Explore the Bible: March 5

Why Wasn’t This Sold? • John 12:1-11

By Clay Anthony 

Have you ever thought about just what it means to be considered worthy? For that matter, what does the word, “worthy,” mean? Is the word defined by an object’s usefulness?

To a stranded motorist, a gallon of gas means a great deal. To that same person stranded in the desert and dying of thirst, a gallon of gas means very little. Is worth due to an object’s monetary value? To a bride, a diamond ring means much. That same ring means nothing to an elephant.

Is there anything you can name more worthy of your attention than Jesus? That’s easy to answer for many, but foreign to some. The Book of John reveals a scene in which Jesus receives three different responses concerning His worth.

— First, His friends honor Jesus by hosting Him in their home. Martha is busy serving the group. Her brother Lazarus is reclining at the table with Jesus. Her sister Mary is taking the posture of brokenness in that she is cleaning Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair.

Obviously, Jesus is worth much to this family. What would cause these siblings to open their home, service, and tears to Jesus? If you flip back to John chapter 11, you can see their reasoning.

Lazarus is not too far removed from the grave. He is a “dead man eating.” Jesus had worked a miracle among this family. The sisters had lost a brother and their pain was enough to drive Jesus to tears (v. 35). They love Jesus because of His mercy, but we know He loved them first (11:5). What other proof of His worth would they need?

Next, there is a question-filled disciple. We expect Judas to have a misguided view of Jesus’ story. When Mary cleans Jesus’ feet, it proves to be a costly action (v. 5). Surely there is a better way to spend that money, Judas argues. Like our world today, there were no doubt starving children and homeless people back then for which to care.

Why would anyone spend that amount of money on such a meaningless task as cleaning feet? Wouldn’t plain soap and water do the trick? Not in Mary’s mind. Jesus had proven to be more than an itinerant preacher or good moral teacher. He was indeed who He claimed to be. He was the life-giving Messiah. Nothing was too good for Him.

True, there were starving children and homeless people but at that moment, Mary knows she is in the presence of the Holy One. Compared to Him, her expensive perfume is nothing more than pond water. She knows what her perfume is worth, but she knows Jesus is worth more. 

Finally, there is a crowd seeking to divide and conquer. It is one thing to have this untrained preacher walking the countryside claiming to be God and doing miracles works, but He is leaving witnesses in His wake.

There indeed is a reason why this brother and two sisters are pro-Jesus. They are eyewitness to the truthfulness of Jesus’ claims. Everywhere Lazarus goes, he is a literal walking testimony to the power of God.

The Jewish leaders could not have that. Of course, Jesus had to be dealt with but so did any remnant of ones who could tell Jesus’ story. 

Does this scene have any bearing on our present-day lives? When you consider all that Christ has done for us and will do in our future, then absolutely. Can you name another that is worth the honor deserving to Jesus?

You easily could list five good things that Jesus has provided in the time it has taken to read this commentary – and that would still be only five of the millions of blessings provided by the hand of Jesus. 

Also, we are surrounded by people that are misinformed as to why Jesus came in the first place. What was His purpose? What were His goals and reasoning? How should His followers respond to attract a crowd?

Questions about Jesus intended to confuse did not end with Judas, then or now. We must always look deeper into what Jesus is doing around us and be ready with the right answer. 

Like Lazarus, you are a living testimony to the resurrection power of Jesus. We have been brought out of a grave and given new life. We can imagine that Lazarus was willing to share his story with anyone that would listen. No doubt he became known by everyone in town as the guy who Jesus made alive again. Can the same be said of us?

Anthony is missions pastor at Harrisburg Church, Tupelo. He may be contacted at claynell@aol.com.