 What we'll be looking at today here in Matthew 26 is actually a study that at one time when I was teaching through Matthew, I actually had taken the first 16 verses and they had been divided into three services and, you know, three separate teachings and what I did this time is I combined these three teachings into a single teaching and we're going to be looking at the heart of worship when we get to verses 6 through 13, but I'm going to be introducing the passage with the first few verses and then conclude by looking at verses 14 through 16. And so let's begin reading together here in Matthew 26 at verse 1. I'll read to verse 5. I'll give you an introduction and then move into verse 6 and continue on until we conclude today at verse 16. So beginning at verse 1, Matthew 26, reading to verse 5. Now it came to pass when Jesus had finished all these sayings that he said to his disciples, you know that after two days is the Passover and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified. Then the chief priest, the scribes and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest who was called Caiaphas and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill him. But they said not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people. Now as we've been going through Matthew, we looked at chapters 24 and 25 which is called the Mount of Olives Discourse. And in chapters 24 and 25 as we looked at it, Jesus was speaking concerning the things that were going to occur just preceding his second coming, just preceding his return. And so as we've been looking at in chapters 24 and 25, we now return, Matthew now brings us back into chapter 26 to speak concerning the reason that Jesus came to planet earth. He's going to remind us in the first few verses of chapter 26 that Jesus came specifically to voluntarily lay his life down for us. And that simple truth, the fact that Jesus Christ came and laid his life down for us is the heart of the gospel. It's the heart of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. That we might have eternal life. That we might have a relationship with God. That our sins might be forgiven. That we might be cleansed. That we might have a new life. That we might have a place in heaven to be with him and his father. And Jesus Christ came in order to provide for us those things. And so that's what Matthew is bringing us back to. The simple truth that Jesus came down voluntarily laid down his life for us. Now we remember a conversation. A conversation that Jesus had with a very religious man. It's recorded in the gospel of John in chapter 3. It's a conversation that Jesus had with a man by the name of Nicodemus. And the Bible tells us in the gospel of John chapter 3 that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. And he began to speak to the Lord Jesus Christ and he said, we know that you are a teacher come to God for no man can perform the signs that you are performing unless God be with him. That gives us insight immediately into the fact that when Nicodemus came he had been obviously speaking to other religious leaders and conversing concerning Jesus amongst themselves. And they came to the conclusion that Jesus Christ had to be from God because he was performing these mighty signs and all. And so they had this conversation. He had spiritual questions. He wanted answers from Jesus Christ and again he admitted that Jesus was well known for the miracles that he had been performing. And he was convinced that through the signs Jesus was definitely from God. Now the signs that Jesus performed were intended to be evidence of who he was. They were what you would call his credentials. I remember that on one occasion John the Baptist had disciples who had come and had approached Jesus. They had a question that they needed answered. And so as they bring the question I want you to notice how Jesus answered them because in Luke chapter 7 verses 20 and 21 it says, the men had come to him and they said John the Baptist has sent us to you saying are you the coming one? Are you the Messiah? Or do we look for another? And that very hour he cured many infirmities, afflictions and evil spirits and to many blind he gave sight. Are you the coming one? Or should we look for another? And that moment he begins to do works in front of them and they see indeed that Jesus performed signs and thus those are his credentials. Well Nicodemus had noted the signs but the signs alone were not sufficient to save him. And that's why in the conversation Jesus begins to speak to Nicodemus and he begins to share with him and he says listen unless a man is born again he cannot see nor can he enter into the kingdom of heaven. And so it's not just that you believe that there is a God and it's not that you believe that Jesus could perform miracles. That's not enough because signs are intended to draw your attention like the signs that you took when you first came to this church where perhaps you were on the 60th freeway and you exit at Ramona and you get to Philadelphia and all of that those are signs, those are ways to help you. They're directing you to a certain location and that's what the signs that Jesus performed were intended to do is to cause people to move in a certain direction. And that's why Nicodemus would say no one can do the signs that you do unless God is with him because he had come to the conclusion as he had spoken to his friends and they were all undoubtedly rabbinic types and all and they've discussed amongst themselves these things that Jesus is doing and those are his credentials and thus he says well it's not enough that you believe the signs and he goes on and he speaks to them to him and he says this he says in John 3 we know this verse verse 16 through 18 Jesus said God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved he who believes in him is not condemned but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God Nicodemus it's not enough that you believe that I perform miracles you need to be born again and you need to know that God so loved the world that he gave and when it says that he gave that word gave in the original language means that he freely and voluntarily gave his son Jesus Christ and so the giving of Jesus Christ is the heart of the message of the Gospel and that's why Matthew returns to the reason that Jesus came to planet earth in Hebrews in chapter 2 verse 9 the writer said we see Jesus in the angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man Jesus in John 10 17 said therefore does my father love me because I lay down my life that I might take it again and so Matthew has returned to the reason Jesus Christ came in order that he might lay his life down and so it says in verse 2 Jesus in Matthew 16 or speaking said you know that after two days is the Passover and the son of man will be delivered up to be crucified my appointed hour to die has come as we've gone through Matthew we've seen no less than three times Jesus specifically stating that he was going to die we saw that in Matthew 16 21 we saw that in Matthew 17 verses 3 and again we saw it in Matthew 20 verses 17 through 19 so Jesus has been preparing them for his death the Passover is about to be celebrated it's time for him to lay down his life Passover was the normal time when sacrificial lambs were slain and the sacrificing of these lambs were intended to point people to Jesus in John's Gospel in chapter 1 verse 29 John the Baptist spoke of Jesus in this way he said the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 18 and 19 the apostles said you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers but with the precious blood of Christ a lamb without blemish or defect and so Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God all of these Passover lambs that had been slain for so many years were only symbolizing or typifying the fact that Jesus Christ himself is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and so he says you know that after two days his Passover Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified in verse 3 continuing it says the chief priest the scribes and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest who was called Caiaphas and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill him but they said not among the feast not during the feast lest there be an uproar among the people we don't want to cause a problem if we do it in front of a lot of people we have to find a way to take him in a secret fashion and this here represents their planning and plotting while Jesus is speaking a meeting is being held by the Jewish Supreme Court the religious authorities and it's being led by a man by the name of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was a high priest he was the leader of the religious authorities and he desired to kill Jesus because Jesus threatened his power. See Caiaphas had married the daughter of his predecessor the high priest Anas and so Caiaphas served as a high priest from AD 15 to AD 37 and in this time that would have been a lengthy reign and what he did is he supervised all priestly functions in the temple but he also profited from the kindness that took place in the court of the Gentiles and that's what Jesus had done. He had actually taken some of the profit from him when he had cleansed that temple on two occasions and so Caiaphas hated Jesus and his hatred grew after Jesus had raised a man by the name of Lazarus from the dead. John records an event that took place that really was the turning point. He does so in John chapter 11 where that Jesus is the distance away and news comes to him that his friend Lazarus is close to death and Jesus remains where he's at for some more time and ultimately makes his way to where Lazarus had lived and when he got to the home of Lazarus well Lazarus had already died and we all know the story about that how Jesus had conversations with his sisters with Mary and with Martha and ultimately he said show me where he has been in tomb, show me where they have lain him and he goes and he's outside of this tomb and the Scripture gives to us some insight in Jesus as he's looking there outside of the tomb and it simply says as he's there Jesus wept and as he's weeping there over all that his death meant and all that it symbolized Jesus says Lazarus he says remove the stone open it up. He's been there for some time. Lord you don't understand why now he's rotted and he smells there's decay inside of that tomb and he says remove the stone remove the covering and they do and then Jesus says Lazarus come forth and in this unbelievable dramatic moment here comes Lazarus raised from the dead and the people who see this incredible miracle of resurrection begin to even more swarm the Lord Jesus Christ and that caused Caiaphas to become upset and it prompted him to plot the death of Jesus John tells us in chapter 11 verses 47 through 50 the chief priest and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin what are we accomplishing they asked here is this man performing many miraculous signs if we let him go on like this everyone will believe in him and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation then one of them named Caiaphas who was high priest that year spoke up you know nothing at all you do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish so they're plotting the death the Lord Jesus Christ even as Jesus is speaking in verse 2 saying you know that after two days this pass over the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified so the Lord's plan is in operation even as they're there plotting his death which moves us to verse 6 and when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper a woman came to him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil and she pointed on his head as he sat at the table but when his disciples saw it they were indignant saying why this waste for this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor but when Jesus was aware of it he said to them why do you trouble the woman for she has done a good work for me for you have the poor with you always but me you do not have always for in pouring this fragrant oil on my body she did it for my burial assuredly I say to you wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her now for those Bible students in this room this episode is actually a flashback to the previous Saturday John records the same event in his gospel he gives us the day that it occurred in John 12 verses 1 and 2 it says six days before the Passover Jesus arrived at Bethany where Lazarus lived whom Jesus had raised from the dead here a dinner was given in Jesus his honor Martha served while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him so the question would be asked why would Matthew insert the story here and the answer would be to contrast the evil of the Sanhedrin the greed of Judas with the sacrificial love of Jesus's disciples and so Jesus is in a place called Bethany he's in the home of a man known as and I want you to notice this he's known as in verse 6 Simon the leper now it would be obvious that he was a former leper more than likely was cleansed by Jesus you might immediately ask why would you say he's a former leper it says here that it's Simon the leper Simon the leper would be a way of designated him and given to you insight into the fact that he's not Simon Peter or Simon a Pharisee this is a man that is referred to as Simon the leper but why would he be called Simon the leper if he's a former leper well we know that he would be a former leper because he has a home in town and when you look in the Old Testament in Leviticus in chapter 13 verse 46 lepers did not have homes in towns because according to Leviticus 13 it says the leper is unclean he shall dwell alone his dwelling shall be outside the camp and so it's undoubtedly the fact that he was cleansed and thus he's having a celebration of sorts if you will it may be that he's giving a suffering gratitude for the fact that Jesus cleansed him it may be and thanks for the recent raising of Lazarus from the dead but Jesus is there and they're having this meal as it takes place a woman came to him having an alabaster flask of the very a very fragrant oil and she pours it on his head as they sat at the table so we're looking at an act of worship what she does is she pours out her costly perfume perfume upon the head of Jesus Christ I want you to notice that Matthew leaves her unnamed but John gives us her identity the woman's name is Mary she's the sister of Martha and Lazarus in John 12 3 it says Mary took a 12 ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of Nard and she anointed Jesus' feet with it and wiped his feet with her hair the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil now this perfume that we're looking at was imported from India it was extremely costly John 12 5 tells us that its value was a full years wages now I was wondering about that full years wages it would be the wages of a common day laborer so I asked Almighty Google a question I said what is the minimum wage yearly income in California and the answer is $21,840 now the average yearly income in California is $52,000 but the minimum wage yearly income would be $21,000 almost $22,000 that gives us some insight because a denari which was the rate of exchange at the time of Christ would have been a day laborer's single day wage and so what we have here is we have a very expensive expensive gift so I asked a second question to Almighty Google I said what is the most expensive perfume today so I could get an idea how many of you ladies I'm pretty sure it would be ladies who knew this you never know anymore how many of you have heard of because I never have Clive Christian number one how many I asked in the first service and one hand went up so you haven't heard of it either I don't care but I asked Clive Christian number one perfume is reputed to be the world's most expensive over the counter perfume available starting at just under $2,000 for a one ounce bottle so that means my wife should be really thankful when I come home with these gallon things $2,000 in this particular case Mary took a 12 ounce jar if you will and poured the entire contents over the head of Jesus as well as upon his feet and as she did so it would be what is called a very lavish expression of love for Christ Matthew says she anointed his head but John says he also anointed his feet but the anointing of the feet was an unusual honor and so as we're looking at this I want to develop this with you I want to speak to you today about the heart of worship I want to share with you out of this passage of costly sacrifice because Mary was demonstrating respect and honor she was showing us love and faith when she was anointing him love and genuine faith will always have an outward expression James 2.26 says it like this as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without deeds is dead so we can use her expression of love for Christ as a model of genuine worship because her worship is very expressive and when we look at what she's doing there are various observable qualities that you can see it was costly it was humble it was open it was from a heart of love and faith you can see this in her expression of worship and again this is the heart of worship what is the heart of worship well one it's costly worship is costly again Matthew made it clear that it was very costly fragrant oil the fact that she had such an oil reveals that she was from a wealthy family an alabaster vase of such costly ointment was a present that you would give to a king it may have been that the oil had been purchased when Lazarus had been buried and was used on him and it wasn't all used and thus she had that leftover that gives us insight into what Jesus will say later on when he when he speaks concerning the fact that she did it for my burial but the fact is when you love Jesus nothing is too good to bestow upon him worship genuine worship is costly there's a great example you find in Scripture and the example is given to us by King David 2 Samuel chapter 24 reveals to us how David had taken a census of the fighting men of Israel and when he began to number the fighting men of Israel it reveals to us that he was trusting in his army and not in the Lord to deliver him and so the result is that God sends a prophet by the name of God to speak to him and tells him what you have done is going to result in judgment from God and so God gave to David through the prophet some options he said there are judgments that will befall you because of what you've done and so there are three judgments you have to judge rather you have to choose which one you're going to receive and these were the judgments seven years of famine or fleeing before your enemies for three months or three days of plague so David you make the judgment what are you going to take seven years of famine flee before your enemies three months or three days of plague and 2 Samuel 24 14 David said to God I am in great distress please let us fall into the hand of the Lord for his mercies are great but do not let me fall into the hand of man and when you read through the chapter the result was 70,000 men died David was then commanded to build an altar on some land that was owned by a man named Arana who was a Jebusite and God chose this particular site because it's where the temple would be ultimately built so when David said that he wanted the land the owner Arana offered to give it to him as well as oxen for a sacrifice now Arana simply wanted to show generosity to David but we get the response of David in 2 Samuel 24 verse 24 the king said to Arana no but I will surely buy it from you for a price nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing so David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 shekels of silver I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing there will always be personal sacrifice in your giving always there will always be personal sacrifice in your offerings you see his faith is revealed by his unwillingness to give something without personal cost though David paid Arana the price was actually part of the offering to God and had David accepted his offer it would have been Arana's offering and not his own and so his action reveals sacrifice as an essential part of the love and service to God there are many today who seem to serve the Lord with the littleest cost possible to them it's been said he who has a faith that costs nothing has a faith that is worth nothing is a man who likes to take surveys and all in a poll he pointed out George Barnard pointed out that 9% of evangelical believers 9% of evangelical believers are givers this means that believers are more generous to waitresses than they are to God in the Christian life we do not give to God when we can afford it we give to God as an act of worship because he deserves it and he should receive it and proper worship to God will always be costly our giving to God is always an act of faith and it's a response to the love that he has shown us so the first thing I see about her giving is it was costly a second thing you see about her giving is it's humble is that she wiped his feet with her hair what she was doing is she was performing the work of a servant in the house John 12 3 says she wiped his feet with her hair now Jewish women would normally have their hair up when a woman would undo her hair it was normally in private and she didn't walk around town with her hair undone because in walking around town with her hair undone in town was humiliating so the fact that she undid her hair and began to dry his feet was a sign of humility so the only kind of service acceptable to God is humble service and Psalm 95 verse 6 it says come let us worship and bow down let us kneel before the Lord our maker Psalm 149 4 says the Lord takes pleasure in his people to purify the humble with salvation it is costly it is humble and it is open genuine worship is recognizable by both men and God John noted that the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume everybody took notice that the gift had been given so anointed worship does not go unnoticed anointed worship permeates the atmosphere but not all people recognize that and not all people understand that as a matter of fact there are those who reject that how do I know that well look what happens in verse 8 when his disciples saw it they were indignant saying why this waste for this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor why this waste you see this kind of action produces various reactions the disciples saw it they were indignant Mark with John and John you get a better view because Mark 14 4 says there were some who were indignant among themselves but John goes down further to identify the instigator because in John 12 4 through 6 it says one of his disciples Judas Iscariot who was later to betray him objected why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor was not worth a year's wages he did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief as keeper of the money bag he used to help himself to what was put into it he was calculating he is watching he sees and knows the value of this perfume that's 300 donari that's a full year's wages why didn't we sell it he says in a very pious way so when he says we should have given to the poor to care for them that hit a chord with the others so some of the others began to share his sentiment and they began to agree with him but you see Judas had calculated this value he realized that he lost a good amount of money so by pretending to care for the poor he drove a wedge into the disciples he uses religious speech which gives him an air of compassion and the disciples had no reason to believe he wasn't sincere because this man had a great amount of influence and he swayed them from Jesus now remember earlier Jesus had fed 5,000 men and the cost of that had been calculated in John 6 verse 7 Philip said 200 donari worth of bread isn't enough for each of them to have a little so if you add 100 donari 7500 could have been fed and so it sounded reasonable and they're saying why the waste why are you putting this valuable ointment on him on his feet we could have sold it we could have made a profit we could have given to the poor it sounds very pious doesn't it someone said even if it had been sold and distributed Judas still would have gained more than the poor he hypocritically feigned to concern for so the reaction was voiced amongst themselves as well as to Mary because in Mark 14 4 and 5 it says some of those present were saying indignantly to one another why this waste of perfume he could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor and they rebuked her harshly so this attitude is normally shared with others and influences them often it is stated in a very spiritual way but it influences others to sin you see there will always be people who think these kinds of actions are simply a waste but in reality it was none of their business how she used her ointment somebody said Mary had a right to dispose of it as she pleased answerable not to them but to God the people of the world like Judas regarded as wasted like Judas they are indignant they say it might be disposed of in a better way yet like Judas they are interfering in that which concerns them not and so as they are murmuring amongst themselves and accusing her Jesus speaks up in verse 10 when Jesus was aware of it he said to them shut up no he didn't he says to them why do you trouble the woman for she has done a good work for me for you have the poor with you always but me you do not have always for in pouring this fragrant oil on my body she did it for my burial assuredly I say to you the gospel is preached in the whole world what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her why are you murmuring against her the word trouble why are you rebuking her and causing her pain this is an interesting example of believers attacking other believers murmuring against Christ and attacking someone who has faith and love and generosity Paul said this in Galatians 5.15 he said if you bide and devour one another beware unless you be consumed by one another they are troubling her Jesus says she has done a good work for me this work that she did it springs from faith it springs from love this is a good work it's an excellent it's a beautiful work we need to remember that all true service begins in worshiping God first he says in verse 12 in pouring this fragrant oil on my body she did it for my burial now those words may have cut to their hearts and brought a sobriety to them because his death was certain and it was near and then he says this will be spoken of wherever the gospel is preached people will hear it it will be done as a memorial to her which is occurring even today as we're going through this passage of scripture reading about it and looking at it he's saying you know Mary has anticipated my death and my burial and in this it seems that she's understood more than any of you she's understood to some degree what is about to occur so here we go let's see if we can find some application to this why do Christians give the world thinks that when you give you're wasting your money the world believes that you know that don't you the world would say you're foolish why do you do that why do you give it all you don't need to they don't understand why you give they don't understand the heart of worship they don't understand that we give in response to what he's done for us it's not that it's simply some kind of law where you have to do that in order to be a good Christian there are scriptures that teaches that giving is a responsibility and there are scriptures that teach that act in obedience and yes there are scriptures that speak about us trust in the Lord and we give in faith and all of this you find in scripture because the giving of a believer to the Lord is always something that is balanced by various things but what is the heart what motivates a person to give why does somebody give do they give to get do they give because it's some kind of a guarantee of increase that if you give any full back to you there are promises that state that he will but is that why I do it there was a guy and this is the true story there was a guy who did this it's a few years ago but he was told in a Bible study on a Sunday morning that if he gives that the Lord will bless him for doing so and what he did is for a year he tracked his giving and then what he did at the end of the year is he saw whether or not he had a financial increase and because he didn't he sued the church for breach of promise true story I'm not I didn't make that up he sued the church for breach of promise you promised I'd get a return I didn't get a return now is that the right way to give is that why we give to the Lord so we can get from him or do we give to the Lord because he gave first to us the reason you responded faith and gift to God your worship is because of what he has done for you and that the world doesn't understand but here's our question I begin with me I speak to us what has he done for you when you look at what the Lord Jesus Christ ultimately did when you consider what he suffered for us we can't fathom that but the Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ that he was taken that he was brutally beaten that his beard was plucked out by the handful that his head was with the with the staff that they placed upon his head a crown of thorns that they took cat of nine tails and they hit him thirty nine times and when you know that a cat of nine tails has nine line straps on it and within the straps were buried broken pieces of pottery or sharpened metal or bone and when you multiply thirty nine times nine you see the amazing stripes that went upon him his back was opened up lacerated so that his rib cage could be exposed that when they hit him with that that the cat of nine tails cut from his chest all the way through his back on both sides and many people died as they were being beaten in the way that he was scourged and when you understand that that the blood was dripping down his back down his legs and onto the ground they put him on a cross amen how can you out give God you know why we don't give because we don't care because we don't care because we really don't believe it do we he did it because he's God God can do anything really that's how we answer that right why do you give why did Mary give such an amazing gift to God Jesus said she's doing it for my burial you men are arguing amongst yourselves thinking it's a waste it's something that's been thrown away it's just of no value she's seen something you haven't seen she's anticipating what you're rejecting the heart of giving listen it's love you give to him because he first gave to you it's love why are we missing that today we give more to Starbucks than we do to the Lord it's a fact that's a fact we spend more on vacations for one week than we give to Jesus in a year that's a fact no I'm not receiving an offering don't hold on to your wallets I'm not and no I'm not condemning you I'm talking to you as a brother I'm loving you and telling you the truth it's a fact who here has ever outgiven him and the reason we don't give is we don't care we don't it's true after church people go to restaurants they receive service from a waitress a waiter they give more to the waitress than they would even give to the Lord it's true it's true and that's why Judas would be calculating this could have been sold for 300 denari that's what he's thinking now John said he said this because he's a thief he held the money bag and he used to take what was in it and he's thinking of profit loss but it sounds so pious that he actually stirs up these others who should have known better and they've been walking with Jesus think about that they've seen the works that he's done they've seen the amazing things Lazarus had just been raised from the dead they've seen him raise others they've seen him heal the sick cleanse the leper they're in the home of Simon the leper a man who'd been cleansed by Christ himself and here comes this woman and she's a woman of means she can afford it it's hers anyway who are you to say what she should give and what you shouldn't give she pours it on on his head pours it out on his feet and amongst themselves they're arguing this could have been sold for the poor we could have done good works with this so really and where'd you get that idea from Judas we love this statement 2nd Corinthians 9.15 he simply says it like this thanks be to God for his indescribable gift his indescribable gift somebody said where the benefits received are infinite the praises cannot be too extravagant we will always give in proportion to our understanding of what he's first done for us always the deeper you fall in love with the Lord the fact is the more generous you are towards him that's how it works the more you know him the more you owe him the more grateful you are to him and the more generous you are these men just didn't understand it giving to the Lord is an act of faith it's an act of worship it's an act that is motivated by love love for him my kids like to go with their grandma to Toys R Us I wonder why because they'll see something and they'll say I'd like that they were with grandpa he'd say it's good to like things they go with grandma and she's very generous but why would the grandma be generous with them because she loves them because you will be generous to the one you love but the wonderful thing about the Lord is he is generous to you everything you have never forget this came from him the air that we breathe came from him the food that is harvested that we eat came from him the talents that you possess came from him everything he owns it all and all we do is give back to him what is already his and when she was doing this some of the men were upset but Jesus commenced her because people very often will not understand now you may be in this fellowship for the first time and you may be thinking within yourself see that's why I don't go to church I'm not asking for anything I'm saying this is what the Bible teaches and may we do those things now if you don't want to do that that's between you your conscience and your God it's between you and him I'm not here taking tallies on who gives I don't know who gives in this church I don't want to know but I do know this every believer in Christ ought to why because all of us have benefited from him why wouldn't we if we love him verses 14 through 16 Judas is going to get he's going to get his money it says one of the 12 called Judas Iscariot went to the chief priest and said what are you willing to give me if I deliver him to you they counted out to him 30 pieces of silver so from that time he sought opportunity to betray him he yielded over to the enemy to the devil he sold the son of God first Timothy 6 verse 10 says it like this the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil and pierced themselves through with many sorrows he sold the Lord Jesus for the price of a slave in Exodus 21 32 in the Old Testament it says the owner must pay 30 shekels of silver and the master of the slave and the bull must be stoned he sold Jesus he made his money so what we have is a reaction of Judas that is in stark contrast to Mary's love and worship his response was when Jesus made a rebuke that he went out and sold him so I can be influenced by an attitude I can be influenced by the attitude and faith of Mary the attitude and unbelief of Judas that's my choice my choice is I want to have Mary's attitude be the influence because I would love to hear the Lord make a commendation the way he just did for her when he said wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her she had faith she gave we remember her