Practical People With an Impractical Love Presentation Based on Smyth & Helwys Formations at Copyrighted 2013

Practical People With an Impractical Love

Presentation Based on Smyth & Helwys Formations at www.Helwys.com Copyrighted 2013


John 12:1-8



What is Jesus Worth to Me?



Have you ever had dinner at the Washington [DC] Golf and

Country Club?

What extravagance!

It is like the extravagance of Mary washing Jesus’ feet.



All four Gospel writers use a story of Jesus’ anointing to

show the extravagant love and devotion one person had for

Jesus.



• John 12:1-8• Matthew 26:6-13• Mark 14:1-9• Luke 7:36-50

How are these similar and different?



Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were brother and sisters.

Jesus had recently raised Lazarus from the dead.

Was this a celebration meal?



In this passage, Mary willingly takes on the role of the servant

and anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume when simple water would have

sufficed.





Mary brings out a pound of expensive perfume made from

nard.

Nard’s heavy, oily balm was used as cologne, incense, and

as an embalming fragrance.Presentation Based on Smyth & Helwys Formations at www.Helwys.com Copyrighted 2013


Mary uses the nard to anoint Jesus’ feet.

She does more than the typical cleaning of feet. She anoints

them with expensive perfume.



Mary wipes Jesus’ feet clean with her hair.

Mary, however, transformed what was socially

unacceptable into an act of worship



Mary’s gift seems foolish to those who do not love Jesus

as much as she does.



The perfume was worth 300 days’ wages.

The cost was at least $15,000 in today’s economy, and

perhaps much more.



A Question for Dialogue

Why did Mary act in such a bold manner?



A Question for Dialogue

What is the biggest risk you have ever taken because you

love God?



Judas apparently considered Mary’s display of devotion as nothing more than a waste of

valuable resources.



A Question to Ponder

When has another person’s expression of love for Jesus made you uncomfortable?

How did you respond?




How long has it been since you did something impractical because you believe in God?




When was the last time you did anything foolish for love?



At the conclusion of this passage, Jesus makes two

statements that require some reflection.



First

Mary brought the expensive perfume “so that she might

keep it for the day of my burial” [v. 7].



Second

“You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me” [v. 8].



When Mary anointed Jesus at Bethany she must have

understood the risk involved.



Mary anointed Jesus because she somehow understood his

death was near.



The real beauty of Mary’s act, as shocking and as

scandalous as it seemed for everyone else in the room, was

her readiness to give all.



Ultimately, Mary lost nothing by giving all she had. She

gained the appreciation and approval of Jesus.



It is those who hold on to their means, lives, resources, and talents who end up losing in

the end.



God calls us to love impractically.

Jesus said that the Christian faith is a great impractical

party.



Common sense says, “Throw parties on birthday.”

An extravagant faith throws parties for no reason at all.



Common sense says, “Love your friends, the ones who will

love you back.”

Faith loves enemies, no matter what.



Common sense says, “Be kind to those who can help you.”

Faith cares for the least.



Common sense says, “Love until you can say ‘I’ve done

enough.’”

An extravagant faith knows you can never love too much.



God wants to save us from second-rate, mediocre, routine

Christianity.



God calls us to maintain some level of unreasonable, head-over-heels, fall-down-at-his-

feet devotion to Christ.



God leads us beyond cautious, routine, carefully measured

faith to extravagant, if sometimes frightening,

possibilities.


Things to Consider as You Apply This Lesson

John 12:1-8



Not everyone will applaud a sacrifice made in the name of,

or for the love of, Christ.



One’s actions may not always seem proper or socially acceptable, but one’s

motivation is much more important.



We can choose to live in one of two ways: either to give or

to get



We will only have so many opportunities to live

sacrificially and give our all.



When someone gives all, Jesus does not react as others

do. He has impractical love.

Go be people of impractical love!



John 12:1-8


Prepared by George Bullard

This presentation was prepared by George Bullard of Columbia, SC.

[email protected]


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Practical People With an Impractical Love Presentation Based on Smyth & Helwys Formations at Copyrighted 2013