Have
you ever tried to determine from your study of the Word of God, a
simple definition of worship? Well let me save you the
trouble...there is none! As important as the matter of worship is,
you would think that there would be a neat little definition for it,
somewhere in scripture. I guess the fact is, it is simply too broad a
concept to put in a box. For example, we have in John 12, the first
11 verses, a very good picture of worship in its various forms, as
the story of Lazarus and Mary and Martha continues.
The
resurrection of Lazarus has taken place and life in their home goes
on as it had for years, except for one thing...Jesus had come for
supper, and it's from this point on that we see the transition taking
place in Jesus' life...from a humble carpenter's son from the Galilee
to "the glorified Son of Man" (vs. 23); the Saviour, as it
turns out, for all mankind! In this passage we see Him seated there
in Bethany, along with His most intimate friends, and by the time we
arrive at vs. 12, we see the "much people" who had come to
Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, hailing Him as the King of the
Jews. And finally, in verses 19-21, the interests of the people of
the world, represented by those "certain Greeks", in this
miracle-making Man called Jesus. "The whole world", as the
Pharisees testified (vs. 19) were talking about Him. But before any
of that happens, we have this short passage at the beginning of the
chapter, that gives us a very clear picture of worship, as God
intended it to be, and really, as we still perform it (if you would
call it a performance!) in the church, today. So let's consider,
first of all...
1.
The reality of worship (vss. 1-3)
You
know, Lazarus is very nearly a perfect picture of what happens to
every believer in, and after, his own personal resurrection moment.
There was Lazarus sitting at the supper table, in the very presence
of the Lord! Just to be where Jesus is! To celebrate with Jesus what
He has done for us; to fellowship, to serve, and most important of
all, to worship the Master. Even to learn from Him in the course of
His last few days on earth...truth concerning His coming death, the
giving of Holy Spirit, the importance of personal peace, the matter
of abiding faithfulness, facts about eternal things and about His
eventual return for His church. All pretty heady stuff! It's no
wonder that Lazarus sat at the table with Him, hanging on His every
word! And also, as always, Martha serving. Talk abut worship! Sitting
and learning at the table of the Lord is one thing...but serving the
table of the Lord is quite another! And I don't mean "the
fellowship of the Lord's supper", either. In another passage,
Jesus had spoken of her as being..."cumbered with much serving",
but believe me, to Martha, service was no burden. Just as Lazarus was
worshiping by sitting and learning, Martha was, for her, undertaking
a very simple, practical and important function...one in fact, that
we today probably see as "priority #1". And I don't believe
it came from any fleshly, carnal purpose, either. Rather, out of a
moving of her spirit, by Holy Spirit. Her pleasure was in bringing
pleasure to others, in the Name of Jesus! And that, my friends, is
worship! But then, there was Mary, sacrificing the family's most
precious commodity as an act of worship to Jesus. And I think we
could all agree, that if sitting and learning is an important aspect
of worship, and if service is an important part of worship, then
sacrifice must be the greatest form of worship of them all!
Let's
just think like Mary for a minute. She had often listened to the
Words of Life that Jesus had spoken; she had sat with Him at their
supper table on other occasions; she had shed tears along with him at
the grave of her brother and had rejoiced at his resurrection from
that hillside grave; in fact, I'm sure she had experienced some of
the closest times of fellowship with the Lord that anyone other than
His disciples had ever had. And now, what was there left but a one
pound box of very costly ointment, much too precious for her own use,
even to embalm the body of her brother Lazarus, but not too costly
for Jesus! So she went and found that box of spikenard (as we read in
the Gospel of Mark), broke it open and used it to anoint His feet.
One hundred pence worth...a whole lot of wages in that day, I'm sure.
Worship is right! Not only sitting, or serving, but sacrificing
beyond your means. And then, wiping His feet with her hair! We speak
of extremes in worship, today; well I think Mary was the inventor of
it! She worshipped in excess; maybe even wasteful extravagance. But
you see what sacrifice involves...surrender; and that's it's #1
component, when you think of it...surrender to the way and the will
of the Lord! And that, I guess, includes your wealth; at least it did
for Mary.
"And
the house was filled withe the odour of worship". What is
worship, to us? Well just think of the things that Mary did not come
to do...she did not come to hear a sermon, although the original
teacher was there; she did not come to ask Him for anything, although
there had been a time she had asked Him for her brother's life; she
did not come to fellowship with the saints, as great a comfort as
that may be; she did not come to clear her head of the problems of
the world, or of her family's own personal headaches. What she did do
was come to offer to Jesus the thing that was most valuable to her;
for Lazarus, it was his loving, listening, learning presence with the
Lord; for Martha, her never-ending service of love; and for Mary, the
one thing she had been hoarding-up for some occasion that may never
come, if not for Jesus' presence at her supper table that day. That's
the reality of worship!
2.
The reaction to worship (vss. 4-6)
That's
it; short and sour! "Why wasn't this ointment sold for 300 pence
and given to the poor?! As if! Mary's worship was not for sale! Love
is never wasteful! Generosity is never wasteful! It's perfectly
clear, from what we know of Judas, that he had no love for Christ, or
for the things of Christ. And no appreciation for the things that
were done for Christ. You know, there are many professing Christians
today who have a Judas-like spirit, rather than a Christ-like spirit.
They don't seem to have a Mary heart, or a Martha heart, or a Lazarus
heart for the Lord. Many people seem to emphasize some "nobler
cause" in the name of Jesus, whether it be a pretended love for
the poor, like Judas, or maybe even, as the old saw states..."charity
begins at home", with our own needs first. There's no need to be
fanatical about your worship, many would say, even today! I guess we
need to realize that, the more real the worship, the harsher the
reaction. That is, by Satan, of course, and his ilk. In this case, as
we'll soon see all the more clearly, Judas was just an agent of
Satan, after all. You have to wonder how, during those three years
spent together, none of the other eleven disciples ever clicked-in to
his true identity! It just goes to show, even more certainly, how
Jesus is truly the only One to truly discern the heart of a man. And
Judas' heart was subject to "like passions"...the lust of
the flesh, and of the eyes, and of the pride of life, just as we are.
Do
you realize that these are the first recorded words of Judas in
Scripture? He had nothing whatever to hide behind, anymore. And it
would be only too soon, that he would speak his last recorded
words..."I have betrayed the innocent blood!" (Matthew
27.4) But he was appointed by God for that very occasion.
Read
vs. 7...Even Mary was appointed for that occasion, anointing the head
of the Master..."against the day of (His) burial". Others
would come on a future day, expecting to find Him dead and in the
tomb, but Mary was a messenger, even without knowing it, to the crowd
that had gathered at her table for supper that night; a true prophet
of things yet to come.
You
know, the whole mind of God was focusing on the events of that day,
including the worship of Lazarus and his two sisters. And this was no
time for ridicule, or for covetousness or for sinful thoughts and
attitudes of any kind! Jesus knows, and He will address those
attitudes and intents, either sooner, or later.
Read
vs. 8...Jesus wanted those disciples to know, and He wants us to
know, that there is a time and a place for everything. If we don't
sincerely seek to know, and to be known by God in and through our
worship, then neither can there be no sincerity in our good works. If
we can't identify with Him in our quiet time, He will not be
identified with us in our words, and our works, and our worship. We
are even called to identify with Him in His suffering in order to
share with Him in His glory! And one would have to wonder just how
much longer the opportunity will be there!
There
is a time to give and a time to receive; a time to sit and a time to
sacrifice, and as the Prayer says..."God grant us the wisdom to
know the difference"! Even such a high purpose as relieving
poverty cannot take priority over worship, unless it is undertaken as
a form of worship; not just dropping our twonie to relieve our guilt,
or out of convenience, or to get rid of a nuisance telephone call. As
Jesus says back in vs. 8, poverty isn't going away, until He returns.
3.
There is a result from worship (vss. 9-11)
The
first result is curiosity..."what the...?" "why
the...?" "who the ...?" "Lazarus? Dead? Alive?
Sitting? Show me more!" This, sadly for some people, is the only
result that worship brings...an idle curiosity. The sight of a
once-dead man, sitting and supping with the Saviour. And just so,
when a person is made spiritually alive, there is a natural curiosity
on the part of his family and friends to get a good, long look..."is
she or isn't she?" "does he or doesn't he?" "will
she or won't she?" And more often than not there will be a
commotion and a consultation, just as we see here in these verses. In
Lazarus' case, consultation to put him to death; to be put on the
"hit list", along with Jesus.
You
know, we read in John 4.23,24..."But the hour cometh, and now
is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and
in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a
Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship him in spirit and in
truth." Who Jesus is and what Jesus does, is what and who the
true worshippers of God become. For Lazarus, his second chance at
life resulted in hatred by the enemies of Jesus, but also, a
widespread belief in Jesus, on the part of many of the Jews. But
faith and worship are not a mixed blessing...it's the only blessing
there is to be had, for a lost people on the way to a lost eternity!
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