LIVING BEYOND OBEDIENCE
Scripture Reading: 2 Tim. 2 :4, 5
Introduction
One day a farmer on leaving for a long trip called his son and gave to him specific instructions. He told him; while I am gone I want you to reap the harvest and plant fresh seeds for the next harvest. The son being an obedient lad reaped the harvest and planted the seeds.
As the farmer was returning to the farm, he noticed that the land was filled with weeds. In between the weeds he saw evidence of the crop that was planted. He was furious he could not believe that his son had allowed the weeds to take over the land. He hurried home to find his son.
On arriving home and calling his son to report, he asked him” Son did you do every thing that I asked you to do?”
“Yes dad,” the son replied, “The crop is in the field and the harvest is in the barn.”
The father was shocked ‘The harvest is still in the barn! You did not sell the produce and the crop is in the field, a field that is overgrown with weeds?’
“Yes dad,” said the lad “You told me to harvest the crop not to sell it and to plant the seeds not to tend it. I did what you told me to do.”
With that the father turned away from his son with tears in his eyes. The produce in the barn had long since rotted and the crop in the field could not now be saved.
The boy was obedient; He did just what he was told and nothing more. But he certainly did not please the father. He acted more like a servant than a son. For a servant may not profit from the masters success but the son inherits his fathers wealth. So often we focus on obeying rather than pleasing. We behave like servants rather than sons. We cannot focus our lives on looking for rules to obey. We must have a principle by which our lives are governed. This principle would take us beyond the region of any laws. Today brothers and sisters, I want to take you on a journey beyond obedience.
PRAYER
Let us open our bibles to Mark 14: 3-5 and read the short passage together.
We pick up this story as Jesus is about to go to Jerusalem to be crucified. Here he is in the house of one Simon the Leper. He along with his disciples was being entertained by this gentleman, when suddenly the whole scenario is changed. In steps a lady with a purpose: A woman with a desire to do something special for Jesus. She had long wanted to do something significant for this man and now the opportunity had come. She steps into the room and pours a bottle of expensive ointment on the Jesus’ head and according to St. John 12: 3 wipes his feet with her hair. The room was filled with the scent of the ointment.
She caught everyone by surprise. The chatter in the room ceased. Everyone paid attention to the actions of the lady. No one expected a woman to be so bold as to perform such an action in public.
But then there was no other woman quite like Mary Magdalene (Mary of Bethany). She was a woman with a difference. Jesus had cast seven demons out of her and given her a new least on life. She is one who had found the plot of land with the pearl present. She had gladly given up all to purchase this piece of land. She had found the messiah in Jesus Christ and her greatest desire was to please him.
This ointment had not come cheaply. She had diligently saved day in and day out to get enough money to purchase it. In fact the cost of the ointment was placed at 300 pence which amounts to the annual salary of an ordinary labourer. This pertained to a man; a woman would probably have to work much harder to raise the same amount. And yet she saw it fit to use it all up on Jesus! Brothers and sister, I would go as far to say that, if Mary did not carry out this action she would have something else to do that would in some way express her affections for Jesus. Her inside was just bursting to do something to show how strong her feelings were for him.
How badly do we want to do something for Jesus Christ? Are we bursting at the seams, looking for an opportunity to show Jesus how much we love him? David in speaking to Araunah in 2 Sam. 24:24 declared
Too many people want to come into the House of God and offer cheap offering with their mouth that cost them nothing. When we want to show appreciation and love to someone we give them something that cost us. The greater the love the more expensive the gift, according to what we can afford. Our offering to God reflects the depth of our love for him. If our offering is such that it is the best we can do, like the widow with the mite, all is well but if we can do much better, then this tells us the extent of our love for God. We pay our tithes as commanded but no one tells how much offering to put in, it is left entirely up to you. We obey but do our offering please God. We must live beyond obedience. We must live to please!
Mary did not only sacrifice money to purchase the ointment. She sacrificed time as well. Who knows how long it took her to choose the right type of ointment. The ointment with just the correct type of odour. She did not just pick up any old ointment to bring to the anointing she chose a special type. The Bible tells us it was Spikenard. She also took the time to anoint Jesus. Brothers and sisters we all know that how we spend our time is up to us, but we cannot be doing two things at the same time. Mary chose to use this time to anoint Jesus rather than to be else where. It was not a Sabbath day, when she had nothing else to do but do as God commanded. It was not a question of obedience; it was a determination to please.
How much time do we devote to the things of God? Twenty four hours: the Sabbath day!! We have been commanded to do this and we do and we feel it is okay. We have done our part. We have done what we have been asked to do!! But calls on us to use our time wisely- the psalmist declares: Ps. 90:12
Consider carefully how we use our time during the week! Who do we please by the way we use it: Our selves, our spouse, our children? If we profess to love God then pleasing him should be priority our list. We know that spending time with him is something that he delights in, he said to Moses in Ex. 25:8
In Genesis 5:24 we read
Again Hebs. Tells us in chapter 11:5
Enoch was one who spent time with God. The only way to know how to please God is by spending time with Him; Reading his word, listening to sermons, listening to songs which speak about him, surrounding our selves with information about him. We cannot go wrong!
The other sacrifice Mary made in order to please Jesus was pride. When we speak about pride we are speaking about selfish pride: The type of pride that prevents us from doing things for Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit warns us in Prov. 16:18
But He tells us in Is. 57:15
Mary did not allow the presence of the disciples to stop her from her quest. She did not allow the presence of Simon the Leper to stop her from achieving her goal. She was focus. It did not matter what they thought about her. What mattered to her is what Jesus thought. She was not about to abort pleasing Jesus in order to please men. As far as she was concerned once Jesus was pleased it really did not matter what the others thought. She went poured the oil upon his head then on his feet. If that was not enough she undid her hair and let fall. As if that was not enough she proceeded to wipe Jesus’ feet with her hair. What humility! In the mean time all the other persons in the room could do was watch with astonishment and shock. Never had they seen such a display!! This daring display of affection reminded me of another incident given to us 2 Sam. 23:14-16
These men wanted to please David so much that they only heard David mention a desire and they sought to fulfill at the expense of their lives. They were not interested in what others may have said, all they knew is that David wanted it and therefore they would get it. He did not order them, he did not command them, they did it of they owe free will; out of a desire to please.
No one asked Mary to anoint Jesus. She was not instructed as to what she should do. What she did she did out of a desire to please; A desire to please Jesus, not to please men. Mary was not ashamed, she did her work for Jesus in the open. We must not be ashamed either because Jesus promises us in Mk. 8:38
Can you imagine being ashamed of being a Christian in this generation when the workers of iniquity are blatent in their acts of evil. Girls displaying their wares and claiming that they can find nothing wrong with that. Drugs lords strutting around in our streets with the bling, bling and gold chains. These people are ashamed. Look at kadooment day. These people are not ashamed. So why should we be ashamed to represent something that is wholesome and good!! God help those who are ashamed. Paul declares in Rom. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
At the end of it, all the men could say was “ Could not this ointment been sold for more than three hundred pence and the proceeds given to the poor.” Brothers and sisters let us never speak evil of the good others do. Rather let seek to do the same or better.
On the other hand Jesus was impressed. He declared in Mk. 14:9
Today we salute Mary Magdeline because she lived beyond the realm of obedience. She sought to please, not men but Jesus. We too can follow in her footsteps and in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, who lived to please his Father in heaven. Let us, brothers and sisters Endeavour to live beyond obedience. Let us learn to live to please. Let us live as a son and not a servant.
