Defiant Praise - Defying Criticism (Week 3)

Mary of Bethany stands up in a house thick with the smell of nard and shows what defiant praise looks like when criticism is in the air. John’s dinner scene sits in the shadow of a tomb that Jesus emptied, so the room is primed with memory: delay, grief, burial, then a voice calling Lazarus out. That memory gives Mary knowledge. She knows who Jesus is and what he has done right in her own living room, and that knowledge births worship that is not trying to earn anything. Sunday worship makes the same confession. The empty tomb comes first, then praise. Grace does the saving, and praise becomes the overflow.

Mary’s hands move because her heart wants to. She weighs a year’s wages against the worth of Jesus and calls the comparison laughable. Paul’s language fits her posture. Everything else is garbage compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. She is not saying, I wish I didn’t have to do this. She is stunned that it gets to be her. Affections have been trained to love what is most lovable, to delight in the One most delightful.

The room holds good and expected worship. Lazarus reclines with Jesus. Martha serves. But Mary exceeds the expectation of the room. She lets down her hair, touches a Rabbi’s feet, breaks cultural lines, and anoints the Messiah when the high priest will not. God appoints her for what others will not do. That is thermostat worship, not thermometer worship. It sets the temperature rather than reading it. Love the Lord with all your muchness means above and beyond, over the top, past normal.

Jesus’ word reframes the whole act. The reason she has it is for this. That question lands: what has God given that he always intended to receive back? Isaiah 57 paints the contrast in sharp colors. Israel spent perfume on idols and went the extra mile to bow to what cannot save. Mary spends perfume on the Son and prepares him for death. The early church learned to talk this way on the other side of the cross. No more goats. Now sacrifices of praise, thanksgiving, good works, and bodies offered as living sacrifices. Peter says every gift is a stewardship of grace meant for others. Grace received is grace to be poured out. Costly worship is not random; it is a Spirit-led return. Know Jesus. Want him. Exceed the room. Give back what was never meant to be kept.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Knowing Jesus fuels costly praise Mary’s worship grows out of resurrection-in-the-room knowledge, not vague inspiration. The gospel frees praise from earning and roots it in what Jesus has already finished. Sunday itself is a weekly reminder that the tomb is empty and salvation is secure. Knowledge becomes the spring that keeps worship from running dry. [14:17]
• 2. Love chooses extravagance over prudence Mary’s calculus is simple: Jesus is worth more. Affections that have been trained by grace do not haggle with cost when the Beloved is near. The heart that sees the surpassing worth of Christ gladly calls lesser treasures loss. Desire, not duty, makes worship lavish. [16:11]
• 3. Set the temperature, not read it Lazarus reclines and Martha serves, but Mary raises the ceiling on what love can look like in the room. Worship that exceeds expectation is often the spark God uses to reset a community’s norm. When religious gatekeepers refuse to anoint the Messiah, God hands the oil to a disciple who will. Thermostat worship risks being misunderstood in order to honor Jesus. [20:46]
• 4. Give back what God gave Jesus says the perfume’s purpose was this moment, which means stewardship, not ownership, guides worship. Peter calls every gift a trust of grace meant to serve others and glorify God. What God puts in a disciple’s hands, he intends to receive back through obedience. The question is not, what can be spared, but, what was this given for. [25:30]
• 5. Redirect perfume from idols to Christ Isaiah shows a people eager to go out of their way for gods that cannot save. Modern hearts still pour out time, attention, and money at rival altars that promise control and deliver emptiness. Defiant praise refuses that drift and spends the best on Jesus. The question, what if she hadn’t, exposes how much hangs on holy surrender in the moment grace provides. [06:44]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:18] - Defiant praise series recap
• [00:58] - Defying criticism in worship
• [02:09] - Faith in the public square
• [02:29] - Worship in grief and delay
• [05:36] - A year's wages on his feet
• [05:56] - What if she hadn’t?
• [06:44] - Isaiah 57: perfume for idols
• [09:00] - Four ingredients of defiant praise
• [13:38] - Sunday worship and the empty tomb
• [14:41] - She wants to, not has to
• [17:45] - Exceeding expectations of the room
• [20:46] - Thermostats, not thermometers
• [21:40] - All your heart, soul, and muchness
• [25:30] - Stewards of grace, not owners

Bible Reading
John 12:1-8 (ESV)
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 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. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

Isaiah 57:5-6 (ESV)
5 you who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks? 6 Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; they, they, are your lot; to them you have poured out a drink offering, you have brought a grain offering. Shall I relent for these things?

1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV)
10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

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Observation Questions

1. In John 12:3, Mary’s perfume is described as costing “three hundred denarii” (a year’s wages). What does Judas’ criticism reveal about his priorities compared to Mary’s?
2. How does Isaiah 57:5-6 contrast Israel’s worship of idols with Mary’s act of pouring out perfume for Jesus?
3. What does Jesus’ response to Judas in John 12:7-8 indicate about the purpose of Mary’s action?
4. The sermon mentions that Mary’s worship “exceeded the expectations of the room” by breaking cultural norms. What specific actions in John 12:3 would have been socially unexpected? [19:24]

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Interpretation Questions

1. Why do you think Jesus defends Mary’s “wasteful” act of worship instead of agreeing with Judas’ practical suggestion to help the poor?
2. The sermon states, “Praise under pressure clarifies the object of trust and the audience being served.” How does Mary’s act of worship demonstrate this idea? [04:01]
3. In 1 Peter 4:10, believers are called “stewards of God’s varied grace.” What does it mean to steward grace as something “meant to move through a disciple, not terminate on the disciple”? [25:58]
4. The sermon contrasts being a “thermometer” (reflecting the room’s temperature) with a “thermostat” (setting the temperature). How does Mary’s worship exemplify being a thermostat? [20:46]

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Application Questions

1. The sermon asks, “What has God given you that was never meant to be kept?” Identify one tangible resource, skill, or opportunity you’ve been holding back from using for Christ. What step could you take this week to pour it out? [25:58]
2. When have you felt societal or cultural pressure to downplay your faith or worship (e.g., prayer in public, generosity, bold testimony)? How did you respond, and how could defiant praise look in those moments? [04:01]
3. Mary’s worship flowed from her knowledge of Jesus raising Lazarus. Reflect on a specific time God showed His power in your life. How could remembering that moment fuel your worship today? [14:17]
4. The sermon says, “Over the top is not excess. It is obedience to the first command.” What’s one way your worship or service could “exceed the room’s expectations” this week, even if it feels uncomfortable? [21:57]
5. Judas criticized Mary’s act as impractical. Are there areas where you prioritize “practical” efficiency over costly, heartfelt worship? How can you rebalance this?
6. Isaiah 57 warns against giving God’s gifts to idols. What modern “idols” (approval, comfort, success) might you be tempted to pour your time, money, or energy into instead of Christ?