The Reason Underneath

Devotional

Day 1: Breaking the Seal on What Secures Your Future

Mary’s act of shattering her alabaster jar—a lifetime’s security—wasn’t reckless abandon but radical trust. The perfume’s value paled next to the One who resurrected her brother. True worship demands holding nothing back, not because we’re certain of outcomes, but because we’ve encountered the Resurrection and the Life. When we pour out our “what ifs” at Jesus’ feet, we trade temporary safety for eternal substance. The scent of surrender lingers long after the jar is empty. [54:23]

“Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”
(John 12:3, ESV)

Reflection: What unopened “jar” have you been clinging to for security? How might breaking it for Christ’s honor transform both your worship and your witness?

Day 2: When Piety Masks a Thieving Heart

Judas’ reasonable objection hid a pocket-lining agenda. The gap between our spiritual language and actual motives often goes unnoticed until tested by costly obedience. True worship isn’t measured by polished arguments about stewardship, but by whether our hands cling to the moneybag or the Messiah. Every critique of another’s devotion reveals more about our own heart’s altar. [48:45]

“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.”
(John 12:4-6, ESV)

Reflection: When have you disguised self-interest as spiritual concern? What current decision exposes where your true treasure lies?

Day 3: Worship’s Scent Clings to Servant Hands

The house reeked of nard for days—a sensory reminder that adoration fuels action. Mary’s hair, now a towel, foreshadowed Jesus’ basin-and-towel service hours later. We don’t choose between kneeling at feet or washing them; authentic worship does both. The church’s social work grows stale without the fragrance of broken devotion, yet fragrant worship grows moldy without dirty-handed love. [58:09]

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
(Ephesians 2:8-10, ESV)

Reflection: Does your service to others carry the lingering scent of recent worship? When have duty’s hands forgotten the thrill of being adored by Christ?

Day 4: Undone Hair and Unfiltered Devotion

Cultural propriety crumbled as Mary’s hair cascaded down—a first-century woman’s glory repurposed as a servant’s rag. Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less while fixated on Christ’s worthiness. Extravagant worship often looks foolish until the resurrected Lord walks through the wall of others’ expectations. [55:10]

“Mary took about a pint of pure nard…she wiped his feet with her hair.”
(John 12:3, ESV)

Reflection: What socially acceptable “updo” (appearance, reputation, dignity) is God asking you to undo in reckless devotion? Where does polished propriety stifle raw worship?

Day 5: The Hammer That Tests True Treasure

Mary’s hammer wasn’t Calvin’s tool for stubborn screws, but the crash of shattered alabaster. We know what we truly worship by what we’re willing to break for Christ. Future security, family legacies, even reasonable plans—all must be swingable if the Carpenter asks. Resurrection hope turns every “But what if?” into “Even if.” [01:07:12]

“Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the angel. “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
(Genesis 22:12, ESV)

Reflection: What “Isaac” have you bound to the altar but secretly hoped to keep? How does Christ’s already-broken body empower your surrender?

Sermon Summary

John 12 brings Jesus back to Bethany six days before the Passover, right before the cross comes into view. The timing matters, but the text is not just giving information for a calendar. Scripture has to read the reader, not just be read for facts. The question under the whole scene is simple and sharp: what is the most valuable possession, and what would worship do with it?

John sets the table with Jesus, Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and likely much of Bethany gathered because dead men do not usually come back to life and nobody ignores that. Mary takes a pint of pure nard, expensive stuff that had traveled from far away, maybe worth a year’s wages, maybe tied to her future security. Mary breaks the seal and pours it on Jesus. Mary does not hold back a little in case she needs it later. Mary lays it at the feet of Jesus.

Mary’s worship is extravagant, but it is also humble. The act could have drawn attention to Mary, but Mary goes lower, wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair. The room fills with the smell. The fragrance makes the whole house know that something has happened, and that image presses the question: how does worship smell for Jesus?

Judas sounds reasonable when he asks why the perfume was not sold and the money given to the poor. Judas sounds pious, wise, and practical. John tells the reader the motive underneath was not mercy but greed, because Judas was helping himself to the money bag. Motives matter. What is underneath why something is done matters as much as how it is done.

Jesus defends Mary with “leave her alone.” Jesus names her act as preparation for his burial, even though he is not dead yet. Jesus is saying the hour has come, and Mary has somehow honored the glory that will come through the cross. Jesus does not dismiss care for the poor, but Jesus orders it rightly: worship comes first, and service flows out of worship. The church does not exist first as a social service agency. The church exists for the gospel of Jesus, and because Jesus is worshiped, the poor and the neighbor must be served.

Paul’s words in Ephesians hold that order together: grace saves, not works, yet grace creates people for good works. Mary’s act asks whether Jesus is more important than the thing that secures the future. Abraham laid Isaac down. Mary laid the perfume down. The Spirit presses the same kind of question: what is Jesus saying, who needs to hear it, and how can the church help obedience become real?

Key Takeaways

1. Motives matter beneath worship Judas sounded careful, compassionate, and financially responsible, but John lets the reader see the theft underneath the words. A right sounding sentence can still carry a crooked desire. Worship has to be examined not only by what it says, but by what it wants. [48:32]
2. Mary laid down her security Mary’s perfume was not a small gift or spare change. It may have represented a year’s wages, a family treasure, or the future stability she could still hold onto. Her act says that if Jesus can raise Lazarus, then the future is safer at Jesus’ feet than in her own hands. [53:36]
3. Worship comes before service Jesus does not belittle the poor, and he does not excuse indifference. Jesus puts worship in its proper place, because service that is not born from worship can become self-serving, calculating, or merely practical. The gospel makes good works necessary, but it never lets good works replace the worth of Christ. [57:45]
4. The fragrance reveals the heart Mary’s perfume filled the whole house, so nobody could miss what had been poured out. Worship always leaves some kind of scent, whether it is humble devotion or self-centered calculation. The question is not whether a life gives off something, but whether that fragrance helps others sense the beauty of Jesus. [60:36]
5. Jesus asks for costly obedience The real question is not whether surrender makes sense on paper. The real question is whether Jesus is asking for it. When Christ calls for something valuable to be laid down, obedience trusts that his wisdom is better than the security being held back. [66:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[42:03] - Series Update and Opening
[43:47] - The Most Valuable Possession
[46:10] - Motives Matter
[48:45] - Let Scripture Read the Reader
[50:30] - Dinner at Bethany
[52:14] - Mary’s Costly Perfume
[55:10] - Judas and Hidden Motives
[57:03] - Jesus Defends Mary
[57:45] - Worship First, Then Service
[60:36] - The Fragrance of Worship
[63:29] - Humble Worship, Not Display
[64:49] - Judas’s Calculated Worship
[67:49] - Laying Down What Matters Most
[71:54] - Three Questions for Response

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 12:1-8
“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.’” [50:30]

Observation questions

Who is present in this scene in Bethany, and what is each person shown doing in the passage? [52:14]
What details show how costly and public Mary’s act was, and how does the passage describe the effect it had on the whole house? [53:36]
What does Judas say should have been done with the perfume, and what reason does John give for why Judas said it? [55:10]
What exactly does Jesus say in response to the criticism of Mary, and what future event does he connect her action to? [57:03]

Interpretation questions

Mary pours out something that may have represented security, savings, or even her future. What does her act reveal about what she believed Jesus was worth? [01:08:12]
Judas sounded compassionate and practical, yet the desire underneath was crooked. Why does Scripture press so hard on motives and not just outward actions? [48:45]
Jesus does not deny the importance of caring for the poor, but he does put worship first. Why is that order important, and what tends to go wrong when service is separated from worship? [58:03]
The house was filled with the fragrance of Mary’s offering. In what sense can a person’s worship leave a “fragrance” that others notice, for good or for ill? [01:00:36]

Application questions

What is most likely to function as future security in this season of life—money, reputation, plans, relationships, comfort, control? What would it look like to place that more fully at Jesus’ feet? [01:07:12]
A person can say the right words and still have mixed motives underneath. Where is there a temptation to look spiritual, wise, generous, or practical while still protecting self-interest? [01:04:49]
Worship is meant to be both humble and costly, not a performance. What helps keep worship centered on Jesus rather than on being noticed, appreciated, or seen as faithful? [01:03:29]
Service to others is meant to flow out of worship. Where has serving become rushed, dutiful, or merely practical? What might change if love for Jesus was placed back at the center of that service? [57:45]
If Jesus asked for a specific act of costly obedience, would the first response be, “Does this make sense?” or, “Is this what Jesus is asking?” Where is that tension showing up right now? [01:06:32]
The fragrance of worship fills a house. What kind of “scent” does life leave behind at home, at work, or around friends? Does it make the beauty of Jesus easier or harder for others to notice? [01:01:36]
Three simple questions can help obedience become concrete: What is Jesus saying? Who else needs to hear it? How can the church help? Which of those three questions is hardest right now, and why? [01:11:54]

Sermon Clips

77s

#LayItAtHisFeet

“``Are we willing to take our most valuable possession and put it at the feet of Jesus in worship, trusting that he knows what is best? Or are we going to withhold it because we think, well, I love Jesus and he really is savior and lord and he really is the most important thing, but I'm not certain I'm ready. Many of the people of scripture were asked to lay down at the feet of our Lord what was most important to them. And in faith, they did. Abraham was asked to lay down Isaac, the promised child, to see whether or not he he believed God was who he said he was. Mary, in her worship, put down what was maybe the only thing she could secure her future because she'd come to find out, if Jesus can raise my brother from the dead, it doesn't matter what my future looks like if I'm with Jesus.”

62s

#ObeyJesusFirst

“Sometimes our worship and sometimes we can talk about things and we'll go, well, does that make financial business sense? That is an important question. if that question gets in the way of worshiping Jesus, it's the wrong question. Worshiping of Jesus is more important than if something sounds reasonable, pious, or makes good business sense. Now, does that mean I'm gonna propose today that we give all of our savings away to a charitable organization for the poor? No. But if Jesus called us to do that, the question isn't, does it make perp doesn't the question isn't, does it make sense? The question is, does Jesus ask us to do that? I've said over and over in one of these days, you'll get tired of me saying it. What matters most is we ask the question, what is Jesus asking of us? And obey Jesus, nothing else.”

67s

#ExtravagantWorship

“Here's the example of Mary. Mary was extravagant in her worship. She was willing to lay it all down to worship Jesus. Does that mean we should just, you know, spend frivolously our budget? I mean, we have a financials, they're out. We'll talk about that. Not necessarily. But we have to be willing to say, is Jesus more important than the most important thing I value? And and and what am I gonna do for Jesus? Whether it was just the current ability, maybe it was a family heirloom. Maybe it was what they would call a dowry, which which secured her future. She was willing to put it at the feet of Jesus. What about you and me? In our worship of Jesus, are we willing to put everything at his feet and see what he says?”

72s

#WorshipFirstServeSecond

“K? But what he's saying is the time has now come, and she has prepared me for the glorification that's coming through the cross. I think part of this is we must remember is we worship Jesus first, and then we do good works. We focus on who Jesus is first, and then out of our worship for Jesus, we will serve the poor and others. We can't confuse the two. The church does not exist as a social service agency. The church exists for the gospel of Jesus, but that doesn't mean the church doesn't get by with not serving less than us. It's why we do Caring Kitchen, and why we do Wednesday night, and why we do other things. But we don't exist to do those things first. We exist to worship Jesus first. Did you get that? But because of who Jesus is and our worship of Jesus, we will serve others.”

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