The Cost of True Worship: What Is Jesus Worth?

Matthew 26 places three responses to Jesus side by side, and each one answers the question, what is Jesus worth? Jesus stands only days away from the cross, and he speaks about it with complete confidence. The cross does not catch him by surprise. God had already determined that the Son would become the sacrificial lamb before Judas made his deal, before Caiaphas gathered the leaders, and before Pilate washed his hands.

The religious leaders see Jesus as a threat. These men know the Scriptures, wear the garments, offer the sacrifices, and lead the people, but their hearts have not been transformed. Jesus confronts their pride, their traditions, their possessions, and their control, and instead of repenting, they decide to eliminate him. Their concern is not the murder of an innocent man, but the public opinion that might follow. Fear of man sits higher than fear of God, and Jesus becomes someone to get rid of rather than someone to bow before.

Matthew then moves to Bethany, to the house of Simon the leper. Simon’s table becomes a picture of the gospel because Jesus restores the broken and separated back into fellowship. The woman enters with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, likely the most valuable thing she owns, and she pours it out on Jesus. Her worship says what her mouth does not have to say: Jesus is worth everything. The disciples call it waste, but Jesus calls it noble. Jesus sees the heart behind the gift, not just the cost of the perfume. Her act prepares him for burial, and heaven remembers genuine devotion when kingdoms and famous names fade away.

Judas gives the darkest contrast. Judas is not an outsider or open enemy, but one of the twelve. He has walked near Jesus, watched miracles, heard truth, and carried the appearance of discipleship. Yet being near Jesus is not the same as knowing Jesus. His question is not whether Jesus is guilty, but “What are you willing to give me?” Thirty pieces of silver, the price tied to the death of a slave, becomes the value he places on the Son of God.

The whole text presses the same question into the heart. Jesus is the same before the leaders, the woman, and Judas. The difference is what each heart values. What is Jesus worth?

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The cross was never plan B Jesus does not stumble into betrayal, arrest, and death as though human evil has overtaken heaven. The cross stands as God’s plan before it ever becomes man’s plot, which means redemption rests on divine purpose, not religious panic or political pressure. The suffering of Christ reveals a Savior who knowingly and willingly walks toward the cost of saving sinners. [40:20]
• 2. Jesus is Savior, not threat The religious leaders reject Jesus because he threatens what they love, not because they lack evidence. Miracles, Scripture, and truth stand right in front of them, but a proud heart would rather remove Jesus than be changed by him. The same danger remains whenever comfort, control, or reputation becomes too precious to surrender. [45:03]
• 3. True worship gives the best The woman’s perfume looks like waste to those who measure only earthly value, but Jesus sees the devotion that poured it out. Genuine worship begins when Christ becomes more precious than the thing being offered. When Jesus is the treasure, costly obedience stops feeling like loss and starts being an honor. [49:33]
• 4. Near Jesus is not knowing Jesus Judas proves that proximity to holy things cannot replace a surrendered heart. A person can hear truth, see spiritual power, and move among believers while loving something else more than Christ. The danger is not merely ignorance, but divided devotion that keeps the outside religious while the inside drifts away. [56:17]
• 5. Small compromises prepare big betrayals Judas does not begin with a public betrayal in the garden. His heart has already been trained by hidden loves, small compromises, and a growing question of “What’s in it for me?” Sin often gains ground quietly before it shows up dramatically, which makes daily devotion and repentance matters of spiritual life and death.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [35:41] - Returning to the Life of Christ
• [36:30] - The Cost of True Worship
• [39:51] - Jesus Foretells the Cross
• [41:23] - Religious Leaders Plot His Death
• [43:20] - God’s Timeline Over Man’s Scheme
• [46:00] - At Simon the Leper’s House
• [47:40] - The Woman Pours Out Perfume
• [49:33] - Why This Waste?
• [51:13] - Jesus Defends Her Worship
• [52:27] - Prepared for Burial
• [55:08] - Judas Goes to the Chief Priests
• [57:27] - Thirty Pieces of Silver
• [59:06] - The Drift of Small Compromises
• [61:16] - Three Responses to Jesus

Bible Reading

Matthew 26:1-16
“When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, ‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.’ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, ‘Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.’ Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 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. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, ‘Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.’ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.’ Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.” [36:39]

Romans 12:1
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” [54:26]

Exodus 21:32
“If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.” [57:42]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 26:1-16, what three responses to Jesus are placed side by side, and what does each group or person do?
2. What details in the passage show that Jesus knew the cross was coming before the leaders plotted and before Judas made his deal? [40:20]
3. What reasons do the chief priests and elders give for wanting to avoid arresting Jesus during the feast, and what does that reveal about their concern? [43:20]
4. What do the disciples call the woman’s act, and what does Jesus call it instead? [51:13]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus speaks about his coming crucifixion with confidence. What does that suggest about the cross being part of God’s purpose and not merely the result of human evil? [40:20]
2. The religious leaders had Scripture, influence, and religious activity, yet still opposed Jesus. How can a person be around the things of God and still resist him in the heart? [42:00]
3. The woman’s gift looked wasteful to others, but Jesus said it was beautiful. What makes an offering truly worshipful in God’s sight? [51:34]
4. Judas was one of the twelve, yet he still betrayed Jesus. What warning does that give about the difference between being near Jesus and actually belonging to him? [56:17]

Application questions

1. Jesus is Savior, not threat. In what area of life is it easiest to treat him like a threat to comfort, plans, reputation, or control instead of trusting him as Savior? [45:03]
2. The woman gave Jesus the best she had because she believed he was worth more than what she poured out. What would giving Jesus the best look like in this season of life with time, attention, money, or obedience? [53:53]
3. True worship is more than words or songs; it involves offering one’s whole life to God. Where has worship become routine or outward, and what would it look like to offer a more sincere devotion this week? [54:26]
4. Small compromises often prepare the way for larger betrayals. What are some small patterns that can quietly pull a heart away from Christ, and which of those feel most dangerous right now? [59:06]
5. Judas asked, in effect, “What’s in it for me?” When does that same mindset show up in a person’s relationship with Jesus, service, or obedience? [57:27]
6. Good things can become idols when they take the place only Jesus should have. What good thing is most likely to compete with Jesus for first place in life right now? [01:00:55]
7. Matthew 26 presses one clear question into the heart: What is Jesus worth? If someone looked at the use of time, money, speech, and choices this past week, what answer would they likely see? [39:33]