Matthew 26: 7
"She Has Done A Beautiful Thing To Me"

But my interest this morning is not how much money they had but that this incident suggests how they used it. Jesus said: "She has done a beautiful thing to me." And here we have a model for doing beautiful things to Jesus, now the glorified, resurrected Lord and the other Persons of the Trinity also. It is a pattern for giving things -- for giving ourselves -- to Christ as an act of devotion. 

I. FIRST NOTICE THAT HER GIVING WAS NOT JUST A RESPONSE TO THE NEED. 

1. So much of Christianity runs on need as a primary impetus for giving that we almost forget the mentality of the delightful motive that Paul mentions in Corinthians of the Christians in Macedonia who first gave of themselves to the Lord and then of their means to the Lord. (II Corinthians 8: 5 -- Greek: alter. trans.) 

2. Now that is not to say that Christians should give impulsively and not systematically as a discipline but that even their disciplined giving should be out of a basic motivation that God has given them everything they have and they love the Lord Jesus and want him to be pleased with their gift. Introduce this into your giving. But also keep some rational control over your giving so you aren't just throwing money at every high pressure appeal that comes along. Give out of devotion but let that devotion be wise in the way it expresses itself so that it really is "a beautiful thing done to Jesus-both in its intention and in its use. 

1. We are not sure whether she went out and bought this beautiful stone jar filled with precious ointment or whether it was an old family heirloom laid up for sale in a case of a rainy day or a tragedy in the family. Knowing something about this family and the reaction of the cheapskate disciples, we should prefer the latter interpretation. It was probably a family treasure, stored and prized for a couple of decades, if not indeed generations. The three siblings probably generously funded Jesus' ministry but Mary would give a gift that was purely symbolic, lavishing her spiritual love on Jesus. 

2. Its very ambiguity is very helpful to us because the gift may become a symbol of gifts that are given that are not necessarily in cash. No doubt the family often supported Jesus with cash even as they seem to have frequently fed the whole apostolic company and probably a crowd of groupies that the disciples almost certainly had. The application of this incident is not to restrict giving to gifts-"in-kind" or to eliminate regular, disciplined giving but to call attention that there are other ways to give to Jesus than just cash gifts. 

Often people -- especially in the church of N.T. times and presently in the third world -- give gifts that are very, very small and their main significance is that they dramatize love for Jesus. And one often, totally-neglected means of giving is gifts-in-kind -- things other than money. The IRS is not impressed with them but surely Jesus is. 

What about a person who retires with an early retirement and wholeheartedly gives himself to the Lord's work and receives no remuneration for it? What about the person who keeps his life very simple and wholeheartedly gives himself to the Lord's work -- not just to do his "fair share," as we say, but who heroically invests his life in the Lord's work without any remuneration? Are they not examples of untraditional gifts about which Jesus would say: "He has -- She has -- done a beautiful thing to me"? 

What is your record for doing these kinds of beautiful things for Jesus? -- Now, remember this is not those duties you do in agony, out of pure discipline with the mentality that everyone has to take his share of the rotten jobs. That's better than not doing them at all. But I commend to you the mentality of doing things in Christ's service with the specific intention of doing them as "beautiful things for Jesus." It makes them a lot more enjoyable to do, but the main thing is that they go from the category of mere duties to a sacred offering which is a beautiful thing for Jesus. 

And might there be someone here who might be called by the Lord to substantially give his life to the service of Christ while supporting himself. It would be a great discipline to maintain a life that way because of the basic rule of life that "duties (and I might add -- "activities") increase to fill all available time." But it would potentially be a wonderful, huge," beautiful gift to lay at the feet of Jesus who has done so much for you." 

1. Precious ointment -- probably antique and of distant origin -- sealed in an alabaster jar would have been a very precious commodity. In the Mark parallel the disciples estimate its value as 300 denarii which might have been a years wages for a working person. It is a symbol of our giving substantially relative to what we have been given by God -- one person giving very generously of his financial means, another -- of his possessions, another -- of his life -- hopefully everybody giving in all of these areas, but in different proportions as the person's situation might dictate. I believe this is the pattern for giving in he N.T. 

It leaves a lot of wiggle room for the person who is looking for ways to avoid it but it offers hope for people like the 12 disciples who left homes and jobs and businesses to give themselves to Jesus and thus did "a beautiful thing" for him. God is not particularly impressed with gifts -- even gifts of a veritable fortune. He is impressed with the willing, grateful, sacrificial heart that wanted to do "a beautiful thing for Jesus." 

On one occasion the Lord saw a widow putting 2 small coins in to the offering box in the Temple. They were the smallest coinage in that culture: a copper coin called a "lepton" in Greek. Relative to the money system of our day they were each a penny in value. Imagine! Someone giving the God who made heaven and earth 2 pennies! But Jesus remarked that she had put in more than all the rich people put together had put in because of the giving heart with which she gave them. 

****This might have very different applications to each one of us. For some it might be a lesson in disciplined financial giving to the Lord's work and kingdom. God's work should never have to suffer for lack of funds. But unfortunately due to unwise giving, useless, pointless bureaucracies and expenditures -- like most of the electronic church and many of the direct-mail "ministries" -- it often does. 

Honestly, I think that there are organizations founded that have targeted a particular field solely on the basis of its bulk advertising appeal! It is sad, that a lot of money goes to unworthy causes. Christians should give as a beautiful thing done to Jesus both in the intent and in the target of the gift. 

If you are in the habit of making your gifts about the same way as you pay your taxes or write a check for your charge-card bill; and if you are in the habit of doing acts of Christian service (especially menial Christian service -- cooking, doing church dishes, clean up, sweeping) give this some thought this week and begin to transform something good, done out of the strength of your good character into something better, something wonderful -- "a beautiful thing done unto Jesus." This week, -- especially you who are young and have no money of your own -- do something "beautiful unto Jesus" -- an act of service, an act of kindness, some act of Christian graciousness, and lay it at the feet of Jesus like a fragrant offering that this ointment was.