Opportunity Knocked (Mark 14:1-11)

Sometimes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity can change everything. In 1937, a high school student named Judy Turner cut class to have a Coke s at a soda fountain on Sunset Boulevard. While there, a fellow at the counter noticed her. He asked the manager to introduce him to Judy. Judy was understandably nervous and agreed to meet the man, as long as the manager stayed nearby.

The man was Billy Wilkerson – the owner of The Hollywood Reporter. He asked Judy if she’d like to be in the movies. Judy said, “I’ll have to ask my mother.” Soon Judy found herself in the publisher’s office, mom in tow. Wilkerson later said Judy “had a quality all her own that was unforgettable.”^[1]

He wrote a note to Zeppo Marx (of the Marx Brothers) about Judy and a star was born. For the next two decades, she was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood.^[2]

Stories like that are part of why America became known as the land of opportunity. It didn’t matter where you were from. It didn’t matter what others said. You could make it in America.

This text is all about opportunity. The priests and scribes are looking for a chance to get Jesus. Judas is looking for a way to enrich himself. And a young woman sees a chance to express her devotion and love to the Lord. Jesus uses the moment to teach the disciples how the Christian life is a life of opportunities to worship, opportunities to be generous, opportunities to be used.

In the end the lesson we take away is that our Christian lives should not be lived in a pattern of selfishness or cynicism, but with a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, Who wants to reveal to us possibilities and pathways that He has prepared for us specifically to walk in.

Mark 14:1-2 – ¹ It was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a cunning way to arrest Jesus and kill him. ² “Not during the festival,” they said, “so that there won’t be a riot among the people.”

Mark spends a huge chunk of this book on Passion week. Six out of sixteen chapters. After the Triumphal Entry, Jesus had a series of conflict conversations in the Temple. Then He left, went to the Mount of Olives, and delivered the Olivet Discourse.

Those confrontations in the Temple with the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Scribes, the Herodians, didn’t convince any of the Jewish leaders, but it did convince many of the people. During Passover week, the population of Jerusalem had at least doubled.^[3] There were hundreds of thousands if not millions of people crowding in and around the city.^[4]

The Sanhedrin was murderously angry. They have a series of meetings to try to figure out how they can get Jesus and kill Him.^[5] But then the poll numbers came in: Lots of pilgrims were very excited about Jesus. That was one of the main reasons the Jews were so mad. Many people were deserting them and believing Jesus.^[6] But if they attacked Him now, they’d have a riot on their hands.

So, they pivot. Earlier their plan was to arrest Him on sight.^[7] But now they decide they’re going to wait until after Passover is over to get Him.

But God’s will cannot be thwarted by man’s schemes. Here we see a wonderful glimpse into God’s sovereignty. Jesus was the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world. The Lamb would be slain not just on time, but on God’s time. By the end of our text, we’ll see that these wicked men will pivot once again so that the Savior of the world would be crucified at the exact right time.

Mark 14:3 – ³ While he was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it on his head.

All four Gospels have a passage describing Jesus being anointed by a woman at a dinner. But there were two separate occasions when this happened. Matthew, Mark, and John tell this story where Mary, not Mary Magdalene but Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus, pours perfume on Jesus’ head. Luke tells a different story where an unnamed woman – a notorious sinner – comes and weeps on and anoints Jesus’ feet and dries them with her hair.

Luke’s story happens in the house of a Pharisee named Simon and Jesus uses the situation as a chance to teach him (and us) about forgiveness.

Matthew, Mark, and John tell this story of Jesus being in the house belonging to another Simon, who had once been a leper. We know he wasn’t still a leper, because no one would’ve been in the house with him. It is the Passover festival, after all, and they must keep ritually clean.

Lazarus, Mary, and Martha are also there and it seems they’re hosting the dinner. So, it’s possible they’re just using Simon’s house or that Simon was actually the three siblings’ father.^[8]

Mark doesn’t name her, but John explains the woman is Mary. What she does is shocking. First of all, she’s breaking the social conventions of the day by coming in among the men as they eat.^[9]

Not only is she going against conventional etiquette, she’s also way outside of conventional wisdom. We’ll see everyone else in the room – other than Jesus – thinks this is a terrible idea.

You see, this perfume was no ordinary perfume. It was pure nard. Imported from India.^[10] We’ll be told it’s value in a moment. But this could have been what Mary had for a marriage dowry.^[11] It was probably a family heirloom, passed from mother to daughter for generations.^[12] The kind of item so valuable it would be kept for times of need so that it could be sold to save the family.^[13]

We sense a comparison between this gift and the widow’s two coins Jesus recently observed and praised. Only the widow gave to God, not knowing Jesus. Mary gives to the Lord, personally.

But we also sense the compulsion in Mary’s heart. Humanly speaking, it’s not the right gift, it’s not the right time. She hasn’t asked Jesus permission. But we watch her enter, without a word, and do what what in her heart to do. And what she does, she does to the utmost. The jar is broken. No part saved back. This is an act of pure, generous, devotion and worship.

Mark 14:4-5 – ⁴ But some were expressing indignation to one another: “Why has this perfume been wasted? ⁵ For this perfume might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor.” And they began to scold her.

These guys took the opportunity not to praise, not to be encouraged or encouraging, but to disparage. Mark is kind in his vagueness. John reveals that Judas, specifically, led the criticism, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was stealing from the money bag.^[14] But Matthew explains that the rest of the disciples joined in with Judas chewing Mary out.

And they were really upset. One Greek term used elsewhere refers to the snorting of horses.^[15] The words express “violent displeasure.”^[16]

Their reasoning is that this perfume – which was worth more than a working man’s annual salary – should’ve been sold and given to the poor.

Now, pause for a moment and realize a couple things: First, this was not theirs to give. It’s her perfume. It’s, perhaps, her dowry. What right do they have to tell her she should liquidate her dowry only for things they approve of?

Second, their complaint is theoretical. There was no starving beggar on the doorstep. There was no crowd of 5,000 which had no food to eat.

Third, Mary had been very generous to them many times over. Hosting them. Serving them. Feeding them. Up to and including that very evening! And yet, they’re so quick to complain.

But do you remember what the guys said back when they were around crowds of hungry people? “Send them away. They’re not our problem.”

Their knee-jerk reaction here reminds us of how quick our human hearts can be to complain about others. God’s people are not immune from a complaining heart. Sometimes we’re the best at it. Look at the children of Israel in the Exodus. Look at the older Jews in Ezra. The American Church is certainly not immune. Our culture fosters attitudes of complaint. Left to our own devices, we want everything our way. From the carpet color to the temperature to the songs we sing to the length of the service. And often we will find ourselves cynically criticizing the faithful service of others. They should’ve done this, not that, and they should’ve done it that way, not this way.

A Spirit-filled life is not looking for opportunities to condemn. Rather, a Spirit-filled life is waiting for opportunities to worship, to serve, to magnify the Lord in our midst.

Mark 14:6 – ⁶ Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing for me.

Jesus not only defends Mary, but notice that He invites them to evaluate why they were acting that way. “Why are you bothering her?” Why tear down someone as they worship the Lord? What right did they have to judge this service to the Lord? It clearly was service to the Lord.

You know, Jesus had defended the 12 when their activity was criticized by others. “Why are they eating grain on the Sabbath? Why aren’t they fasting like we do?” What a great comfort that our Lord defends us. He is an Advocate. A Comforter. A Master Who truly cares about His servants.

He says here, “What Mary has done is beautiful.” Your version may have that. Meanwhile, the 12 were trying to make her gift and worship to the Lord difficult to accomplish.^[17]

Had the disciples been paying attention to what Jesus had been trying to tell them, they would’ve realized that this was one of the last meals they would have with the Son of God. Instead of looking for an opportunity to criticize a fellow believer or complain about something they didn’t like, they could’ve been looking for an opportunity to show devotion and affection to the Lord themselves.

Part of the Christian life is finding ways to show devotion and affection to our Lord. Worshipping Him. Honoring Him. Being generous to Him. Bringing thanksgiving and praise and adoration and demonstrations of our love to Him. Looking for those opportunities.

Mark 14:7 – ⁷ You always have the poor with you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have me.

Jesus isn’t saying, “Hey there’s always gonna be poor people, so don’t worry about helping them.” In fact the opposite is true. We’re to minister to the poor in our church family. But Jesus’ point here is that this was a specific opportunity. There was no other time for this act to be accomplished. Yes, Mary’s gift is outside conventional wisdom, but spiritually the timing was just right.

There are going to be moments in your walk with the Lord where the Holy Spirit prompts you to do something and the timing will be just right. What seems like a chance encounter or occurrence to us is, in fact, a great work of providence. We want to be ready when that opportunity knocks.

Mark 14:8 – ⁸ She has done what she could; she has anointed my body in advance for burial.

In the haste to get Jesus’ body in the tomb, He would not be anointed for burial. That’s why the women go to the tomb after He’s buried. They go with perfume. It should’ve been done before, and Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus do their part to wrap and embalm the Lord, but this moment was prompted by the Holy Spirit for a disciple to give honor to the King of kings.

Mark 14:9 – ⁹ Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Our Lord and Savior, the Almighty God remembers and is excited about your service to Him. Your worship of Him. Your generosity to His work. He keeps a record. He gives reward. He brags on you.

Do we live a life that is worthy of God’s memory? Do we live life in search of the Spirit’s leading? His opportunities? Those moments where we can give God another token of our love and devotion?

Mark 14:10-11 – ¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. ¹¹ And when they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him money. So he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.

Judas, goes looking for an opportunity to make money through betrayal. Luke explains that Satan, himself, entered Judas at this point.^[18] Satan plays the long game.

Do you remember when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness? Satan is defeated and has to retreat. But we’re told he departed until “an opportune time.”^[19] But he will be defeated again and again.

This text is all about opportunities. On the one side, you have the Sanhedrin, the disciples, Judas, and the devil himself. They’re looking for opportunities to undermine, to destroy, to complain, to criticize, to enrich themselves, to tear others down.

On the other side is Mary, and the image of a disciple that the Lord wants us to be. Looking for opportunities to worship, to give to God, to proclaim the Gospel, to enjoy our relationship with the Lord, to honor the service of others, not nit-pick it.

We’re living our lives. As Christians, we’re to live it not only Spirit filled, but in step with the Spirit.^[20] Which means as you live your life you can know the Spirit wants to work in and through you. Maybe it’s in your living room. Maybe it’s in your front yard. Maybe it’s talking to someone across the pump at the gas station. Maybe it’s in your workplace, your classroom, your cruise, your hospital bed.

The New Testament shows that as we live out the lives God has given us, He will guide and direct us into the good works He’s prepared beforehand for us to walk in. Our part is to be led. To watch for those opportunities. To remember that my life is given for these purposes. To remember that moment by moment there are many ways we can honor God, worship Him, bless others, build up the Church, spread the Gospel, please God’s heart. Just by being willing to be positioned by God the Holy Spirit and responding with a faith that obeys, a faith that adores, a faith that is awake and alive to the opportunities God gives us.