What is Love Mark 14:1-9
Today’s events take place several days before Jesus is crucified. He has a lot to deal with, and a lot on his mind. And he still takes the time to enjoy a meal with a friend. Now our scripture doesn’t exactly say he was with a friend. It actually says, “While he was in Bethany…in the home of Simon the Leper.” (Mark 14:3)
So, who exactly Is Simon the Leper? This question has been asked by Bible students for years. Some think he was the father of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Some say he was Martha’s husband. All we really know is his name is Simon, he was living in Bethany, and he is or at least was a leper. As we know, at the time lepers were considered unclean and had to live outside the village. People would avoid contact with them at all costs because leprosy was highly contagious.
Scripture tells us that Jesus wasn’t alone there, others were present. And this leads many scholars to believe Jesus had healed Simon of his disease. I believe this is the case because it shows us something about Jesus and it teaches us something about ourselves.
It shows that Jesus has a continuous and loving involvement in our lives. Jesus didn’t just heal this man and then move on, he continued to have a relationship with him, a personal relationship with him. When we are saved Jesus doesn’t just say, “You’re saved, good, I’ll see you when you get to heaven.” Jesus stays with us and he is in a personal relationship with us; he’s not off somewhere, he’s sitting next to us at the table.
What this shows us about ourselves is that like Jesus if we are blessed enough to be present when someone accepts Christ, we are to maintain a relationship with them. Too many people I know reach out and hug someone saying, “Welcome to God’s family,” and then move on forgetting it’s not about checking a box in the “Got one for Jesus” column, it’s about love and relationships between us and Jesus and relationships between each other.
Our reading then introduces a new player, a woman. This woman is unnamed, and we know what that means. This woman can represent all mankind. Each of us can see ourselves in her and in her actions. This woman shows us her love for Jesus thereby showing us our love for our Lord. But more than this she doesn’t just show love, she shows all the parts that make up Christian love.
First, Christian love is courage. At the time of Jesus during dinners like this one, women and children did not share the same place at the table and yet this woman boldly steps into the room and up to the place of men. She stepped out of the social norms and risked ridicule and embarrassment to demonstrate her love for Jesus. Do we? Do we push aside social norms? Do we reach out to those society says aren’t worth it? Do we push aside those in the LGBT community, do we push aside the migrant or the refugee; or do we say our faith is bigger than our politics?
Second, Christian love means to seize the moment. while Jesus, his disciples, and Simon are enjoying a meal, maybe discussing the day, this woman seizes the opportunity that is presented to her. She knows where Jesus is and she knows she may not get another chance to get near him. This has two concepts within it. One, how many people come to see the truth about Christ but put off accepting him. If something happens to them, they’ve missed their opportunity at salvation. And second, as we saw she pushes aside the possibility of embarrassment to minister to Jesus. What about us? Do we seize the moments presented to us almost every day to minister for Jesus? Do we let the opportunities pass because we can’t get past the possibility of embarrassment? Do we think “I’m busy now, but tomorrow will be better.” The problem is there is always the chance of embarrassment no matter what we try to do. And the reality is tomorrow never really seems to come. As Christians we should know we are not promised tomorrow so we should seize the opportunities given to us today, serve Jesus today.
Third, Christian love is extravagant and sacrificial; verse 4, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages…”
Some have seen this woman’s gift as being her dowry. If so, by giving this up she probably would never get married, she was giving Jesus her entire future. How extravagant are we when we give to Christ? Do we put just a few dollars in the collection, or do we give sacrificially? In our lives we must each answer this question, do we give away what we have in proportion to the love for Jesus we have in our hearts? How many Christians come to church only on Christmas and Easter? How many Christians only consider Christ during Sunday worship? I’m saying that as Christians, our entire lives should be involved with Jesus.
Now it’s this next part of Christian love where many people draw the line and retreat, Christian love can be distressing. This woman steps out of her comfort zone to show her love of Jesus, notice the responses she receives. Our readings verse 4 tells us those present were being indignant towards her; verse 5 says, “And they rebuked her harshly.” These people complain about what she is doing, they scold her for wasting her time.
When we step up and demonstrate our love for Jesus by how we live or what we say, people may put us down because of their political views. People may put us down because of their prejudices. People may put us down because of their religious convictions or their belief that our faith is misguided. This woman shows us all what our response to this should be; push these criticisms aside, take pride in your love of Jesus, and move forward with the conviction that Jesus is worth everything.
Before we end, I want to take another look at Jesus himself. Let’s look at what he says in verse 7, “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them anytime you want. But you will not always have me.”
What Jesus is leading us to with this statement is our religious rules and observances should never get in the way or prevent us from serving and loving him. To serve and work for others is important, and there’s enough work to do so that there are always opportunities presented to us. However, if we lose the focus of Jesus, then we have work with no Christian heart or Christian love of others. Without God our work is just that, work. It gives no demonstration of God in our lives. It gives no demonstration of our love and devotion to him.
This woman brought an alabaster jar to Jesus and broke it open. In each of our lives we also have an alabaster jar. The question is, are we willing to break it open and give the best we have to our Lord? Do we want to develop and strengthen our personal relationship with our savior? Are we ready and willing to accept all components of Christian love; the courage it takes, the extravagant and sacrificial giving of ourselves; our resources and our lives, are we ready to develop a seize the moment mentality?
And last, let us remember what Jesus told those eating with him and through it what he tells all of us; working to better others is important work to do, but if it’s done without Jesus being the epicenter of our motivation then our work is just that, work, and it does little to further God’s kingdom among men.
Amen.