns our thoughts back to God and to His Son Jesus. This is why Jesus is called our “Foundation.” It is in Jesus Christ we find our roots. It is in Christ we find our way back to God. Without the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, made possible through the cross, the door of heaven would be shut. The Good News, however, is now that Jesus Christ has voluntarily offered His life as a perfect sacrifice to the Heavenly Father for all of your sins and mine, there is hope. Even in the hour of tears and death, in Christ, there is always hope.
ANNOUNCER: Dr. Schulz, what is the bottom line?
SCHULZ: The bottom line is for all of us to turn our eyes first to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible calls Jesus the “Author and the Perfector of faith.” He creates within us a faith which enables us to believe. This faith gives us a reason to live and a reason to die. With this faith, we don’t fear death. Rather, we look forward to that time when we shall see our Savior, face to face, along with all of those who might have been taken from us, either through a national disaster or any other way of death.
ANNOUNCER: May God grant it for Jesus’ sake. Thank you, Dr. Schulz. Next week’s Lutheran Hour message is titled, “Today’s Miracles.”