3/23/2023 0 Comments Sermon manuscripts![]() The fact that it was pure meant it was genuine and unadulterated, which is what made it so costly. “Spikenard” or “pure nard” was a perfume derived from the very small and tender root of the Nard Plant found in India. “A woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head” (Matthew 14:3). “A woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table” (Matthew 26:7). “Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair (John 12:3). Not only had she responded well to the Lord’s loving rebuke, her ministry had increased to serving, cooking, and helping in other people’s homes! Mary’s Sacrificial Gift was Extravagant Furthermore, we see that she is serving in a different household now. I know many Christians who would have simply thrown in the towel, but Martha is back doing what she loves, and it appears that she had learned the lesson Christ had taught her. ![]() She had not got bitter and twisted by the Lord’s former comments which we read earlier. It is precious to observe that Martha is here serving. It is the sabbath and Jesus is invited to celebrate it with His friends in Bethany before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the next day. The apostle John tells us that this passage is only six days before Christ’s arrest and subsequent death (John 12:1). I mention this because in John 11 Lazarus is raised from the dead, and in John 12, he is still alive and reclining at dinner with the Lord Jesus. Most commentators believe that there exists about a 2-month gap between the end of John 11 and the start of John 12. Join me as I preach the second in our two-part series today entitled: Lessons from a Dinner Party #2: The Sacrificial Life. The narrative includes the following characters: Jesus, Martha, Mary, Lazarus, Simon the Leper, and the disciples. Now we attend another dinner party in Bethany, this time at Simon the Leper’s home. ![]() In that lesson, we learned the priority of worship and communion with Christ. In our first message, we joined Mary and Martha at a dinner party in Bethany. ![]()
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