BACKGROUND:
Mark’s account of the final acts in Jesus’ ministry begins with a simple summary of the scene. It was almost Passover. Jesus’ enemies were looking for a way to kill him. Their concern about timing had to do with keeping control of the people. They wanted to kill Jesus without anyone noticing. But God had a different purpose in the timing of events.
The Passover commemorated the night the Israelites were freed from Egypt, when God “passed over” homes marked by the blood of a lamb. This was the last great plague on Egypt; in the unmarked homes the firstborn sons died. After this horrible disaster, Pharaoh let the Israelites go.
The day of Passover was followed by the seven-day Festival of Unleavened Bread. This, too, recalled the Israelites’ quick escape from Egypt when, because they wouldn’t have time to let their bread rise, they baked it without leaven (yeast). All Jewish males over the age of twelve were required to go to Jerusalem for this festival. Jews from all over the Roman Empire would converge on Jerusalem, swelling the population from 50,000 to 250,000 people.
The Jewish leaders plotted secretly to kill Jesus. They had already decided that Jesus must die; they just needed the opportunity. They did not want to attempt to arrest Jesus during the Passover because they feared that the crowd would riot on his behalf. They feared that such an uprising might bring the wrath of Rome.
Bethany was located on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives (Jerusalem is on the western side). This town was the home of Jesus’ friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha (who were also present at this dinner. Jesus had been returning to Bethany from Jerusalem each night during this final week. This night, Jesus was a guest of Simon. He did not have leprosy at this time, for lepers had to live separately from people because of the extreme contagiousness of the disease. Jesus may have healed Simon.
This woman was probably Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who lived in Bethany. She brought a beautiful jar of expensive perfume, which she poured on Jesus’ head. It was a common custom at some Jewish meals for the honored guests to be anointed with oil, but it would not be so expensive. Such an anointing, with expensive oil, pictured a royal (messianic) anointing.
Where Mark says some, John specifically mentions Judas. This indignation over Mary’s act of worship would not have been based on concern for the poor, but on greed. Because Judas was the treasurer of Jesus’ ministry and had embezzled funds, he no doubt wanted the perfume sold so that the proceeds could be put into his care. This event probably pushed Judas over the edge in his determination to betray Jesus.
Jesus reprimanded the disciples, but comforted Mary. The expensive ointment poured on Jesus had been a good thing to do for him—a beautiful, acceptable, appealing act of love and sacrifice—and Jesus declared it to be so. This was a unique act for a specific occasion—an anointing that anticipated Jesus’ burial and a public declaration of faith in him as Messiah. Jesus was not saying that we should neglect the poor, nor was he justifying indifference to them.
Jesus was affirming Mary’s unselfish act of worship. The essence of worshiping Christ is to regard him with utmost love, respect, and devotion, as well as to be willing to sacrifice to him what is most precious.
Jesus’ purpose in these words was to explain that the opportunity to show him such devotion and to anoint him with oil (in preparation for burial) would soon be past. The phrase, “I will not be here with you much longer,” meant that Jesus would soon be gone from them physically. However, they could and should show kindness to the poor, and opportunities to do so would continue, “You will always have the poor among you.”
Jesus’ words should have taught Judas and the disciples the valuable lesson that devotion to Christ is worth more than money. Unfortunately, Judas did not take heed; soon he would sell his Master’s life for thirty pieces of silver.
Mary’s unselfish act would be remembered forever. This has come true because we read about it today. While the disciples misunderstood Jesus’ mission and constantly fought about places in the Kingdom and while the religious leaders stubbornly refused to believe in Jesus and plotted his death, this one quiet woman so loved Jesus and was so devoted to him that she considered no sacrifice too great for her beloved Master. She is an example to us all of unselfish devotion to our Savior.
Each of the Gospel writers reported Judas’s treachery with remarkable restraint. Their treatment of Peter’s denial actually seems harsher than their references to the betrayer. Mark, the shortest account, conveys the simple facts. The enemies of Jesus were delighted. We’re not told how Judas felt at this point. Since Mark was reflecting Peter’s account, the reticence about Judas may indicate Peter’s shame in recalling his own treatment of Jesus. We are much more likely to present a fair picture of the flaws and faults of others if we keep our own clearly in sight.
Why would Judas Iscariot want to betray Jesus? Very likely, Judas expected Jesus to start a political rebellion and overthrow Rome. As treasurer, Judas certainly assumed that he would be given an important position in Jesus’ new government. But when Jesus praised Mary for pouring out the expensive perfume, Judas finally began to realize that Jesus’ Kingdom was not physical or political. Judas knew the leading priests had it in for Jesus, and he knew they would have the power to arrest Jesus. So that was where he went. Judas’s greedy desire for money and status could not be fulfilled if he followed Jesus, so he betrayed him in exchange for money and favor from the religious leaders.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
Each day this week - Holy Week - the week that changed the world, I will be sharing some thoughts about Easter and it's meaning to us. I pray that God will work in your heart and that he will burden your heart with friends and family and co-workers and neighbors who need an invitation to Easter at COV. If they reject the invitation - fine. But, don't make the decision for them. Be bold. Be courageous. Be loving.
What would you like to change about yourself? Seriously, if you could change anything about your self, what would it be? Would you like to be more confident? More relaxed? More outgoing? Maybe have less fearful, less bitter, less angry?
I think in all the years I've been a pastor the number one question people ask me is, "Why is it that I can't change? I want to change but I don't know how or I don't have the power to change."
We go to seminars, conferences, looking for the painless cure that's going to zap our life and change us instantly and give us self discipline. Or we go on diets. I once went on a diet for an entire afternoon. Or we join a health club and our enthusiasm goes great for about two weeks and then it kind of wanes and we go back into the same old rut and we don't change. We read self‑ help books.
The problem with self help books is they tell you what to do but they don't give you the power. They says things like, "Get rid of all your bad habits.... Be positive, don't be negative..." How? Where do I get the power to change? That's the basic problem -- a lack of power in our lives. How do I get my life off dead center? How do I get out of the rut? How do I break out of the mold I'm in? Where do I get the power to change??
Great News! That's what Easter is all about. Philippians 3:10 says "All I want to know is Christ and experience the power of His resurrection." Ephesians 1:20 says, "I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe Him, the same mighty power who raised Christ from the dead."
The word "power" is used 57 times in the New Testament. The Bible is a book of power and Easter is the most powerful event that ever happened. All of history was split by this one powerful event. It separates A.D. and B.C. What is that power? It's the power to change your life.
POWER! Paul said, I want to know the power of the resurrection. The Greek word for power is the word dunamis -- we translate that into the word dynamite. God says, I want to give you dynamite power in your life! The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead 2000 years ago is available for your life right now to change your life today!
What is resurrection power?
#1. IT'S THE POWER TO CANCEL YOUR PAST.
All of your failures, your mistakes, your sins, your regrets. Cancelled! Have you ever been half way through a project and wished you could start over? Like painting the living room? A lot of people feel that way about life. "I wish I could just start over. I've made so many mistakes. I wish I could wipe them out. Failures, problems, bad decisions."
Colossians 3:14 csays "He has forgiven all our sins and canceled every record of the debt we had to pay." Christ has done away with it by nailing it to the cross.
God says it's like the Etch-A-Sketch. You make a mess, you flip it over and wipe the slate clean. The Bible says that's what God does to all the mistakes I've made in my life when I come to Him. He wipes it clean.
Some of you if you would say today, "Christ Jesus, I want You to forgive me of all the things I've ever done wrong. I want to give my life to You. I want to make that commitment today."
What is the basis for forgiveness? Romans 8:1 "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." When Jesus Christ died on the cross one of His last words from the cross were, "It is finished." In the Greek that's one word. It literally means "Paid in full." Canceled. It was what they would stamp on bills when they had been paid. It was stamped on prison sentences when they had been commuted. Paid in full.
God says, "That's what I did on the cross. I paid for every mistake you've ever made." So, Jesus was crucified on the cross so you can stop crucifying yourself. He was hung for your hang ups. That's Good News! That’s real power!
What else does resurrection power mean?
#2. IT'S THE POWER TO CONQUER YOUR PROBLEMS.
The fact is everybody's got problems. You've got them. I've got them. It's a part of life. If you don't have any problems, check your pulse.
Our real problem is what we do with our problem. We try to solve them on our own power and our own strength. I have met thousands of people who feel like their lives are out of control. "I am a victim of my circumstance! What can I do? I'm powerless.
The fact is we can't control our circumstances, but we can control how we respond to them. Would you like to have that kind of power? The power to not be a victim of whatever life throws at you from this point forward?
Would you like power to conquer your problems? The bible says "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ. Shall trouble or hardship or danger? No, in all of these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loves us." Don’t you like that verse? In the Greek it says, "We are super conquerors" Pretty cool huh? Man, I dig that. Most people think of Christians as wimps and patsies, but this verse says we are more that conquerors.
Folks, I want to tell you this morning - If you put your life in God's hands and you rely on the power of the resurrection, nothing can devastate your life, nothing can swallow you up, nothing can destroy you. That's the message of Easter. No matter how dark the situation is, God can turn it around. No situation is hopeless. God loves to turn crucifixions into resurrections. The same power that enabled Jesus Christ to rise from the dead, will allow you to rise over your problems.
It's the power to cancel your past. It's the power to conquer your problems.
#3. IT'S THE POWER TO CHANGE YOUR PERSONALITY
What would you like to change about you? What would your spouse like to change about you? Maybe that would be a little more accurate. One wife said, "My husband is so temperamental -- 90% temper, 10% mental!" Husband went in for marriage counseling one day and said, "I want a divorce right now." The pastor said, "But you said, you promised before God to take her for better or for worse." The man said, "Yeah, but she's a lot worse than I took her for!"
Or maybe you’ve heard this one. An older couple is on vacation in the Holy land – when all of a sudden the wife dies. The mortician in Jerusalem says to the husband – you have two choices; 1) pay $5000 to have your wife’s body shipped home, or pay $250 and have your wife buried here. Concitous of where he was, he told the mortician to have his wife’s body shipped home – he would glady pay the $5000. The mortician was mortified – and asked why would you pay all that extra money when you could just have her buried hear? The husband responded - well didn’t that Jesus guys get buried here a couple thousand years ago? The mortician said well, yes. And after three days, didn’t he rise from the dead? Again, the mortician said yes. Well, I’m not taking the chance – we’re shipping her home.
The power to change your personality. Complete this sentence: "It's just like me to be______________________________. Always late, ... worry, ... never stay on a diet, ... always put my foot in my mouth, ... always blow up, ... always be depressed, ... always get angry... whatever."
Folks, when God wants to change us, He uses a two step process. STEP #1: COMMIT YOUR LIFE TO JESUS CHRIST. When we commit our lives to Christ, that's the initial turning point. The Bible says when someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a new person inside. He's not the same anymore. A new life has begun." What happens? God says, I wipe out your past. All of it's gone. It's like starting over. That's why the Bible calls it being born again. Born again doesn't mean reincarnation, it just means you get another chance. Start over, new life! But then it's followed by a lifetime process.
STEP #2: CHANGE WHO YOU LIVE FOR. Romans 12:2 says "Don't let the world squeeze you into it's mold but let God remake you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed." I’s so easy to just go with the flow and do what everybody else is doing. It’s so easy to just sat that’s the way I am – I’ve always been like that and I always will. It’s so easy to be selfish and be consumed with living for me.
So God says, first give your life to Christ, then, dedicate your life to me and live for me. God says the, when you do that, "I can take your greatest weakness and turn it into your strength." I can change you.
Ephesians 3:20 (NCV) says, “With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.” Folks, The power to change doesn’t come from you. It comes from God! Not with your power, not with your will, not with you strength. But with God’s power working in us, you can change! You only get that power when you get Christ.
There is one thing that will keep you from changing. There is only one thing that's going to keep you from becoming the person you want to be and God wants you to be. You know what it is? It’s not the devil. It's not other people. It's not circumstances. It’s not your past.
It is one word. Procrastination. Procrastination is deadly. How many time have you said - "I have every intention to change. I'll do it tomorrow." Waiting, delay. Procrastination is fatal. "One of these days.... I'm going to go to the dentist. ... I'm going to have that surgery I need. ... I'm going to spend more time with my family. ... I'm going to get serious about being a Christian. ... I'm going to get active in church. ... I'm going to go after that dream. ... I'm going to get in shape. One of these days I'm going to let the power of God work in my life." One of these days..."
You and I do that all the time. We procrastinate and put off making changes that would be good for us. Why? Maybe complacency -- we're just too lazy to change. Maybe fear -- we don't know what the changes are going to be. Maybe pride -- we're stubborn. We procrastinate.
Well, here is my challenge to you today. Quit stalling, quit putting off what you know you need to do. Give your life to Christ today! Hebrews 3:7-8 (CEV) says "…If you hear God's voice today, don't be stubborn! Don’t harden your hearts towards him…” How many times have you hears him speak to your heart and you’ve kind od just shrugged it off? Don’t do that today.
Give Him your life – let him start changing you today! I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course.
I think in all the years I've been a pastor the number one question people ask me is, "Why is it that I can't change? I want to change but I don't know how or I don't have the power to change."
We go to seminars, conferences, looking for the painless cure that's going to zap our life and change us instantly and give us self discipline. Or we go on diets. I once went on a diet for an entire afternoon. Or we join a health club and our enthusiasm goes great for about two weeks and then it kind of wanes and we go back into the same old rut and we don't change. We read self‑ help books.
The problem with self help books is they tell you what to do but they don't give you the power. They says things like, "Get rid of all your bad habits.... Be positive, don't be negative..." How? Where do I get the power to change? That's the basic problem -- a lack of power in our lives. How do I get my life off dead center? How do I get out of the rut? How do I break out of the mold I'm in? Where do I get the power to change??
Great News! That's what Easter is all about. Philippians 3:10 says "All I want to know is Christ and experience the power of His resurrection." Ephesians 1:20 says, "I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe Him, the same mighty power who raised Christ from the dead."
The word "power" is used 57 times in the New Testament. The Bible is a book of power and Easter is the most powerful event that ever happened. All of history was split by this one powerful event. It separates A.D. and B.C. What is that power? It's the power to change your life.
POWER! Paul said, I want to know the power of the resurrection. The Greek word for power is the word dunamis -- we translate that into the word dynamite. God says, I want to give you dynamite power in your life! The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead 2000 years ago is available for your life right now to change your life today!
What is resurrection power?
#1. IT'S THE POWER TO CANCEL YOUR PAST.
All of your failures, your mistakes, your sins, your regrets. Cancelled! Have you ever been half way through a project and wished you could start over? Like painting the living room? A lot of people feel that way about life. "I wish I could just start over. I've made so many mistakes. I wish I could wipe them out. Failures, problems, bad decisions."
Colossians 3:14 csays "He has forgiven all our sins and canceled every record of the debt we had to pay." Christ has done away with it by nailing it to the cross.
God says it's like the Etch-A-Sketch. You make a mess, you flip it over and wipe the slate clean. The Bible says that's what God does to all the mistakes I've made in my life when I come to Him. He wipes it clean.
Some of you if you would say today, "Christ Jesus, I want You to forgive me of all the things I've ever done wrong. I want to give my life to You. I want to make that commitment today."
What is the basis for forgiveness? Romans 8:1 "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." When Jesus Christ died on the cross one of His last words from the cross were, "It is finished." In the Greek that's one word. It literally means "Paid in full." Canceled. It was what they would stamp on bills when they had been paid. It was stamped on prison sentences when they had been commuted. Paid in full.
God says, "That's what I did on the cross. I paid for every mistake you've ever made." So, Jesus was crucified on the cross so you can stop crucifying yourself. He was hung for your hang ups. That's Good News! That’s real power!
What else does resurrection power mean?
#2. IT'S THE POWER TO CONQUER YOUR PROBLEMS.
The fact is everybody's got problems. You've got them. I've got them. It's a part of life. If you don't have any problems, check your pulse.
Our real problem is what we do with our problem. We try to solve them on our own power and our own strength. I have met thousands of people who feel like their lives are out of control. "I am a victim of my circumstance! What can I do? I'm powerless.
The fact is we can't control our circumstances, but we can control how we respond to them. Would you like to have that kind of power? The power to not be a victim of whatever life throws at you from this point forward?
Would you like power to conquer your problems? The bible says "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ. Shall trouble or hardship or danger? No, in all of these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loves us." Don’t you like that verse? In the Greek it says, "We are super conquerors" Pretty cool huh? Man, I dig that. Most people think of Christians as wimps and patsies, but this verse says we are more that conquerors.
Folks, I want to tell you this morning - If you put your life in God's hands and you rely on the power of the resurrection, nothing can devastate your life, nothing can swallow you up, nothing can destroy you. That's the message of Easter. No matter how dark the situation is, God can turn it around. No situation is hopeless. God loves to turn crucifixions into resurrections. The same power that enabled Jesus Christ to rise from the dead, will allow you to rise over your problems.
It's the power to cancel your past. It's the power to conquer your problems.
#3. IT'S THE POWER TO CHANGE YOUR PERSONALITY
What would you like to change about you? What would your spouse like to change about you? Maybe that would be a little more accurate. One wife said, "My husband is so temperamental -- 90% temper, 10% mental!" Husband went in for marriage counseling one day and said, "I want a divorce right now." The pastor said, "But you said, you promised before God to take her for better or for worse." The man said, "Yeah, but she's a lot worse than I took her for!"
Or maybe you’ve heard this one. An older couple is on vacation in the Holy land – when all of a sudden the wife dies. The mortician in Jerusalem says to the husband – you have two choices; 1) pay $5000 to have your wife’s body shipped home, or pay $250 and have your wife buried here. Concitous of where he was, he told the mortician to have his wife’s body shipped home – he would glady pay the $5000. The mortician was mortified – and asked why would you pay all that extra money when you could just have her buried hear? The husband responded - well didn’t that Jesus guys get buried here a couple thousand years ago? The mortician said well, yes. And after three days, didn’t he rise from the dead? Again, the mortician said yes. Well, I’m not taking the chance – we’re shipping her home.
The power to change your personality. Complete this sentence: "It's just like me to be______________________________. Always late, ... worry, ... never stay on a diet, ... always put my foot in my mouth, ... always blow up, ... always be depressed, ... always get angry... whatever."
Folks, when God wants to change us, He uses a two step process. STEP #1: COMMIT YOUR LIFE TO JESUS CHRIST. When we commit our lives to Christ, that's the initial turning point. The Bible says when someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a new person inside. He's not the same anymore. A new life has begun." What happens? God says, I wipe out your past. All of it's gone. It's like starting over. That's why the Bible calls it being born again. Born again doesn't mean reincarnation, it just means you get another chance. Start over, new life! But then it's followed by a lifetime process.
STEP #2: CHANGE WHO YOU LIVE FOR. Romans 12:2 says "Don't let the world squeeze you into it's mold but let God remake you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed." I’s so easy to just go with the flow and do what everybody else is doing. It’s so easy to just sat that’s the way I am – I’ve always been like that and I always will. It’s so easy to be selfish and be consumed with living for me.
So God says, first give your life to Christ, then, dedicate your life to me and live for me. God says the, when you do that, "I can take your greatest weakness and turn it into your strength." I can change you.
Ephesians 3:20 (NCV) says, “With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.” Folks, The power to change doesn’t come from you. It comes from God! Not with your power, not with your will, not with you strength. But with God’s power working in us, you can change! You only get that power when you get Christ.
There is one thing that will keep you from changing. There is only one thing that's going to keep you from becoming the person you want to be and God wants you to be. You know what it is? It’s not the devil. It's not other people. It's not circumstances. It’s not your past.
It is one word. Procrastination. Procrastination is deadly. How many time have you said - "I have every intention to change. I'll do it tomorrow." Waiting, delay. Procrastination is fatal. "One of these days.... I'm going to go to the dentist. ... I'm going to have that surgery I need. ... I'm going to spend more time with my family. ... I'm going to get serious about being a Christian. ... I'm going to get active in church. ... I'm going to go after that dream. ... I'm going to get in shape. One of these days I'm going to let the power of God work in my life." One of these days..."
You and I do that all the time. We procrastinate and put off making changes that would be good for us. Why? Maybe complacency -- we're just too lazy to change. Maybe fear -- we don't know what the changes are going to be. Maybe pride -- we're stubborn. We procrastinate.
Well, here is my challenge to you today. Quit stalling, quit putting off what you know you need to do. Give your life to Christ today! Hebrews 3:7-8 (CEV) says "…If you hear God's voice today, don't be stubborn! Don’t harden your hearts towards him…” How many times have you hears him speak to your heart and you’ve kind od just shrugged it off? Don’t do that today.
Give Him your life – let him start changing you today! I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course.
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