A Sacrifice of Extravagant Love

Mark 14:6-9

Acts 7:54-60 records the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Stephen sees the Lord Jesus “standing at the right hand of God.” Our Savior stands to receive His faithful martyred servant into glory. Here in Mark 14:6-9 we see our Lord in effect standing up for another faithful servant, a woman who has showered Him with a sacrifice of extravagant love only to be ridiculed by those who should have known better.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus commands them (v. 6). Don’t harass her or give her a hard time. She has done something wonderful and singularly important to Jesus.

Some readers misread verse 7, supposing Jesus to be insensitive toward the poor. We should do good for the poor. Jesus believed and taught that. The issue here is between “always” and “not always.” The poor are always there, but Jesus would not be. The opportunity to show Him this kind of personal love and affection would soon be gone. Further, Jesus is God, and the first of the great commands always trumps the second (Mark 12:30-31). Jesus indeed asserts His preeminence above all others (cf. Col 1:18). This might help: Put these words in the mouth of any other human person, and they sound scandalous, self-centered, even narcissistic. Put them in the mouth of the Son of God who “for your sake ... became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9), and they make all the sense in the world. Care for the poor, but worship the Savior!

Jesus makes three striking observations about Mary. (1) “She has done what she could.” She held nothing back! (2) Her act of extravagant love had prophetic and symbolic significance: “She has anointed My body in advance for burial.” Did she fully understand what was about to happen? Probably not. Did she have greater insight into our Lord’s coming passion than the323 12 apostles? Of this I have little doubt. (3) Jesus makes a promise that her sacrifice of extravagant love will never be forgotten as the gospel advances throughout “the whole world.” The fact I am sharing this story now is a validation of what Jesus promised.

Mark 14:10-11

Some people find Jesus useful because of what they think they can get from Him. Others find Jesus beautiful because they get Him. This woman found Jesus beautiful and gave all she had to Him. In contrast, Judas found Jesus useful and sought to get all he could in exchange for Him. Judas was “one of the Twelve” (14:10). He was so close to Jesus, yet he missed Him.

Amazingly, Judas takes the initiative in going “to the chief priest to hand [Jesus] over to them” (v. 10). Luke (22:3) and John (13:2, 27) inform us that Satan moved him to betray the Lord. Still, he made a freewill choice to do so.

Verse 11 is simple and tragic all at once. The leaders of the Sanhedrin were glad to hear this and promised Judas money: 30 pieces of silver (Matt 26:15; cf. Zech 11:12-13), “the value of a slave accidentally gored to death by an ox (Exod 21:32). That Jesus is lightly esteemed is reflected not only in his betrayal but in the low sum agreed on by Judas and the chief priest” (Carson, “Matthew,” 593). Judas then “started looking for a good opportunity to betray Him.” It would come much sooner than he expected but with results he would find deathly disappointing.

What a contrast we see in Mary and Judas:

324Oh, how I want to be like Mary. But oh, how often Judas so readily appears in the mirror. Only the gospel of my Savior can heal my sin-sick soul.

If Mary, the unnamed woman of Mark 14, were alive today, and we were to interview her and ask her, “What is your favorite Christian hymn?” I strongly suspect she would say, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” It was written in 1707 by Isaac Watts. Charles Wesley reportedly said he would give up all his other hymns to have written this one. We know he wrote at least six thousand! I agree: it is that good! Stanzas 1 and 4 are especially meaningful to me.