My estimation of Christ

Let's read in Mark's Gospel, chapter 14. Mark's Gospel, chapter 14. We'll begin our reading at verse 1. Mark 14, verse 1. Mark 14, 1 says, After two days was the feast of the Passover, and of the unleavened bread, and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft and put him to death.

But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. And being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment, a spikenard, very precious. And she break the box and poured it on his head.

And there were some that had indignation within themselves and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than 300 denarii, and given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone, why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work unto me.

For ye have the poor with you always, and whenever ye will, ye may do them good. But me ye have not always. She hath done what she could.

She has come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, that this also that she hath done shall be spoken of her for a memorial of her. And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests and betrayed him unto them.

And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. Yesterday, as we were walking to lunch, we passed by a house, a brand new home in Fridley that was for sale.

In the past weeks, we have watched them finish it. And the man that was there yesterday as he was making the last touches said we thought that we had it sold, that there was a buyer, but there was an issue with the bank. The problem was this, is what the owner was asking was way more than the bank valued that house.

He was asking more than it was worth in their appraisal, their estimation. And part of that is the economy, the market that we are in. We are trying to help a couple in Postville buy a house and we have looked at all kinds of houses.

And when we look at the house and we look at the asking price, our conclusion is it's not worth it. It's not worth it. So I'm going to ask you this morning, what is your appraisal of the value of the worth of the Lord Jesus Christ? What we have read here in the Gospel of Mark, we have we have two estimations of his value.

Let's just give you a little bit of the context. Chapter 11 to the middle of chapter 15 is the last week of the Lord Jesus, last week of his life on earth. You begin by reading about his entry into the city of Jerusalem, that unmistakable declaration of who he was.

Behold, thy king cometh unto thee. This was an undeniable declaration as to his person. Behold, thy king cometh unto thee just and having salvation and yet lowly riding upon the colt, the foal of an ass.

And though there might have been a few that would acclaim him as the coming Messiah, the one that had come, the Lord Jesus makes his way to the temple and there is no one who recognizes him as king. So he leaves and he goes back to Bethany. The next day he comes again to Jerusalem and he passes by that fig tree.

It was full of leaves, but there was no fruit and he curses it. And then he goes into the temple. To cleanse it.

Because of its sin, because of his defilement, because it was not pleasing to God, and then he goes back to Bethany. On Tuesday, he goes back in and they pass by the fig tree and is dried up. It was cursed.

As a nation of Israel was a fruitless nation, it was going to be cursed. And then you can read of the teaching of the Lord Jesus on Tuesday, of the coming destruction for that people. Partially fulfilled the destruction in 80, 70, and yet in a future day, the day of tribulation, what they will suffer.

On Wednesday, he does not go into Jerusalem. What we have read from chapter 14 here, he actually stays in Bethany. He is in the house of Simon, a leper.

When there comes in a woman and John tells us it was Mary. Mary comes. She has an alabaster box, a white stone box, and it was full of spikenard.

What we read here, very precious. John's gospel tells us very costly. Maybe there's a disconnect in our minds.

It's not understanding the context of what we are reading here. How much was this alabaster box worth? According to what we can understand from the word of God, one denarii was one day's wage. In the estimation of those that criticized her, they said it could have been sold for more than 300 denarii.

Really, you could sum it up. It was a year's wage. The average wage of Wisconsinite is about $50,000.

So whether it was equivalent to $50,000 or maybe we'll just say $30,000, here was a one pound box of perfume that had come all the way from India. And she is going to break this box and she is going to pour it out without reserve on the Lord Jesus. On his head and John's gospel tells us on his feet.

What is she doing? She is recognizing him for who he is. He is the king. She is anointing him.

She recognizes that he is the king and pours the oil on his head. And John's gospel tells us as they're reclining at the table, she pours it on his feet. She had an appreciation for who he was in his person, an appreciation for what he would do.

And what we find is this, that there were people that would say this was a waste. This was a waste. In other words, they were saying that he was not worthy.

He was not deserving of such extravagance that a gift of $30,000 would be poured out on his head. They said he is not worthy. You know what Mary said? He is absolutely worthy.

He is worthy of everything we might and I am not belittling in any way the worship that we give to God from our lips. But my question, the challenge to my heart is, do I give him more than just lip service with my life? Do I confess that he is worthy? That he is deserving of everything that I might have to offer and to give to him. Do we truly acknowledge him as Lord? The one who has sovereign over my life.

We confess him as savior, as Lord. But with our lives, do we truly prove it? Mary was willing to give this very, very costly gift without reserve. The bottle was broken.

It wasn't a little bit that was poured out and a little bit that was kept for Mary. This most costly gift was entirely given to him. What is our estimation of the worth of the value of the Lord Jesus Christ? Here is something that was most precious that was poured out this day.

As you know, the Apostle Peter reminds us of something far more precious than incense brought from India being poured out. Peter tells us that we have been redeemed not with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ that was poured out. As of a lamb without blemish and without spot, he was willing to pour that out on our behalf, not because we were worthy by any means, but we come into the good of that so great sacrifice.

What then is the response of our hearts? We live in a world where he continues to be despised, where they say he is worth nothing. In our estimation, I trust that he is worth everything, that we could never, we could never lose sight of who he is or fail to appreciate what he has done for us. And that is what is going to motivate us in our Christian life.

We are going to confess that he is worthy. He is deserving of my worship, my obedience, my service, my mind, my might, my means, my all. And sadly, there were those that had been with the Lord Jesus and knew him, and they said he is not worthy.

And then we have read of another man and it was not what he could give, but what he could get. Judas placed the value on him of $300. Sell him for $300.

Whereas we see a woman who can say he is worth $30,000 worth of treatment. You think of a man like Abraham as he has called to offer his son to God in a burnt offering. We see no hesitation, do we, on Abraham's part? Because he understood, though this is my beloved son, the son of promise that I have waited for so long.

God is worthy of the very greatest thing that I have. No hesitation, no arguing with God. Is it any wonder that the apostle Paul, speaking to the Romans, says, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, taking into account all of the tender mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable, well-pleasing unto God, which is only the logical response of your appreciation for him.

So the challenge to my heart is this. Do I appreciate him for who he is? Do I see him as the one who is worthy of my all? Can I learn anything from this woman? I do not know whether she was rich, I do not know whether she was poor, but this speaks to my heart to think of a woman who would so lavishly display her love and devotion towards the Lord Jesus. Because in the very next chapter we're going to read, he is not anointed with oil, but they come to place a crown of thorns upon his head, likely as those men approached him in that pinnacle of their rejection of the Savior.

Likely they could have smelled that perfume that was poured out on him. It's interesting, this word spikenard is actually the idea of something that is very precious, it's very costly, but it's also something that is very pure, very pure. Her worship was not with mixture, was not adulterated, it was not watered down in any means.

Absolutely the very best, that is what he was worthy of. The challenge to my heart is this, more than just with my words but with my life, do I esteem him rightly? Do I worship him, serve him, obey him as he deserves?