Fill the Room with the Fragrance of Your Gifts

So how do we answer that question asked of churches: Do you just want my money? Today we go to a place called Bethany to help us understand what is behind the offerings and gifts given to God and his work. The Apostle John records an event in a place called Bethany. “Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ² Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. ³ Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume (John 12:1-3).” Mary brought an offering to Jesus. The offering was expensive. The gift was pure nard. Nard was found in the Himalayan Mountains at 4,000 meters. The nard was very fragrant. Judas later puts the value of 300 denarius’ or about a year’s wage.

Mary and her sister Martha lived in Bethany just two miles from Jerusalem. They lived there with Lazarus. Mary had been the one sitting at Jesus feet listening to Jesus the day her sister Martha was so concerned about getting the meal ready. When their brother Lazarus was sick Mary and Martha sent for Jesus. Jesus showed his power over death by raising Lazarus from the dead. As you look around the room at the people gathered in Bethany, remember that this was six days before the time when Jesus would begin his journey to the cross. Martha was there serving the Lord. Lazarus who had been raised from the dead was there. He was a living testimony to the power of Jesus over death. Mary who sought the one thing needful, that is, the teaching of Jesus, was anointing Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume. She filled the room with the fragrance of her gift. 

The Apostles were also there. And one of them objected to this wasted money. “But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ^5’Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.’ ⁶ He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it ‘Leave her alone,’ Jesus replied. ‘It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. ⁸ You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me (John 12:4-8).’” Judas saw the value of this perfume. He saw money. He saw waste. The Scriptures tell us what his problem was. He was a robber. His heart was attached to the money not to the Lord. Jesus reminds us why this fragrant gift that filled the room was acceptable. She was preparing his body for his death. Mary’s life was fixed on listening to Jesus. Mary’s focus was on giving what she had in love for her Lord. Jesus had already showed his power over death. Lazurus was a living testimony to the work of Jesus. The Bible helps us understand why we bring our gifts to the Lord and what our motivation is to be. We bring cheerful and generous gifts to our generous Lord who rescued us from eternal death. Understanding the right use of gifts for Jesus helps us answer tough questions about the purpose of a church.

The question that a church is asked: Why do you just want my money? Christians ask for your offerings because they love your soul, God’s command, and the world that is blessed by generous giving. God wants us to fill the room with the fragrance of our gifts. Do you just want my money? Well…sort of. If you drop the word “just”, the statement would be true. We do want your money because we don’t want your money to kill you. We do want your money because we want people to know Jesus. We want more teachers, more pastors, and more missionaries. We want more outreach, more materials, and more resources to help the poor. The question is why we want your money. If it’s for greed, then we need to repent and change. If it’s for God, then we need never be ashamed of asking for money. More than that, we want your heart. We want your heart to be devoted to God, and Jesus said:  “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (Matthew 6:24).”

 The scene in Bethany reveals two hearts. The heart of Mary was attached to Jesus and showing her love for him. The heart of Judas was attached to money. From the very beginning of time God’s people brought offerings to the Lord. Cain and Abel both brought offerings to the Lord. God accepted the offering of Abel because Abel brought his offering in love for God. Noah brought an offering in the form of an animal sacrifice after the flood we are told in the book of Genesis: “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. ²¹ The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma (Genesis 8:20-21).” God is pleased with the offerings of his people when they come from believing hearts.

 In contrast to Mary and others who have brought their offerings there are people like Judas and Cain whose hearts were more attached to the offering than to the Lord. The story is told about monkey hunters who came to realize that a monkey is very selfish and easy to catch because of it. First the monkey hunter takes a coconut and cuts a hole just big enough for the monkey to fit his hand in – and ties a long cord to the other end. Then he puts peanuts, banana chunks, or some other enticing treat into the hole, places the coconut into the monkey’s path and sneaks away, holding on to the other end of the cord. Inevitably, an unsuspecting monkey comes along, sniffs out the treat, and wriggles his little hand into the whole to grab the treasure. With that, the hunter’s job is done. All he has to do is yank his side of the cord, and the entire monkey/coconut kit and caboodle lands at his feet, but isn’t something missing here? Why wouldn’t the monkey just pull out his handout of the coconut and just run for his life? Remember that monkeys are selfish. Once they get their hands on something they want, they won’t let go. With his fist wrapped around the goods, the monkey can’t get his hand out of the hole. If he would just loosen his grip and let go of the bounty, he could save himself. But he clings tightfisted to what’s his and finds himself ensnared even unto his own death.

 Hold on to money, hoard it, and keep it for yourself and you will end up worshiping it. You will freak out when it runs out and be extremely un-generous when you have plenty. You’ll organize your life on how to get more of it instead of how to get more of God. You’ll be consumed by the extra cash you can get if you get the next degree and how fast you can retire so you can buy nice things and go nice places and you won’t for a second think about God. We want more than that for you. And that’s why we want you to give. Your soul needs it. God does not need your money. We don’t need to pry a few pennies out of stubborn hands. We don’t need to guilt you into an extra $20 in the plate because God would hate those offerings just as he rejected the offerings of Cain. We want you to give because there is a joy in being generous that most of us haven’t ever experienced in our lives. We are so scared of our money and so afraid it will leave us that we miss out on the joys of being generous like God. Remember the Lord’s Word spoken through the prophet Malachi:  “’I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. ⁷ Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ ⁸ “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.“But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ ‘In tithes and offerings. ⁹ You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. ¹¹ I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,’ says the Lord Almighty. ^{12 ‘}Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3: 6-12) ’”

If you have concerns about our church, then check out the budget. Check out how much I get paid or any of our called workers and staff. Check out where we’re using the offerings. We’d love you to do that. We have nothing to hide. We get audited and we handle this money in a way, we pray, that goes beyond criticism.

As you go home today look at the readings from the Scriptures this morning. Remember what motivates us to give cheerful, generous offerings. Giving begins with the Lord. Giving begins with the generosity of the Lord in giving us life. The Lord God sent Jesus. Jesus came to live and die and rise again. Mary’s fragrant gifts filled the room because her heart knew the Lord and his generosity. He has taken away all of our sins of greed and selfishness at the cross. He has loved us with an everlasting love. He died to give us life to live and give of ourselves and our possessions willingly and generously. Fill the room with the fragrance of your gifts to the Lord.