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Matthew 26:1-13 (Anointed for Burial)

INTRODUCTION: Today is the first Sunday of Lent, and today we begin a new message series on the final chapters of Matthew called “Lead Me to the Cross.” Lent is a time where we especially focus on Christ and the cross and the events leading up to Good Friday and Easter. As we shall see, the cross was not a surprise for Jesus. Jesus went willingly to the cross. Jesus allowed the Father to lead him to the cross where he would die for our sins. My prayer is that as we follow Jesus’ path to the cross this Lenten season, that this would become the cry of your heart also: “Lord, lead me to the cross. Lead me to the cross where my Savior died that I also may take up my cross and follow you.” Our journey begins in Matthew 26:1-13. (Read Matthew 26:1-13 and pray.)

Setting: Jesus predicts the time of his death (1-5)

As we enter these final chapters of Matthew, we stand on holy ground. These chapters tell us the final events leading up to the cross of Christ. The week approaching Christ’s death and resurrection is the most important week in all of human history. Matthew begins his narrative of the passion with an anointing, an extravagant act of love by someone who understood that Christ’s death was near.

The setting for this beautiful act of love is Jesus’ prediction of his death in verses 1-5. We begin with verses 1-2:

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away – and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” (Matthew 26:1-2)

In verse one Matthew alerts us that Jesus’ public teaching ministry has come to an end. Jesus now turns his attention fully to the cross. He tells the disciples the Passover is only two days away. They know that the Feast is near, but what they don’t understand is that the true Passover is coming. The fulfillment of all the Passovers that were ever celebrated over all the years is now only two days away. Jesus the Passover Lamb will be sacrificed.

This is the fourth time Jesus has told the disciples he will suffer and die in Jerusalem, but this is the first time he gives them a specific time frame. With this statement Jesus shows his willingness to submit to the Father in going to his death. He embraces God’s plan for his life. In effect, he tells the Father, “Lead me to the cross.”

Notice that Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man. This was a messianic title from Daniel 7:13-14 where one like a son of man enters God’s presence and is given authority, glory and sovereign power. All people, nations and men of every language worship him and he is given an everlasting kingdom.

Jesus is the Son of Man. He is sovereign. He is in full control of all that will take place over the next few days. He will be handed over to be crucified, but no one takes his life from him. He gives his life willingly. The road to glory runs straight through the cross, and Jesus does not waver. “Father, lead me to the cross.”

In verses 3-5 the religious leaders meet to plot against Jesus:

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. “But not during the Feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.” (Matthew 26:3-5)

There are echoes of Psalm 2 here where we read how the rulers gather together and conspire against the Lord and his anointed one. Notice that the leaders do not assemble until after Jesus first announces it to his disciples. Jesus announces his coming death to the disciples; then the religious leaders gather. It is almost as though they are being given permission by Christ to proceed. Jesus will submit himself to these coming events, but make no mistake. Jesus is in charge. He knows that his hour has come. “Father, lead me to the cross.”

The religious leaders want to arrest and kill Jesus, but they are afraid of the crowds. There were over two million people in Jerusalem for the feast, most of them pilgrims from outside the city. Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead. Earlier in the week he rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to the praise and acclaim of the crowds. They know that they just can’t march up to him and arrest him in the middle of the celebrations or they may prompt a riot.

So they have to be very careful how they proceed. They need to be secretive about it. They plan to arrest Jesus after the feast. But as it turns out Judas will give them a perfect opportunity, and so they actually will arrest Jesus during the feast – exactly as Jesus foretold.

This is the setting for all that takes place in the next two chapters. Jesus predicts the time of his death and begins his walk to the cross.

I. Mary’s extravagant love for Christ

It is in the midst of this setting that Matthew shares with us about Mary’s extravagant love for Christ.

   A. Mary anoints Jesus with expensive perfume (6-7)

Matthew flashes back to a scene from earlier in the week. It is the Saturday night before Palm Sunday. Jesus is in the town of Bethany where his friends Mary and Martha lived and their brother Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead. They are having dinner together when a woman comes and anoints Jesus’ head and body with a very expensive perfume. Look at verses 6-7:

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. (Matthew 26:6-7)

The town of Bethany was Jesus’ stopping grounds, just two miles outside of Jerusalem. We don’t know who this Simon the Leper was, although he was most likely a former leper, perhaps someone whom Jesus had healed. We know from the other gospels that Mary, Martha and Lazarus were also there so this may even be their home. It has been suggested that perhaps Simon was their father. If Jesus had healed him from leprosy earlier, that could account for Jesus’ close relationship with the family. Matthew does not give us the name of the woman, but the gospel of John tells us that this is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. (John 12:3)

Matthew tells us that the perfume Mary used was very expensive. The gospel of Mark tells us that it was worth more than a year’s wages. Even the alabaster jar containing the perfume had value. It was a long-necked jar that had to be broken in order to pour the perfume out. It’s interesting that the account of Judas’ betrayal immediately follows this. Mary poured out this very expensive perfume, while Judas betrayed Jesus for a much smaller amount. The thirty coins of silver was merely the cost of an injured slave.

The anointing of oil on the head was reserved for the guest of honor, accompanied by the washing of feet. But instead of common household oil, Mary uses this very expensive perfume. And she not only anoints Jesus’ head, she pours it out on his head. Once again, this extravagant, excessive act of love is in direct contrast with the temple priests who we are told carefully counted out the thirty coins of silver for Judas. Mary with reckless, careless abandon pours out the perfume on Jesus’ head and lets it run all down his body. The gospel of John tells us she also poured some on his feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The word “Christ” or “Messiah” means the anointed one, and Mary anoints her Messiah with this extravagant act of love.

   B. The disciples object to this waste of money (8-9)

The disciples were not happy about this. Look at verses 8-9:

When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” (Matthew 26:8-9)

The disciples watch in disbelief as Mary pours this expensive perfume on Jesus’ head, and they are offended at the waste of money. Wouldn’t it have been better to sell the perfume and give the money to the poor?

It is a reasonable objection. God wants us to take care of the poor. In fact, in the previous chapter in Matthew 25 Jesus even said that one of the primary ways we show our love for him is by taking care of the poor. The disciples look at the perfume running down Jesus’ hair and on to the floor, and all they can think is, “What a waste!”

There will always be people who consider following Christ a waste. I remember my physics teacher in high school reprimanding me when he learned that I wanted to go into ministry. He actually told me, “What a waste!” I think of Bill Gates when he was asked in an interview about his views on God and the church. Gates responded, “Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There’s a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.”

   C. Jesus defends her demonstration of love (10-13)

In a similar way the disciples object to this waste of money, but Jesus defends Mary’s demonstration of love. Look at verses 10-13:

Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Matthew 26:10-13)

Jesus defends Mary as having done a beautiful thing for him. Where the disciples saw only waste, Jesus saw a beautiful demonstration of love. As far as helping the poor, there will always be time to help the poor, but Jesus knows his time is limited. And as important as helping the poor is, there was something even more important right here, at this moment. The cross was looming in the near future, and Jesus tells the disciples that this woman anointed him with the perfume in order to prepare him for burial.

In other words, Mary gets it. The disciples still don’t understand that Jesus must die, but Mary does. She has spent time at the feet of Jesus, listening and learning from him. She knows what Jerusalem means for her Lord. This may be the last time she sees Jesus, and so she gives him her best. She gives him her all. She breaks open the alabaster jar. She pours the perfume on his head. She wipes his feet with her hair. She shows Jesus an extravagant love that leaves you breathless. And Jesus calls it a beautiful thing.

As a result, Jesus says that what she has done will be preached along with the gospel throughout the world in her memory. And so Mary’s anointing of Jesus serves both as an example and a memorial. It is a beautiful example to us of unfettered devotion to Christ. And it is a memorial to Mary for her loving devotion to Christ.

As Jesus predicted, her story is still being told around the world. It is recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and John. We are talking about it in church today.

II. God’s extravagant love for us (1 John 4:10)

Jesus said that this story of Mary’s extravagant love would be told along with the preaching of the gospel, and this is really the key to the whole incident. The anointing is inseparable from the gospel, because at the cross God showed his extravagant love for us. 1 John 4:10 says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

   A. God sent his Son

This is love: God sent his Son. When Mary showed her love for Christ, she gave her very best; she gave her all. When God showed his love for us, he gave his very best; he gave his all. He sent his only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins.

   B. Jesus came willingly

Not only did God send Jesus, but Jesus came willingly. Jesus told his disciples, “The Passover is two days away – and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” (Matthew 26:1-2) Jesus knew that the cross was coming. He could have turned back at any time and walked the other way. But he didn’t. He set the wheels in motion and came willingly to die out of love for the Father and out of love for us. In effect he prayed, “Father, lead me, lead me to the cross.”

   C. Jesus’ body was broken for you

And in God’s amazing, astounding, extravagant love, Jesus’ body was broken for you. Just as the alabaster jar was broken and the perfume poured out, so Jesus’ body was broken and his blood was poured out for the forgiveness of sins. As valuable as Mary’s perfume was, it cannot compare to the infinite value of the blood of Jesus. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed … but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Mary anointed Jesus’ head, the head that would soon be bloodied and bruised, a crown of thorns pushed into the skull.

O Sacred Head now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down;
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns thine only crown.

Lo, here I fall my Savior;
’Tis I deserve Thy place
Look on me with Thy favor;
Assist me with Thy grace.

Mary anointed the sacred head of Jesus that was wounded for you and me. She anointed his body that was broken for you and me. She anointed his feet that were pierced for you and me. Jesus said that Mary’s story would be shared along with the gospel. Mary’s extravagant love for Christ would be shared along with God’s extravagant love for us.

III. Our extravagant love for God (1 John 4:19)

Which brings us to our final point – our extravagant love for God.

   A. We love him because he first loved us

1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) God doesn’t love us because we first loved him. We were sinners in need of a Savior. We love God because he first loved us. Our love for God will always be in proportion to our understanding of his love for us. Do you understand the price Jesus paid for you at the cross? Do you realize how much God loves you? If you do, then it will have a profound effect on your love for God.

   B. The gospel demands a response

You see, the gospel demands a response. God showed his extravagant love for us when he sent his Son to die on the cross. God gave his very best for us, and so we should give our very best for him.

   C. What will you sacrifice/pour out for Christ?

And so I ask you this morning, what will you sacrifice for Christ? What will you pour out for him? Love and worship for Jesus is far more important than anything else, even more important than helping the poor, which both God and Christ command us to do. Jesus is the supremely valuable one who is worthy of all your worship.

So what is your alabaster jar of perfume this morning? What is most important or valuable in life to you? Is it your family? Your children? Your spouse? Your career? Is it money? Influence? Approval? Friends? Would you give it all away for Christ? Will you give it all to him this morning?

CONCLUSION: No sacrifice is too great for Jesus. Mary showed her extravagant love for Jesus when she broke open her alabaster jar and poured out the perfume for Christ. God showed his extravagant love for us when Jesus’ body was broken and he poured out his life-blood for our sins. When we truly understand God’s extravagant love for us, we will show our extravagant love for him by bringing him our very best and pouring it out before him in worship and love and praise.

Frederick Bruner describes this passage in Matthew as a Call to Worship as we approach the passion narrative that follows. He writes: “It is a portal leading into the Passion, which says, ‘The way to enter this holy ground is like this woman – with a heart full of devotion.’ It is a Call to Worship.” (Bruner, Matthew, Volume 2, p. 945)

May this passage be our Call to Worship as we enter the Lenten season. And like Mary, may we enter this season with a heart full of devotion and praise for Jesus our Savior. Let us pray.

© Ray Fowler

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