Extravagant Mary Versus Social Justice Judas (John 12:1-8 Jeff Kliewer)

This is our man's book. This is his book. Good morning. We welcome you here to Cornerstone Church. If you are visiting, we really appreciate you joining us this morning. We have something that we'd like to get into your hands, Gospel of John to follow Pastor Jeff, and a connection card.

That connect card will allow us to just know that you are visiting and allow us to send you a thank you note saying, thank you for joining us. So if you have never received one of these, or if you have not filled out one of our connect cards, you slip up your hand real quick, we'll get one to you.

I don't want to miss anyone. All right. So thank you for your attention. And John.

The Fear of the Lord and the Call to Prayer

Good morning, folks. It's good to be here with you. It's always good to be. Brothers and sisters together in fellowship. I try to meet people, and for those that have been here since January, and I haven't met you, I'm so sorry.

But it is good to spend time with each other. Now speaking about spending time with each other, can I think of a better way to start the day than to spend time with the Lord? And I encourage you, if you enjoy spending time with the Lord, find a devotion, approach to devotion.

And right now I'm going to encourage you to the book of Proverbs. Spend time with the book of Proverbs. There's so much in it, but I want to encourage you to take your time, read through it, see what's there, and meditate on it.

I'm going to give you in Proverbs 1, verse 7, because this is really one of the key nuggets that gets you into the book of Proverbs. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

If you desire true wisdom, if you think that there is such a thing as true wisdom, Pastor Jeff's going to talk about how some people have even just denied that there is true wisdom. There is true wisdom, and you can have true knowledge, and you're only going to get it one place.

You're only going to get it from the Lord. The world is going to speak loud and often, and get you to try to follow what they want you to follow, but if you want true wisdom, if you want true knowledge, turn to the Lord.

So what does it mean to fear the Lord? It says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Fear of the Lord means, first of all, that you accept he is absolute sovereignty over all. That there is nothing above God.

God is the sovereignty over all. That's a great place to start with what we call the fear of the Lord. And another is to allow the Holy Spirit and his very word to keep you on the path that he wants you on.

Accept his sovereignty, and then seek after him, because he will give you his third. And the third is don't be satisfied with second best. What we may choose to do might feel fun for the moment, but it is not God's best plan for you.

Where can you get God's best plan? What can you do to get God's best plan and to understand it? Pray. Which leads me into our first announcement. We had an amazing congregational meeting Monday night, and in it Pastor Jeff gave us a very good overview of some of the options.

What do we do as we expand in size? What do we do? Do we build? Do we stop building? Do we put up a tent? He brought out several good options, but each one of them is an option. How do we know where the Lord wants us to go?

We pray. We had an individual, I'm not going to give you his initials, but his name is Natan Avinger. He sent an email to Jeff. He said, let's have 24 hours of prayer and fasting as we consider where does the Lord want us to go.

This turned out to be an amazing opportunity. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to tie in an event, which will be my second announcement, talking about an evangelism class. That is going to start on Monday the 8th, I believe it is, from Sunday the 7th at 6 o 'clock in the evening.

This could be a great thing. Come to our prayer meeting, because our prayer meeting is at 6 o 'clock on Sundays. Come to our prayer meeting for time and start a 24-hour fast that we will break fast together, 6 o 'clock Monday.

We're going to bring in the food. We're going to work out the details of what that looks like. Use that time to be in prayer and fast. Now, at the time of fast, you're going to deny yourself, whether it's a food, but I want you to decide something you're going to carry through.

You're going to have this urge during the day. I said I'm not going to do this, but I really want it. Use that as a reminder to pray. We're going to be praying specifically this time. What does God want us to do?

Lord, what is your plan for our church, for our church building in meeting the needs of our congregation? And then we come back Monday and break the fast together, a time of prayer and worship and fellowship together.

And then, oh, by the way, you're here, and you're here for the first class of the evangelism class. So that's our encouragement to you will be that first Sunday in May, the 7th into Monday, that we would pray.

The second is the next announcement is the men's retreat is coming up this weekend. Gentlemen, be prepared to come and to hear. The schedule is out. John Detoli has already worked out room assignments, so we get down there.

John will give you your keys and your room assignment. So looking forward to a great time. We have been encouraged, and I think we're going to pursue actually getting a camera and recording the teachings that's going to be on spiritual warfare.

That will end up being uploaded to our website so those who couldn't be there can see what the teaching is about spiritual warfare. We are looking at this Wednesday. The second and the fourth Wednesdays of the month are a fellowship night here at the church.

The second Wednesday is a game night. This Wednesday is going to be a movie night. Mike, what's the name of the movie? Okay, Tyson's Running, Honor of Autism. There will be some good teaching, but it's also a good fellowship evening.

So come back. What time, Mike, is it on Wednesday? All right. We encourage you at 6 .30. The movie will start sharply at 7 .00, a time of fellowship. Join with us. The women's Sunday school is going to be resuming, and this time they're going to be teaching a topic that has to do with knowing God, knowing truth.

It's first service, and it's in one of the classrooms. So the women's Sunday school is going to be resuming. We also encourage you this coming Saturday, there's going to be an opportunity. Many of the areas within the country are honoring LBGTQ, even in their libraries.

And Kirk Cameron has been standing up that the Bible needs to be front and center. Cherry Hill Library, this Saturday. Kirk Cameron is going to give us a Bible hour at the Cherry Hill Library. I encourage you to be there, to hear it, and to encourage Kirk in what he is doing.

We need to have the truth in the public forum, not some of this falsehood that is out there. We are planning a baptism in June. There will be a baptism again in the fall. This June it will be here on our property.

If you are interested, contact myself, Pastor Jeff, one of the leaders of the church. There will be a class in May, so get in contact with us, and we will get in contact with you. We already have a level of interest that has come forward, so we will be having that opportunity.

Come back this evening, if you would, at 6 o 'clock, as we have our evening of prayer, and take advantage of the small groups and the women's and the men's activities that go on. Let's turn to prayer.

Proverbs, Wisdom, and the Church's Prayer for Guidance

Lord, we turn to you as the source of truth. So much that is proclaimed and taught loudly in the marketplace. You are the source of truth. Proverbs 1 .7 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but yet fools despise wisdom and instruction.

We desire your true wisdom in all things, Lord. Keep us, we pray, in your care, and teach us truth. By the power of your grace and the power of your Holy Spirit, protect us from the deceits of Satan that are shouted so loudly.

We come to you this morning, Lord, as your children, cleansed by the blood of your Son. We come this morning forgiven by your righteous mercy, taught by your Holy Spirit even to call you Abba, Father.

We pray this morning for your wisdom and instruction. We pray this morning for your grace and mercy on those who are in need in our midst. We pray that you open the eyes of our hearts and that you equip Pastor Jeff with your very words, we pray, in Jesus' name, amen.

Hope in Life and Death

Will you stand with me? We can't really be sure in this life if we're going to be rich or we're going to be poor, if we're going to be healthy or live our life weak. We don't know if we're going to be married or single, if we're going to have children or grandchildren, but one thing we can be sure of is death or the rapture.

The first article in the Hildeberg Catechism says, What is our only comfort in life and in death? The answer is that I am not my own, but belong, body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all of my sins with his precious blood and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. The hope of the resurrection spurs us to sing of our glorious future, the assurance that we have that Christ is our hope in life and death.

Let's sing together.

What is our hope in life and death? Christ alone, Christ alone. What is our only confidence that our souls to him belong? Who holds our days within his hand? What comes apart from his command? And what will keep us to the end?

The love of Christ in which we stand. Oh, sing! Our ears arise! Who stands above the stormy trial? Who sends the wingless night unto the rock of Christ? Is our hope in life and death a grave? What shall we see?

Christ, he lives! Christ, he lives! And what reward will heaven bring when sin and death, endless joy, when Christ is ours forevermore? Oh, see, turn now and ever, we can place our hope in life and death.

Let's continue to praise the Lord, for his name is above all names. He is exalted. His splendor is above the earth and the heavens. Let's sing together from Psalm 148. Oh, praise his name. Let's praise his name together.

Let us speak of his wondrous works and declare his praise.

Stories of heaven. Story heights of the evening. Dancing in silence. Billions of bones. Breaking dead. Devious mountains. Peaceful and wondering. And their kingdom. Majesty is decree. New creations. Melodies here in life.

That chorus again. In whatever we do, whatever blessings that you give to us, whatever trials you give to us, things that you give us as wonderful gifts, things that you take away to help us to grow in faith in you, we want to bless your name.

Blessed be. Streams of abundance. Be your name. Desert, place, wilderness. Every blessing you pour out. When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say, blessed be the name of the Lord. Every blessing in the darkness.

Clap your hands to the Lord. Amen. It says in Psalms to give claps to him.

A Berean Spirit and the Need for Correction

I always encourage a Berean spirit. Now, the Bereans were more noble than the Thessalonians because when they heard what Paul had to say, they compared what he was saying with the word of God to see if these things are so.

So it's always good for those listening to the word to be a Berean and make sure that everything checks out. So, I have a couple of Bereans in the house. Two corrections that I need to make from recent sermons.

Minor things, but important. The first comes from Easter Sunday. I was making the point that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, amen? But I said that death is certain and the truth of the matter is that at any moment, at the twinkling of an eye, the Lord could rapture his church.

It could be, amen. Clap for that one. Listen, there have been 75 generations from Christ until ours. The average child is born in the 27th year of a father. Do the math, 75 generations. It could very well be that we are that terminal generation.

That he's coming in our generation. We don't know the day or the hour, but the rapture is imminent. It could be at any moment. So, maybe nobody here will die after all. Now, the second thing was I had read an article about a bill that was proposed to outlaw speaking the name of Jesus and proselytizing in Israel.

I mentioned that last week. In truth, it actually did not pass. Praise the Lord. That's good news. It was actually Bibi Netanyahu who was instrumental in striking it down. So, you know what that means for us?

That means you still have time to get to Israel and tell them about Jesus without getting arrested, okay? So, if you have the opportunity to go, then do that. So, correction there as well. Let's pray.

The Parable of the Sower and the Need to Hear Well

Our gracious Heavenly Father, Oh, Lord. My mind goes to the parable in Matthew 13 of the sower who threw out the seed and some of it fell on rocky places. Lord, I want to pray first of all for myself that I would sow your word this morning, that I would scatter it abroad, preaching the word of God.

Your word is that seed. The gospel is that seed. Help me to scatter it all over the place. Lord, my prayer also is for those listening today that no one here would be found to have a hard, rocky heart.

Lord, I pray against distractions. Demons and the devil are like the birds of the air. They are looking for a chance to swoop in and steal that seed before it takes root. And I pray against that in Jesus' name.

I pray that no one here would be lazy in listening, careless, distracted. But God, prepare the heart of your people for the hearing of your word. In Jesus' name, amen. In the 1630s, the English had settled in Massachusetts Bay.

And it came about that there was a teacher whose name was Ann Hutchison. In her home, she began to host Bible studies, and I think with good motives, but began to veer into some aberrant theology. And many people were coming to her Bible studies, but it concerned the leaders of the colony because here you had some questionable teaching, and who was there in the New World to guard the teaching?

They didn't have Cambridge. They didn't have Oxford. There was no seminary. So the Massachusetts Bay colony decided to create a seminary, a center of Bible learning. And they commissioned it as part of this charter.

Two years after that, a man named John Harvard stepped forward. And before the assembly, he donated half of his estate, plus all of his books, which was more than 500 important theological works, 400 theological works, that he donated for the creation of this seminary.

Still today, at Harvard Yard's Johnston Gate, there's a tablet that reads this way. As we were thinking and consulting how to effect this great work, it pleased God to stir up the heart of one Mr. Harvard, a godly gentleman and a lover of learning, there living among us, to give one half of his estate, it being in all about 1 ,700 pounds, toward the erecting of a college and all his library.

After him, another gave 300 pounds. Others after them cast in more, and the public hand of the state added the rest. John Harvard gave extravagantly. He took half of all of his wealth and said, here, take this, to train young men to preach the word.

That's how important it was to him. That's how important the word of God and the name that is above all names was to John Harvard. Extravagant worship, half his wealth. John Harvard is an example of extravagant worship, but Harvard University, today, is an example of apostasy.

Harvard University is to America what Judas was to Jesus. A betrayer, a destroyer of the very ones that made her. She is wealthy, 38 billion dollars in endowment. Harvard University, if you go to their recruiting page for the seminary, features four people speaking for the value of the seminary.

One a Buddhist, another LGBTQ, and others speaking likewise, but no evangelical Christians. They have within their seminary, atheists, those who don't even believe in God and yet study for the ministry.

It is a center of apostasy. It was a slow drift from the sacrificial, extravagant worship of John Harvard to where this place is today. In the 1970s, their leading ethical moral philosopher was a man named John Rawls.

John Rawls had been in World War II. He had hoped to become a Catholic priest, that was his ambition, but in World War II, he saw so much killing and, having seen the concentration camps, unable to reconcile in his mind a holy God who would allow this much suffering in the world, he lost his faith, became an atheist, and ended up at Harvard as a teacher of ethics.

Now, he was a classic liberal. He believed in civil liberties, the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press and of conscience. But, he introduced a new element to his theory of justice. And that is that it is the role of society to lift up the least of these.

That it was in society's domain to lift up those of the worst off. So, the state could rightly tax and spend to provide public housing and to provide healthcare and to provide the basic necessities of this life and some things as long as it doesn't go beyond certain constraints of civil liberty.

A classic liberal. He would be of the vein of Tony Blair in England or now of Lula da Silva who claimed to be socialist but of an ethical variety. Somewhat measured, they say. You see, John Rawls inverted the golden rule.

He taught something called the veil of ignorance. That if you were ignorant to who you would be in this life you would support the safest option. Meaning you might be born to a single mother in Detroit or you might be born into a well-off family in Scottsdale, Arizona says Rawls.

And if you were ignorant to what that is you would support the economic theory and the political arrangement that was safest for you. Meaning a government redistribution of income would be what you think is right and just.

Now, when he taught this veil of ignorance this became the orthodoxy of American culture. The trouble is God himself is the one who determines the boundaries and the circumstances of our life. And he has not given to government the redistribution of people's wealth.

This is something that was invented by Rawls and others who claim this title of social justice. This was the 1970s. But see, moving beyond the 1970s Harvard then took this teaching to the next level. A professor there whose name was Derrick Bell as well as some others invented what is called critical legal studies.

Critical legal studies. They were borrowing from Antonio Gramsci who was a Marxist from Italy. And in their proposed thinking the main tenets of critical legal studies was that justice is always subjective.

Now, notice from Rawls we've removed God from the equation altogether. Now, there is no such thing as absolute justice right and wrong. It is all situational. It's all subjective. Each person has their own rules of right and wrong.

Critical legal studies also said that the law is a political tool. It will always and only be a political tool. Now, follow me. It also said the system will only ever provide good outcomes for the wealthy and the privileged.

Critical legal studies called then for the overthrow of Western society. It was Marxist calling for the overthrow of society. Now, in the 1990s race really became central to that overthrow. Kimberly Crenshaw was a student of Derrick Bell and she coined the term critical race theory.

Critical race theory comes from that legal department of Harvard which was Derrick Bell and Roberto Unger Duncan Kennedy and Morton Horowitz. You may have heard of Kimberly Crenshaw or Richard Delgado.

All of these teachers were either students or activists in the protest movement of Harvard University. So, after teaching this critical legal studies and then critical race theory they began to export that to the other universities because after all it's Harvard with their 38 billion dollar endowment.

They were the center of learning in the United States of America. And so it went to Columbia and to Yale and here we are 30 years later and every university in the United States of America embraces critical race theory with the exception of a few like Hillsdale, Liberty and there are professors and individuals say Timothy George at Princeton or others who do reject and Stanford's Hoover Institute there are some that fight against it but it has become absolutely the orthodoxy of the institutions.

It's worked its way then into the businesses of those taught in these schools the managers at these levels. It's worked its way of course into the media and into Hollywood and it has become the achievement of Harvard.

Here's the irony critical race theory is racist. Harvard has quotas on how many Asian students can be admitted. Harvard if they were to admit by meritocracy those who are getting you know the perfect scores on the SAT those with straight A's there are so many Asians meeting that criteria that it's too much for them and so they're limiting the number of Asians who can come into the school unless that has changed within the last year or so.

This is the neo-Marxist logic of critical race theory. It actually creates discrimination and makes that acceptable. I will say to you church Harvard University is teaching the Judas spirit. What Judas was to Jesus Harvard is to America the same attitude of a victim mentality a victim mentality and grievance against society was in Judas's heart.

Now we are entering the last days and what used to be despicable in the life of Judas has become acceptable in America. We were told this by Paul in 2nd Timothy chapter 3 verse 2 that in the last days there would come people who are lovers of selves lovers of money proud, arrogant, abusive disobedient to parents ungrateful, unholy.

The Judas spirit which is social justice has now become the moral backbone of American society but there are really only two responses to the Lord Jesus Christ. A perfect prototype of what it looks like to be a follower of Christ is Mary of Bethany.

Here is a woman who saw the glory of the Son of God and she poured out her life entirely in worship to Him. Her heart was characterized by gratitude. So thankful she would give everything that she had she was full of love and the opposite of Mary is Judas and his life is characterized by grievance.

No one did him wrong no one and yet he considered himself a victim and he identified as a victim and let's read it in John 12 1 to 8. Two prototypes the first Mary the picture of genuine extravagant worship and the second Judas who characterized the spirit of this age.

Six days before the Passover Jesus therefore came to Bethany where Lazarus was whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.

Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume but Judas Iscariot one of his disciples he was about to betray him he who was about to betray him said why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor.

He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and having charge of the money bag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said leave her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.

For the poor you always have with you but you do not always have me. Last week at the end of chapter 11 we learned that so much evil is done in the name of the common good. So much claiming to be good and signaling itself as good is actually evil.

Caiaphas was willing to trample the individual rights of one person supposedly for the good of the nation so that Israel would not be crushed by Rome. Caiaphas was an example of a tyrant a despotic ruler who was willing to trample individual rights.

Here as we come into chapter 12 where are we in the book of John? Much has been given to demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ. Major signs prophecy fulfilled. John 5. These you search the scripture because in them you think you have eternal life but these are they that testify of me.

The testimony of John the Baptist behold the Lamb of God he's the forerunner who announces. You have the testimony of miracles. The miracles that Jesus performed opening blind eyes healing the cripple.

Here in chapter 11 we have his crowning miracle. Raising Lazarus from the dead. He had been in the tomb for four days. Here's the only conclusion that one can draw from the evidence. He is the Christ.

Jesus is the Christ. All the evidence points to it. And yet the book of John develops a division between two competing groups. Some agree he is the Christ. Others reject. And some who in the rejecting group will ultimately turn against Christ for a time identify as believers.

In John chapter 6 you had thousands coming after Jesus to follow him but by the end of the chapter you're back down to 12. In John chapter 8 there are many who are disciples but then they turn against him when he claims that he is the I am.

So there's a division between believer and unbeliever. Here in chapter 12 we have John's picture of what each of these looks like. The perfect prototype of a believer is Mary of Bethany. And on the other side the prototype of unbeliever even if he's been with Christ for a long time maybe goes to church in our vernacular is Judas Iscariot.

Let's look at Bethany. Let's look at Mary of Bethany first. Six days before the Passover Jesus therefore came to Bethany where Lazarus was whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Now it says six days before the Passover there's some debate as to whether this anointing of Jesus is the same one recorded in Matthew 26 and in Mark 14.

It seems that there are some differences which might be reconcilable but we're not sure. In those two passages in the synoptics it's two days before the Passover. The house is that of Simon the leper.

The anointing is of Jesus' head. Here in John 12 it's six days before the Passover. It seems to be Martha's house because she's the one serving. The anointing is of his feet so there's differences between the two.

My conclusion from this is that these are separate events. I think that Jesus was anointed three times. In Luke chapter 7 way up in Galilee the sinful woman at the Pharisee's house anoints him. Then again he's anointed twice during this lead in to his crucifixion.

And I think the reason for that is that he has three anointings corresponding to his three offices, prophet, priest, and king. Now it's possible that he was actually at Simon the leper's house and Simon the leper is Martha's husband.

And it's possible that the woman poured out oil upon his head and then upon his feet. It's possible that the day difference has to do with whether you're talking about the festival as a six day event or whether it's the actual meal of unleavened bread.

So there's possibilities that it could be the other way and both describe the same event. Maybe the unnamed woman in Matthew and in Mark 14 Matthew 26, Mark 14 maybe her name is Mary. And in this there would only be two anointings.

So we're not sure about that. But I lean towards the idea that he was anointed three times. What's of more importance in the text is in verse 1 it references the raising of Lazarus by Jesus from the dead.

This miracle has touched the heart of Mary of Bethany. She is so full of gratitude. She was devastated when her brother was dead. She could hardly go talk to Jesus. Remember that from last week? She didn't even go out to him.

When she finally got to him she just crumpled to the ground at his feet. If you had been here Lord! And when he came he raised Lazarus from the dead. And now imagine the heart of this woman filled with gratitude.

Thankfulness. Worship. So in verse 2 they give a dinner. It's a sign of honor. They're opening their home and they're celebrating him. It's in honor of him. Martha served and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.

Earlier in Martha's life she used to be the one serving, right? Well some things never change. Here she is serving. But what has changed is her heart. There's no indication of complaint. She's not a victim.

She's not grieving. She's not saying, Jesus tell Mary to help because I'm doing all the work here. She's serving joyfully. And guess what? Lazarus is just chilling. He's just laying back being served reclining at the table.

And there is no sin in what Lazarus is doing. In your serving and in your resting what truly matters is what's going on inside of your heart. Not the outward checking of a box. You can be in church on a Sunday morning and never worship.

You can have an outward show but never the heart. So Mary is the prototype. Martha and Lazarus have done nothing wrong. They're doing well. They kind of stand here as a placeholder of genuineness. But what the text wants to teach us today is the extravagance of worship.

Mary is the prototype of what we should be like coming to the Lord. So thankful. Look at what she does in verse 3. Here it is. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.

The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. It says Mary therefore took a pound. That actually is not 16 ounces. It's 11 .5 ounces. It's using the Roman pound. The litra in Greek. This was 3 quarters of a pound in our day but it is very expensive because it had to be drawn from a certain plant that only grew in the mountains of India.

Now we didn't have giant shipping containers crossing the Pacific and crossing the oceans. To get this kind of oil from that plant. Now to extract the oil from the plant would have been a difficult process and it would not yield much.

So to have 11 .5 ounces of this spike nard means it's very valuable. We're told it's worth how much? 300 denarii. A denarii is a day's wage. So this is a year's worth of a worker's pay. This is a lot of money.

It's very valuable. I have here a couple ounces of spike nard. It's probably not worth much now because of modern processing and whatnot and capitalism frankly. That's how it gets to us. There's a little girl in the church who needed a surgery.

And so according to James 5, when someone calls for the elders, the elders anoint with oil and pray for that person. I opened this bottle of spike nard in my office recently and just took a dab on my finger and touched her head and the elders began to pray.

The smell of that spike nard completely overwhelmed my office. I had to get up and open the window and open the door to the office because it was overwhelming. One drop. Can you imagine the extravagance of pouring 11 and a half ounces on Jesus' feet?

This is this would have been like their family heirloom. Not just some oil on the shelf somewhere. This was their most valuable possession in all likelihood. It had been passed down from generation to generation.

They would use a little bit for a wedding or some special event. But for someone to take a bottle, a pound, a Roman pound of spike nard and pour it out on someone's feet is incredible. That is unthinkable.

And you want to know how I picture Martha and Lazarus watching half of their family's net wealth being poured out? You want to know what their faces were like? I think they were beaming with joy. And in that moment when they saw their sister do that, I think the word that would come to their mind is worthy.

He's worthy of it. Oh, what better use could this spike nard ever be given than to be poured out on the feet of the Son of God? When it was extracted in India and carted to Israel and purchased by a family, it was always for this moment.

There could be no greater moment. There could be nothing more valuable than the Son of the living God in our presence. And they delighted to give it. There was no reluctance. There was no sense of we just got a lot poorer today.

Half of our wealth. When John Harvard gave half of his estate to teach the word of God in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and throughout the Americas, he did it with joy. There was no regret. There was no sense of having lost.

There was only gain. He gave it for Christ. And that is worship. That's worship. Let's look at verses 4 to 6 to see the contrary. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples who was about to betray him, said, why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?

Now when I just first read this, studying this week for this sermon, I was picturing in my brain that Judas Iscariot's voice went really high and he got very flamboyant and dramatic. And then I thought, no.

The whole point here is he was a good actor. He really looked pious to everybody who heard him say it. This is what I call expert virtue signaling. Expert virtue signaling. He sounds so pious when he says it.

It looks right. Now think about it. Did anybody in this story do anything wrong to Judas? Did they take anything that belonged to him? Did they harm him in any way, shape, or form? And yet here he is, worked up in a tizzy and signaling virtue while he expresses grievance.

You want to know what social justice is? It's hard to get a definition, right? Let's define it in one word. Covetousness. That's all it is. You see, Judas coveted that money. He wanted 300 denarii. If it was given to the poor, that meant a little more in his pocket.

He was filled with covetousness of what other people had. And he saw extravagance poured out on the feet of Jesus and rather than delighting like Martha and Lazarus and Mary, he was filled with outrage and grievance.