4. Twelve Words Disciple Makers Love|Matthew 26:6-13|Kyle Reynolds|:6.28.2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Alabaster Flask’s Fragrance Fills the Room

A woman breaks open her most costly possession, filling a tense room with the overwhelming scent of nard. Her act defies practicality, social norms, and anxious whispers. The aroma becomes a declaration: Jesus is worth every drop of devotion. While others calculate loss, she lavishes love. The fragrance lingers as a testament to worship that prioritizes presence over productivity. [43:16]

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”
(2 Corinthians 2:15–16, ESV)

Reflection: What costly act of worship have you hesitated to offer Jesus because others might deem it “too much”? How might your boldness create a lingering aroma of Christ’s worth?

Day 2: Sitting at Feet Over Stirring in Kitchen

A woman chooses stillness over hustle, listening over labor. In a culture valuing visible service, she anchors herself to the voice of Jesus. The room hums with tension—Martha’s clattering pots, disciples’ debates—yet Mary’s posture silences the noise. To sit at His feet is not passive; it is the active choice to let His words recalibrate your soul. [51:22]

“Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?’”
(Luke 10:39–40, ESV)

Reflection: Where has your desire to “do for Jesus” drowned out your capacity to “be with Jesus”? What practical step can you take this week to sit at His feet?

Day 3: Anointing the King Before Burying the Dead

Perfume meant for burial becomes a coronation. A woman anoints a living man as if preparing a corpse, her act threading triumph and tragedy. She alone sees the paradox: the King she crowns will die to secure His throne. Her flask’s contents—wasted to critics—become a prophetic declaration: death itself will smell like victory. [55:37]

“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.”
(Matthew 26:12–13, ESV)

Reflection: How does your worship reflect both the kingship of Christ and the cost of His cross? Where do you struggle to hold joy and sorrow in tension?

Day 4: Perfume Priorities: Worship Over Utility

A room erupts in debate over economics while fragrance clings to the air. Disciples tally the perfume’s value in coins; Jesus counts its worth in love. The woman’s critics mask their discomfort with compassion for the poor, missing this truth: worship fuels service, not the reverse. To prioritize Jesus is not to neglect needs but to anchor them in His worth. [49:00]

“But 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, ‘Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me.’”
(Matthew 26:8–10, ESV)

Reflection: When have you criticized another’s worship as “impractical”? How might Jesus be inviting you to exchange efficiency for extravagance in your love for Him?

Day 5: World-Famous in the Gospel’s Backward Economy

A woman’s quiet act echoes louder than empires. Jesus promises her story will outlive kings, etched into the gospel’s global proclamation. Her fame lies not in her name but in her proximity to His. In a world chasing recognition, she models the paradox: to be remembered, forget yourself. To be known, disappear into His story. [55:57]

“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.”
(Matthew 26:13, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you crave recognition more than communion with Christ? How might your ordinary acts of worship ripple into eternity’s narrative?

Sermon Summary

Matthew 26 brings the good news right into the last week of Jesus’ life, right after Jesus has told the disciples the worst news they think they could hear: the Son of Man will be delivered up and crucified. Jesus has told them this more than once, and still they do not yet realize that the news they are trying to process is actually the best news the world will ever receive. The gospel is God’s good news for all the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus, bringing salvation to everyone who believes.

Mary enters the room in Bethany with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she moves in close to Jesus while tension fills the air. The chief priests and elders are plotting nearby, Judas is close to betrayal, and the disciples are still struggling to understand what Jesus has said about his death. Mary, the sister of Lazarus, has already seen the power of Jesus over death, and her act shows that her eyes are fixed on him. She does not wait for approval. She does not calculate how awkward it may look. She honors the Lord.

The alabaster flask becomes a bold and courageous act of worship. Mary pours the perfume gently and carefully over Jesus’ head, not as a careless show, but with sacred devotion. The fragrance fills Simon’s house, drowning out every other smell, and the room cannot ignore what she has done. Her act is both an anointing and a coronation. In one overflowing act of love, Mary declares that Jesus is King and worthy of extravagant, wholehearted worship.

The disciples, however, become indignant. Their concern for the poor sounds reasonable on the surface, especially after Jesus’ own words about serving the hungry, thirsty, sick, and needy. Yet Jesus sees deeper. Jesus defends Mary and says, “She has done a beautiful thing to me.” Her worship does not cancel mercy to the poor; it puts worship in its proper place. The real presence of Jesus gives strength, grace, and love to serve others.

Jesus then says that Mary has prepared his body for burial. Mary’s act lines up with Jesus’ own prediction of his death, even before the disciples can see the fullness of it. The sweet aroma points to Christ himself, the anointed one, whose death and resurrection become the fragrance of life to those being saved. The best news is that Jesus holds the keys to death and hell, and the proof of the gospel is that dead people come alive.

Key Takeaways

1. Worship must come before agenda Mary’s act exposes how even good and biblical concerns can become disordered when they stand in front of Christ. Care for the poor is not rejected by Jesus, but the disciples’ judgment shows how service can become detached from worship. The presence of Jesus is not a distraction from mercy; it is the source from which mercy receives its strength, grace, and love. [52:32]
2. Mary moves close without fear Mary enters a tense room and honors Jesus even when her act will be misunderstood. Her courage is not loud self-expression, but costly nearness to Christ. The eyes fixed on Jesus become free from the tyranny of what everyone else thinks. [44:39]
3. The gospel comes through death Jesus’ crucifixion sounds like the worst news to the disciples, but Matthew 26 reveals it as the doorway into the best news ever given. Mary’s anointing prepares Jesus for burial, and that burial will not be the end. The death and resurrection of Jesus bring salvation to everyone who believes. [58:52]
4. Christ’s aroma awakens or exposes The fragrance filling Simon’s house becomes a picture of how the gospel is received. To some, Christ is life, salvation, and resurrection; to others, dulled senses miss the good news and remain in death. The aroma of Christ is never neutral because Jesus always reveals what a heart truly loves. [59:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[31:15] - Scripture Reading From Matthew 26
[33:24] - The Best News Ever Received
[36:20] - Defining the Gospel
[37:02] - Moving Close to Jesus
[39:26] - Bethany, Lazarus, and Mary
[41:23] - Simon the Leper’s Transformed Home
[42:40] - Mary Pours Out the Alabaster Flask
[47:05] - The Disciples Call It Waste
[49:32] - Jesus Calls It Beautiful
[51:22] - Mary Chooses the Good Portion
[55:24] - Prepared for Burial
[57:03] - The Good News Is Jesus
[59:37] - The Aroma of Christ
[63:29] - The Best News for the World
[65:29] - Bold and Extravagant Worship

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 26:6-13
“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.’” [31:15]

2 Corinthians 2:15-16
“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?”

Luke 10:38-42
“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’”

Observation questions

In Matthew 26, what details in the room make this moment feel tense, costly, and unusual? [41:23]
What exactly do the disciples call Mary’s act, and what exactly does Jesus call it? [49:32]
In Luke 10, what contrast is seen between Martha and Mary in the way each one responds to Jesus? [51:22]
In 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, what are the two different ways the aroma of Christ is received?

Interpretation questions

Why might Mary’s act of pouring out the perfume be understood as more than generosity or emotion, but as worship that recognizes who Jesus is? [45:14]
Jesus says Mary prepared his body for burial. How does that statement help explain why this scene belongs so closely to the gospel, even before the cross and resurrection happen? [58:52]
The disciples speak about helping the poor, yet Jesus defends Mary’s worship. How should that shape the way worship and mercy are held together without putting them against each other? [52:32]
Mary appears in both Luke 10 and Matthew 26 as someone who stays close to Jesus when others are distracted or critical. What does that suggest about the kind of heart that recognizes the “good portion”? [52:08]

Application questions

Mary moved close to Jesus without waiting for approval from the room. Where is there a temptation right now to hold back obedience because of how others might react? What might bold nearness to Christ look like in that situation? [44:39]
Good things can become disordered when they get placed ahead of Christ. What kinds of “good agendas” most easily crowd out worship in this season of life—service, productivity, family pressure, ministry activity, or something else? [52:54]
Jesus called Mary’s offering beautiful even though others called it wasteful. Has there been a time when devotion to Christ looked impractical or excessive to someone else? How was that pressure felt? [47:05]
Mary’s eyes were fixed on Jesus. What helps keep a person’s eyes fixed on him during anxious or noisy weeks, and what usually pulls those eyes away? [52:09]
The gospel is good news through the death and resurrection of Jesus, bringing salvation to everyone who believes. When was the last time that truth felt freshly personal instead of merely familiar? [36:20]
The aroma of Christ is never neutral; it brings life to some and exposes others. In everyday life, what might it look like to carry the aroma of Christ in words, attitudes, and actions? [01:03:06]
The proof of the gospel is that dead people come alive. Where is there a need to ask Jesus for resurrection life right now—in a habit, a relationship, a hope, a prayer, or an area of spiritual dullness? [01:05:02]

Sermon Clips

53s

“``Brothers and sisters, in a world full of anxiety, pain, and death, the best news that the world is ever gonna receive is that Jesus Christ came to save us from it, and he doesn't break his promises. And finally, the proof that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. The proof that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true is that dead people come alive. Amen. And what's more, we see one other proof today. Jesus' prophecy has come true. Just as he says it will, the story of Mary and her flask of perfume which has prepared him for burial, this story has actually been shared with all the world in Matthew's gospel. His prophecy came true as they all do.”

73s

“There's something that Mary gets consistently right. And in in the midst of all the tension, anxiety, arbitrary cultural standards with these expectations of conformity to rules and expectations, Where's Mary? Mary's eyes, her eyes are always fixed on Jesus. So as Mary has moved in close once again to Jesus in our past is today, Emphatically declaring that Jesus is in fact worthy of worship, the disciples stand back in a posture of judgment. And whether the disciples know it or not, do you see what they're actually saying? What they're actually arguing is that selling the ointment or perfume and giving to the poor should take priority over worshiping Christ. That, brothers and sisters, is a dangerous place to be. Having any kind of agenda at all before worshiping Jesus is not a good thing.”

54s

“On the contrary, to experience the real presence of Jesus is what gives us the strength, grace, and love to serve those in need. It's not the other way around. We cannot serve the we cannot serve the needs of others. We cannot do it without first being here, worshiping Christ, and having a strong devotional life throughout the week as we continue to move in close to Christ. Indeed, Mary reminds us, no matter how costly it is to us, we should not let anything deter us from worshiping Jesus. No matter how socially awkward, no matter how much others may scoff at us as the disciples do she, we should never let anything stop us from moving in close to Jesus.”

50s

“you hear that? The good news is Jesus. The he embodies the good news. To put it another way, we not only give thanks for the good news, we move in close to the one who embodies the good news, Jesus, our lord. Indeed though, at the end of our passage today, Jesus declares that Mary will be remembered wherever the good news is shared, which is essentially saying she's gonna be world famous. But this isn't the kind of famous that says, hey, look at me. This is the kind of world famous that says that says, hey, look at Jesus. Amen? Amen. Look at Jesus.”

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