Heart Follows Treasure: Mary, Judas, and Stewardship

Devotional

Day 1: The Heart Follows Your Treasure

Our financial choices are not just practical matters; they are spiritual indicators. Where we choose to invest our resources reveals the true condition of our hearts and our priorities. This principle turns the common saying on its head—it is not that our spending follows our heart's desire, but that our heart's affections will follow whatever we have chosen to treasure. This is a profound truth that calls for careful reflection on our stewardship. [01:02:52]

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21, ESV)

Reflection: As you consider your recent spending habits, what do they reveal about what you truly value? What is one practical step you could take this week to better align your financial investments with the eternal treasures of God's kingdom?

Day 2: Extravagant Worship Springs from Gratitude

True worship is often costly and flows from a deep sense of thankfulness for what God has done. It is not a mere tip or a pittance given out of obligation, but a significant gift offered from a heart overflowing with gratitude. Such an act of devotion not only honors the recipient but also impacts everyone in its vicinity, filling the space with the fragrance of sacrifice and love. This kind of giving is a response to the immense gifts we have already received. [53:30]

“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.” (John 12:3, ESV)

Reflection: When have you last given something to God that felt truly sacrificial, not out of duty but out of genuine thankfulness? What is one area of your life where you could express your gratitude to Him through a more generous and heartfelt offering?

Day 3: The Danger of an Insatiable Appetite for More

An unchecked desire for more can lead to a place of profound regret and spiritual loss. This insatiable appetite risks what we already have and need in a futile pursuit of what we do not have and do not need. It is a path that can ultimately distance us from our faith and pierce us with many griefs, as our focus shifts from the Giver to the gift itself. [46:50]

“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: In what specific area of your life are you most tempted by the craving for "more," and how is that desire impacting your relationship with God and others? What would it look like to actively practice contentment in that area this week?

Day 4: Our Giving is an Act of Worship, Not a Debt

We do not give because God needs our resources, for the entire universe is already His. Instead, we give for our own sake, as a concrete expression of our faith and commitment. Bringing our tithes and offerings is not about paying a debt we owe, but about returning to God what is already rightfully His. This act transforms a financial transaction into a spiritual discipline of worship. [01:04:33]

“And let them first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless... Likewise, their wives must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.” (1 Timothy 3:10-11, ESV) [Note: The sermon's core idea is that giving is an act of returning what is God's, not paying a debt. While 1 Timothy 3 is about deacons, the principle of faithfulness in stewardship applies.]

Reflection: How does understanding that you are "returning" what is God's, rather than "paying" Him, change your perspective on giving? In what way can you approach your next financial gift more as an act of worship than an obligation?

Day 5: A Life-Defining Decision of Response

We all stand at a crossroads, faced with a choice of how we will respond to God's work in our lives. This is the gift of free will—the freedom to choose a path of worship that leads to blessing or a path of self-interest that leads to loss. Our decisions, particularly with our resources, define our legacy and reveal the ultimate orientation of our lives, for better or for worse. [01:01:15]

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19, ESV)

Reflection: Looking at the story of Mary and Judas, which trajectory does your current pattern of giving most resemble—a life of worshipful sacrifice or one of self-focused gain? What is one decision you can make today to ensure your heart is following a treasure that leads to life?

Sermon Summary

Between the triumphal entry and the events of Good Friday, a sharp contrast unfolds: one disciple pours out costly perfume in an act of worship while another arranges betrayal for coin. The narrative places Mary’s extravagant gift—a jar of perfume worth a year’s wages—against Judas’s calculation to hand Jesus over for pieces of silver. That contrast exposes how money and treasure shape desire, loyalty, and destiny. Scripture links worship and sacrifice from Genesis onward; giving functions less as a debt to God and more as a formative practice that reveals and reorders the heart.

The story unpacks practical and spiritual dimensions of stewardship. Practically, faith communities require resources to operate and serve; historically, churches funded ministry through sacrificial giving by the people. Spiritually, giving becomes a tangible marking of where devotion lies. Mary’s gift filled the house with fragrance and secured her memory across generations; Judas’s decision led to remorse, lost place, and a tragic end. The account highlights that choices about money turn into choices about allegiance.

The teaching draws on modern insight into the psychology of money: financial behaviors reflect and shape character. Acquiring and displaying wealth risks redirecting affections toward what is temporary, and that redirection can tilt a person away from spiritual goods. Jesus’s warning—store treasures in heaven because the heart will follow treasure—reverses a common assumption and insists that external acts of devotion (including giving) reorient inner life.

The congregation’s practice of an annual “step up” offering models this theology. An estimated-giving process frames giving as both a budgeting tool and an act of worship, inviting individuals to decide publicly and prayerfully how their treasures will support the church’s work. The ritual of placing a card on the table functions as a confession of dependence on God’s provision and a concrete way to train desires toward kingdom ends. Ultimately the narrative affirms human freedom under grace: the same encounter with Christ produced one life-defining act of worship and one life-defining act of betrayal, leaving a stark reminder that financial choices become spiritual choices.

Key Takeaways

1. Worship requires costly sacrificial giving Mary’s gift represented real loss—perfume worth a year’s wages—and that cost made the worship authentic. Sacrificial giving signals where devotion lies more clearly than words alone; it converts gratitude into a visible offering. Such offerings shape memory, community priorities, and spiritual formation across generations. [52:47]
2. Money reshapes the human heart Jesus teaches that treasure directs desire: store treasures in heaven and the heart will follow. Financial decisions function as interior surgeries that expose and reorient longings, not merely as budget items. Recognizing this prevents mistaking financial habits for neutral choices rather than moral ones. [62:04]
3. Decisions determine lasting legacy Mary’s act produced remembrance and blessing; Judas’s choice produced remorse and ruin. Small financial moments often crystallize into defining moral testimonies that outlast immediate gain or loss. The moral weight of a choice sometimes appears only in hindsight, but the choice still carves a trajectory. [56:30]
4. Giving forms spiritual identity The “step up” process reframes giving as spiritual formation: estimating gifts trains generosity and aligns community mission. Committing money publicly cultivates a habit of trust and reorients daily priorities toward kingdom work. Financial disciplines therefore belong to the formation of discipleship, not only to church finance. [63:13]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:47] - Announcements and Resources
[26:06] - Opening Prayer and Intercession
[43:15] - Youth Participation in Worship
[43:47] - Context: Palm Sunday to Good Friday
[47:52] - Mary’s Anointing Explained
[54:16] - Judas’s Betrayal Examined
[62:04] - Treasure and the Heart
[63:13] - Step Up Sunday Overview
[66:09] - How to Complete the Card
[70:40] - Closing Prayer and Dismissal

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
*John 12:1–8 (ESV)*
Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 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. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 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. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

*Matthew 6:19–21 (ESV)*
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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Observation questions

What specific details does the text give about Mary’s gift of perfume?
How did Judas respond to Mary’s act, and what reason does the text give for his objection?
What did Jesus say about the relationship between treasure and the human heart? [01:02:04]
According to the passage, what two outcomes resulted from Mary’s act of worship and Judas’s act of betrayal? [56:30]

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Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus have said that Mary’s act was connected to his burial, even though he was still alive? [57:07]
How does the contrast between Mary’s sacrifice and Judas’s betrayal illustrate the idea that financial choices are spiritual choices?
What does it mean that “your heart will follow your treasure” rather than the other way around? How does this reverse common assumptions? [01:02:28]
In what ways can giving be understood not as a debt to God, but as a practice that shapes the heart? [46:04]

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Application questions

Mary’s gift was costly—worth a year’s wages. What would it look like to give in a way that feels truly sacrificial, not just comfortable? [52:47]
Judas’s love of money led him away from Jesus. Are there areas where financial desire or fear might be tilting your heart away from what matters most?
Jesus taught that our heart follows our treasure. What practical step could you take this week to intentionally “store up treasure in heaven” through giving, serving, or loving?
Mary’s act left a lasting legacy; Judas’s choice led to regret. How do you want your financial decisions to be remembered by those who know you best?
Giving is not just about funding ministry—it’s about worship. How could you make your giving more prayerful and intentional, as an act of devotion rather than duty? [01:04:33]
Some people grow in generosity “1% at a time.” Is there a next step—even a small one—you could take toward giving more faithfully? [01:07:18]
The fragrance of Mary’s gift filled the whole house. Who might be impacted—beyond yourself—by your generosity?

Sermon Clips

You understand that God doesn't need you to give for his sake. God is God. The entire universe is his. So he doesn't need us to give for his sake, then it must be that he wants us to give for our sake because our heart follows our treasure. I read this a while back. I wrote it down. You can't pay a tithe. It's not a debt you owe. You can't give a tithe. It doesn't belong to you. You can only bring the tithe. You're bringing to god what is already his. [01:04:19] (33 seconds) #BringTheTithe

Two people, both disciples of Jesus, both who had experienced his love and his grace, both who had witnessed his miracles, both who had sat under his teaching, and both who made a life defining decision about how they would respond. One who gave everything in an epic act of worship, and one who lost everything in an epic act of betrayal. And that, my friends, is the gift of free will, grace given freedom. We all get to decide to decide how we'll respond to what God has already been doing in our lives. [01:01:07] (35 seconds) #GraceAndFreedom

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Heart Follows Treasure: Mary, Judas, and Stewardship

Devotional

Day 1: The Heart Follows Your Treasure

Day 2: Extravagant Worship Springs from Gratitude

Day 3: The Danger of an Insatiable Appetite for More

Day 4: Our Giving is an Act of Worship, Not a Debt

Day 5: A Life-Defining Decision of Response

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Heart Follows Treasure: Mary, Judas, and Stewardship

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