“He is our King. Where
are your gifts?”
– Reverend Andy Rubin
Then Mary took about a
pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’s feet and
wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of
the perfume.
(John 12:3)
They took palm branches
and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!” (John 12:13)
I
was asked a question this morning by a worship leader from another locale. She
asked, “Why is it that when I begin worship, the people are not involved?”
Well,
there’s several possible answers to the question. It may be that the people don’t
know, or don’t like, the chord progressions (or musical instruments, or musical
styles) being used to support the worship atmosphere. It may be that the people
don’t want a woman, or don’t want this particular woman, leading them in
adoration of our Lord. It may be that the attendees are not present for
worship, but are merely present to give moral support to a family member or
colleague who’s being baptized (or given an award, or granted some other
distinction) during the service. It may be that there is some competing event
in the room, or in the minds of the people, that has distracted them.
But, I believe there is an answer that cuts to the core of the issue: It may be that the people do not view their worship
as their personal offering to God.
As we learned on Sunday, attendance at a worship event is not the same thing as personal
engagement in worship. In John 12:1-19 we read of two worship events that took
place shortly before the Passover feast. And, as Pastor Andy noted,
there were distinct contrasts between these two expressions of adoration. A few
are summarized here:
v One featured a woman;
the other involved crowds.
v One was expressed in
tears; the other in shouts.
v One evoked disdain from
fellow believers; the other evoked distress from unbelievers.
A
key contrast, though, concerned attitude,
motivation, and expression. In Sunday’s sermon Pastor Andy made the
following point (paraphrased here): The crowd waving palms gave a worship that cost them nothing. The woman gave a worship
that cost her something.
Mary’s
worship stands as an incredible example of adoration. Her focus was on Jesus,
and Him alone. There were plenty of other people and things in the room that
could have distracted her, but she entered the space with an agenda to worship
her Lord. And, she did not merely pour tears onto Jesus. She poured out a container
of perfume: an expensive, carefully considered gift, worth a year’s salary.
The
crowds, in contrast, carried a mixture of agendas. One crowd was present because
they had wanted to see who healed Lazarus. The other crowd was asking Jesus to declare
His Kingship and save them from Roman oppression. The Pharisees were simply
spectators, watching the procession without participating in the worship. The palms were a
handy, convenient article: impulsively grabbed, and summarily tossed, free of cost.
What about us today? Are we as intentional as Mary, or as bothered as the Pharisees, or as fickle as the crowd?
Where is your worship, and what does it cost?
All
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica,
Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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