COSTLY WORSHIP

Costly Worship

Following the Servant

Mark 14:1-11

Neither Mark nor Matthew (in the parallel account in Matthew 26:1-16) names the woman who anointed Jesus, but John (John 11:1, 2) tells us that it was Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.  Mark seems to especially want to contrast the betrayal of Judas and the other religious leaders, with the love and loyalty of Mary.  The ugliness of their sins makes the beauty of her sacrifice even more meaningful.  Mary is found three times in the Gospel accounts, and each time, she is at Jesus’ feet (Luke 10:38-42, John 11:31, 32, and John 12:1-8) just being with Him and listening to Him speak.

1. She wanted everyone to know about .  (vv. 1-3)

2. Acts of love will (vv. 4, 5)

John 12:4ff

“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.”                                                                                                          Galatians 1:10

3. Extravagant acts of love will (vv. 6-9)

Acts 7:54-60

Why did Jesus call what she did, “BEAUTIFUL?”

He was aware of her loving motive.

1 Corinthians 13:1–3

Those things done from simple, real love for Christ become .

“Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.”                                                                                  Colossians 1:18

2 Corinthians 8:9

Care for the poor but !

4. Mary found Jesus beautiful and to Him. (vv. 10, 11)

Acts of love will be contrasted with .

Luke 22:3 and John 13:2, 27

Exodus 21:32

It’s only Jesus who can heal our sin-sick soul. 

Daily Meditations

Memory verse: “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.”                                                                                                                         Mark 14:7

Monday

Read Mark 14:1-11.  What’s the costliest offering you have ever made to Jesus?

What is the value of celebrating feasts and festivals? What do you think are the most important celebrations for Christians?

Tuesday

Read Mark 14:1-11. What is the value of honoring Jesus publicly?

How do we avoid doing so with wrong motives?

Wednesday

Read Mark 14:1-11. Mary did not care about social taboos or personal embarrassment when she worshiped Jesus. How can we follow her example today?

Mary’s critics said that the value of her gift exceeded the limit of what should be spent on Jesus. How are we today similar to those critics?

Thursday

Read Mark 14:1-11. How was Mary’s willingness to make a radical, extravagant sacrifice threatening to her critics?

What is the balance between practical, responsible stewardship and radical, extravagant giving? How do we avoid using the former as an excuse to escape the latter?

Friday

Read Mark 14:1-11.  Did Jesus dismiss His followers from taking care of the poor? What is the biblical evidence for your answer?

Read Luke 14:27–28.  In these verses, Jesus says a person should “calculate the cost” of becoming a disciple. Here we learn that true love never calculates the cost. How do these two lessons fit together?

Saturday

Read Mark 14:1-11. In what ways do some people today look for what they can get from Jesus? How do people try to profit from going to church?

How can we make sure we’re doing it differently?