John 12: 4-8 reads, “Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,
[5] Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?[6] This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
[7] Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
[8] For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.”
“Mary was offering the sacrifice of devotion; she realizes He’s going to die. That’s a fascinating thing because the apostles hadn’t gotten that yet. After He’s resurrected they don’t even remember. She’s actually ahead of the very men He’s training to be the leaders in the ministry!
“He’s been telling them since Matthew 16:21 and Luke 18: 31-34 that He's going to go to Jerusalem and die and be raised again. And they didn’t get it.
“Mary, seeing what’s going on, she’s got that heart to say, ‘I value you.’ You’ve heard people say, ‘Give people their roses before they die, not at the funeral.’ That’s kind of what she’s doing here.
“Look at Verse 4. Judas has no heart for Christ. He’s just a spiritual blockhead. She gave up 300 pence worth; Judas is going to go sell him for 30 pieces.
"She takes a box and breaks it; she’s got the bag. She’s worshipping; he’s a thief. She’s pointing people to Christ; he’s drawing away from Christ, pointing them to the poor: ‘Don’t think about Christ; the poor are more important than He is.’
"And he’s infecting the other apostles. That’s why Christ tells Judas, ‘Let her alone,’ and then he rebukes the bunch of them because the whole bunch of them had bought into the influence of Judas.
“You remember that verse back in Psalm 23: ‘Thou preparest a table for me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head.’ That’s literally what’s going on here.
“You remember that verse back in Psalm 23: ‘Thou preparest a table for me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head.’ That’s literally what’s going on here.
"You see the devotion of a Mary, and a Martha, and a Lazarus, and a Simon, but you also see even among the apostles the inroads of the hatred, the questioning, the murmuring.
“Notice that statement, ‘Not that he cared for the poor'; the criteria that he states about ‘Let’s give it to the poor; look at all we could do for the poor with this.’ It’s, ‘Why waste this sacrifice on Jesus when it could it have been used for the felt needs of the poor?!’ That’s really the criteria of a covetous soul.
“Notice that statement, ‘Not that he cared for the poor'; the criteria that he states about ‘Let’s give it to the poor; look at all we could do for the poor with this.’ It’s, ‘Why waste this sacrifice on Jesus when it could it have been used for the felt needs of the poor?!’ That’s really the criteria of a covetous soul.
"That verse in Mark when he calls it ‘this waste’--you understand love is never a waste. Sacrifice, generosity, is never a waste.
“Verse 7 is a real clear rebuke and what He’s saying there is, ‘The opportunity to ministry to me isn’t going to be here that long; it’s fixing to be over with. In a week I’ll be gone. The poor are going to be here.’
“That’s a great statement. Jesus is saying, ‘What you need to do, guys, is keep the first commandment first: ‘Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and your neighbor like unto it as yourself.’
“Mary’s saying, ‘He’s God; He’s more important than any neighbor we will ever have. We want to keep Him first.’ That’s in essence what Christ's saying; that day of opportunity to honor Him isn’t going to be there forever.
"By the way, when He says, ‘But me ye have not always,’ that is a death stake into the heart of the pagan doctrine of transubstantiation, the Roman Catholic idea of the Mass that when they consecrate the wafer, the host, and the wine, that the literal real presence of Christ is there; that that bread ceases to be bread and becomes the real, literal body of Jesus Christ.
“And their idea is because the Mass is being performed somewhere on the planet at every moment of the day, there is the perpetual presence of Christ through the Mass with us and that He is always here: ‘Lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world.’
“You say, ‘Well, what does Matthew 28:20 mean then?’ [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
“Verse 7 is a real clear rebuke and what He’s saying there is, ‘The opportunity to ministry to me isn’t going to be here that long; it’s fixing to be over with. In a week I’ll be gone. The poor are going to be here.’
“That’s a great statement. Jesus is saying, ‘What you need to do, guys, is keep the first commandment first: ‘Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and your neighbor like unto it as yourself.’
“Mary’s saying, ‘He’s God; He’s more important than any neighbor we will ever have. We want to keep Him first.’ That’s in essence what Christ's saying; that day of opportunity to honor Him isn’t going to be there forever.
"By the way, when He says, ‘But me ye have not always,’ that is a death stake into the heart of the pagan doctrine of transubstantiation, the Roman Catholic idea of the Mass that when they consecrate the wafer, the host, and the wine, that the literal real presence of Christ is there; that that bread ceases to be bread and becomes the real, literal body of Jesus Christ.
“And their idea is because the Mass is being performed somewhere on the planet at every moment of the day, there is the perpetual presence of Christ through the Mass with us and that He is always here: ‘Lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world.’
“You say, ‘Well, what does Matthew 28:20 mean then?’ [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
"That verse is talking about in the future when Christ comes back and sets up His kingdom—THEN He’s always going to be there! Between the first coming and the Second Coming He isn’t always going to be there!”
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