Perfume and Position
Mark 14:3-9, Matt 26:1-13
I: They Made Him a Supper.
1. Friends, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, a leper.
2. His last quiet supper overshadowed by the cross.
3. One friend saw and understood the strain upon Jesus.
II: “Very Costly.”
1. No time for cheap perfume.
2. Equivalent to 300 days of labor, enough to feed 5,000 people a meal.
3. Probably the most precious thing she would ever own.
4. Judas saw the cost. Many worth. Judas saw the price tag, many saw the price Jesus would pay.
5. Judas knew the price of perfume. Many knew the gift of love. One appreciated, one complained from a dying heart.
6. Love is always prone to be a spend thrift. Love has never given until it gives more than it can afford.
7. Judas knew the price of blood, but never the beauty of love. He could judge a gift, but never gave.
8. Judas involved others in his complain.
9. “Why was it not sold?” It was not for sale. Some things money will not buy.
III: “She Did what She Could.” vs. 8
1. She broke the perfume to relieve a broken heart.
2. Jesus would never need this service again.
3. Judas would heap flowers on a grave, but refuse a small flower to the living.
IV: Perfume I have Smelled.
1. The model a widow gave George Loving.
2. A projection screen, the widow of Havana.
3. Mother Jackson of Grover City.
4. Brother Massey of Delano — Organ Motel, “Brother George, I’ve been thinking.”
5. Dr. and Mrs. Posey.
Perfume and Position
Mark 14:3-9, Peter 1 3:1-4
I: Why this Waste?
1. The darkest day before the cross.
2. The quiet one of his friends.
3. Judas had not learned the difference between waste and giving. Glass offers and Plastic heart.
4. This perfume was not accidentally broken.
5. Mary gave this gift with a purpose.
6. Judas saw the price tag. Mary saw beyond the cost and worth.
7. It was a moment of sweetness in the hrs of bitterness. One gave with deep appreciation, one complained from a lying heart.
II: “Leave Her Alone!”
1. Many times it is easer to please the Master than his disciples.
2. Judas thought he had a better way to use such a costly gift.
3. There is always danger in counting the cost of love. Love has no price tag!
4. Real love is prone to be a spend thrift.
5. Judas knew the price of perfume, but Mary knew it’s purpose.
6. Judas had a calculating mind and a cold heart. He learned the price of blood but never the beauty of love.
7. Why was it not sold? It was not for sale!
8. There are some things that would bring a good price, but are not for sale. Love never does until it gives more than it can afford.
III: “She Did what She Could.” vs. 8
1. Mary broke her perfume to relieve a breaking heart.
2. This hour would never be lived again and she did what she could.
3. Would Judas really have used the money for the poor?
4. The spirit of Judas would heap flowers on a grave and withhold a blossom from the living.
5. The hrs. of death brings out strange things in people.
Position
The Sweet Performance of a Christian woman is a powerful influence. John 13:3-5
I: The Upper Room
1. Jesus needed to be alone with his own.
2. He needs the comfort and help of these men.
3. They were still so busy seeking position they were a burden rather than a help.
4. There is no recorded attempt to share his burdens but their attitudes made his burdens heavier.
They all needed a spiritual lesson in cleanliness. Perfume or Position?