If I were to ask you to name an expensive liquid that you frequently use, you might say, “Gasoline for my vehicle.” With gas prices as high as they are today, that would be a good answer. And yet, gas isn’t the most expensive thing. There’s another liquid that’s a lot more expensive than gas. Do you know what that liquid is? It’s perfume! Now, we men would shrug that off—right? We wouldn’t hesitate saying, “What’s a few dollars when it comes to that special woman in our lives. We’d shell over the money to buy the most expensive perfume just to see the smile on her face!” Well, before you say that too loudly, you better check your pocketbook. If you don’t think perfumes are expensive, just go on-line and google in “world’s most expensive perfumes.” You’ll be shocked at the prices.
One website listed the top three perfumes. No. 3 is a perfume made from citrus fruits and Sicilian lemons called “Eau D’hadrien.” A 3.4-ounce bottle can be yours for a mere $1,500. The No. 2 most expensive perfume is “24 Faubourg” which is a mixture of orange blosson, jasmine, iris and vanilla fragrances. It too can be purchased for $1,500 per unit, but you get only a one-ounce bottle. And finally, the No. 1 most expensive perfume is Clive Christian’s “Imperial Majesty Perfume.” Old Clive refers to this scent as “the perfume of his heart.” The reality is that the price tag is enough to cause heart failure—one bottle will cost you a mere $215,000. Considering the size of the bottle, that’s over $12,700 per ounce![1]
Now, historically, the very best perfumes have been extremely expensive. What’s true for today was also true in Jesus’ time. John’s Gospel provides the report of a very costly perfume, and it goes like this:
1 Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. 4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray Him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself. 7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” John 12:1-8 (NLT2)
The Mary mentioned here was the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She and her siblings had been long-time followers of Jesus. Mary’s perfume wasn’t too shabby when it came to price. It reportedly was worth a person’s annual wages. If you convert it into today’s values, that would be a median annual income of over $40,000 for service-related occupations.[2] With Mary’s bottle of perfume having 12 ounces, that brings her perfume to over $3,300 per ounce using present-day values. But, there is no indication that Mary and her family members were rich. She had likely been adding to her treasured perfume jar for many years—saving it for just the right moment.
So, what was this “right moment” that she chose? This passage from John’s Gospel described the events immediately before Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time. The Jewish religious leaders were actively plotting to kill him. Within a matter of days, Jesus would be arrested, tried and then nailed to the Cross. But, for the time being, Jesus was the guest of honor at a meal prepared for Him in Lazarus’ house. This is the same Lazarus that Jesus had recently raised from the dead. And so, this meal was likely a celebration to thank Jesus for what He had done. Martha, as usual, was busy with the food preparation and serving of dishes. But when she looked up for her sister, Mary was missing. Unbeknownst to anyone, Mary had slipped away for a moment. She’d gone to retrieve that bottle of her expensive, fragrant perfume. Everyone must have stared at her when she brought it into the room where the meal was being served. When Martha saw Mary holding the jar, she must have wondered, “Girl, what on earth are you going to do with that?” Martha and everyone else in the room, with the exception of Jesus, must have been shocked when Mary poured out the modern-day equivalent of $40,000 worth of perfume on the feet of Jesus. And women’s hair during Jesus’ day, as continues to be the case today, was their pride and joy. But, she took her own hair and used it like a washrag to clean Jesus’ feet. And, as John’s Gospel stated, the aroma of that perfume was just amazing. It filled the air with a pleasing fragrance!
But, the question remains—what prompted Mary to do such a thing? The answer is surprising. You see, Mary knew something that Jesus’ disciples had failed to perceive. Jesus had tried to tell His disciples, but they were just too inattentive. Jesus had told them: 33 “Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence Him to die and hand Him over to the Romans. 34 They will mock Him, spit on Him, flog Him with a whip, and kill Him, but after three days He will rise again.” Mark 10:33-34 (NLT2) But, the disciples were too busy jockeying for prime seats by Jesus’ throne once He ran the Romans out of Palestine.[3] They were so self-absorbed in themselves that they missed Jesus’ important message altogether. But, not Mary. She understood. And, as she washed Jesus’ feet with that extravagant perfume, it was a selfless and symbolic act. In ancient times, a deceased person’s body was often washed in perfume before placing it in a tomb. Here, it was as if Mary were preparing Jesus’ body for its soon-to-come burial following His crucifixion.[4]
How was it that Mary perceived what was about to happen to Jesus on the Cross when the disciples failed to do so? The answer is a lesson for us today. It was all a matter of knowing her place. Think about it—where was Mary so often positioned when we read about her in the Scriptures? Listen to Luke’s Gospel as it describes an earlier meal Jesus attended with Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
38 “As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. 39 HER SISTER, MARY, SAT AT THE LORD’S FEET, LISTENING TO WHAT HE TAUGHT. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.’ 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 (NLT2)
And what about Mary’s position just before Jesus had come to raise Lazarus from the dead? In John 11, it tells us that when Jesus arrived Mary “fell at His feet.”[5] Typically, if you wanted to find Mary, all you had to do was look at the feet of Jesus. What a powerful lesson that is for us. If you want to have the spiritual perception of someone like Mary, then you need to position yourself at Jesus’ feet. In the 1st century A.D., the phrase “to sit at one’s feet” meant that you were committing yourself to learn from that person. A child would “sit at the feet” of his or her teacher to learn. An aspiring religious pupil would “sit at the feet” of his rabbi. Well, until Jesus comes again, you can’t do that in a literal fashion. So, how can we go about “sitting at the feet of Jesus” in the meantime?
The best way to “sit at Jesus’ feet” today, it to immerse yourself in God’s Word.[6] If only the people in this country would “sit at the feet of Christ” with the eagerness of Christians who live in true persecution in other parts of the world. Many Christians in North Korea, China, Somalia, Iran and many other nations where Christian persecution is prevalent—those Christians would trade everything they own for a Bible. In this country, many Bibles just sit on shelves and collect dust. When that happens, the souls who occupy those dusty houses collect dust as well. That’s what happens when you fail to sit at the feet of Jesus.
Mary’s actions offer us another lesson. Notice that when Judas objected to the pouring out of the perfume, he didn’t say, “Save the part you didn’t pour on Jesus’ feet, so I can put it in the cash box.” No, Judas’ actual complaint makes it clear that Mary poured out the entire 12 ounces of perfume on Jesus’ feet. She didn’t hold any of it back. Today, some Christians want to drip a drop or two on Jesus and hold back the rest of the perfume. Oh yes, on Sundays they might occasionally sit in a church pew and dribble an hour of their time on Jesus. (Others, who think they are Christians, don’t even give that hour.) Monday through Saturday, they’ll splash their perfume generously on other worldly endeavors, but Jesus doesn’t get a drop! Not so with Mary. Her life was 100% committed to her Savior. And so, she poured out all of her treasured perfume for the sake of Christ.[7]
In addition, God loves us so much He sent His Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice on the Cross to pay for the sins of everyone in the world. In turn, He demands that we show love to everyone as well. That doesn’t mean just an occasional dribble of compassion every now and then to friends and loved ones. Rather, Jesus wants us to pour out a flood of love on whomever needs it. You can’t keep the perfume of His love to yourself. Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus about this when he said: 1 “Follow God’s example in everything you do just as a much loved child Imitates his father. 2 Be full of love for others, following the example of Christ who loved you and gave himself to God as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, for CHRIST’S LOVE FOR YOU WAS LIKE SWEET PERFUME TO HIM.” Ephesians 5:1-2 (TLB) [8] So, how do you go about doing that? Well, there are a lot of ways to pour out your perfume for Christ.
One of the best ways is to tell others the many things that God has done for you. In fact, that’s one of the most powerful ways of witnessing to others. Paul tells us that: “[God] uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, LIKE A SWEET PERFUME.” 2nd Corinthians 2:14 (NLT2) In other words, if you want to position yourself at the feet of Jesus, then you must be the feet of Jesus by carrying His Good News to a dark and dying world. Earlier this month, that’s something Michael Lorenzen had an opportunity to do. Michael is a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and on the evening of August 9th, he threw a no-hitter—which is a crowning achievement for any major league pitcher. When interviewed after the game, Michael showed what it means to pour out the sweet scent of witnessing for Christ. When asked to describe how he was able to stay so strong throughout the game, he didn’t talk about his fastball or his curveball. He told the world the secret of his success when he said: “I just had God’s grace today. I definitely got to thank Him for today. I’ve gotta give Him all the glory, just to be able to keep me calm and trust in Him. Whatever happened, I was just going to trust in Him and that’s kind of what I’ve been doing all season — trying to just lean on Him.” Just being willing to tell others the good things that God has done for you is a powerful witness. Even Michael Lorenzen’s Instagram does this. His profile reads, “Unashamed of the Gospel of Christ.”[9]
Now, you might be thinking, “Yes, but I’m no major league baseball star—nobody is going to pay any attention to my witnessing for Jesus.” But, you don’t have to be somebody famous to have a positive effect for God’s Kingdom. Whenever we share the love of Christ with others and witness for Him, God will be at work in ways that we cannot often see. The Lord promises: 10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” Isaiah 55:10-11 (NLT2) It is our job to plant the seeds by sharing God’s Word with others. God will take care of the watering. And if that person is receptive, the Holy Spirit will see to the “sprouting” and “growing” of the seeds you have planted. Actually, that is the way that Michael Lorenzen came to Christ.
You see, Michael didn’t come from a Christian family. His mother and father were into drugs and alcohol. They constantly fought with each other in the presence of Michael and his older brothers. At least for a while, his brothers’ lifestyles pretty much imitated their parents. Michael followed suit. But, that began to change when someone was willing to offer him a better scent than the smell of marijuana. It was the fragrant scent of God’s Word. Michael describes it this way:
“I started smoking weed. The first time I smoked was in eighth grade. The first time I got drunk was also in eighth grade. One day, I went on this pier with all of my buddies; we were high, and we went onto the pier to get some food. I was 16 or 17, and this guy was sharing about Jesus. He asked us if he could share something about God with us, and we kind of looked at him and laughed a little bit and said, ‘Sure, go ahead.’ This guy gave me the Gospel message. It hit me. I had to think about everything he said. I think I was the only one who left that place and was really impacted. God had chosen me to be spoken to and I’m forever grateful for that reason that He chose me to speak into my life and change my life. Ever since that day, the seed was planted and I started going to church with my brother, and finally the message made sense to me. It was life. It was truth. I ended up going up and giving my life to the Lord.”[10] “I want to do exactly what this man did on the pier for me. I want to use baseball to do that for thousands and thousands of people. Ever since then, that was really the turning point of my life. As this guy was sharing, it was unbelievably convicting because he broke down that it was more than just to believe in God, which is what I did. You have to serve and live for God; even the demons believe in God. That was something that hit me harder than anything.”[11]
Yes, Michael became a Christian because that lone individual was willing to “pour out” the Good News of the most wonderful perfume imaginable—available only through Jesus Christ. It’s the sweetest perfume ever that was poured out for you and me. It is like no other perfume because it is the most precious substance this world has ever known. It is infinitely more valuable than anything Clive Christian or any other worldly perfume-maker could ever put in a bottle. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus described the “perfume” that He poured out for all of humanity. Jesus said, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is POURED OUT for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:28 (NIV) This points to the incomparable aroma of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross—the most costly perfume of all that cleanses the sins of those who repent and accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. Again, those same words of the Apostle Paul need repeating, for he puts it best when he tells us: “Be full of love for others, following the example of Christ who loved you and gave Himself to God as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, FOR CHRIST’S LOVE FOR YOU WAS LIKE SWEET PERFUME TO HIM.” Ephesians 5:2 (TLB)
Do you bear that scent today? Unlike the world’s perfume, you don’t have to pony up $12,700 per ounce. It’s a Heavenly Scent that’s yours for free! It’s readily available to all those who are willing to pour out their lives at Christ’s feet and accept Him as their Lord and Savior. If you don’t know the peace and joy of that fragrance, now is the time to start enjoying the aroma of eternal life that was purchased for you—not in a store—but on the Cross at Calvary!
Let us pray.
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
August 20, 2023
©2023 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
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[1] Adrian Prisca, “The 8 Most Expensive Perfumes in the World,” Luxatic, https://luxatic.com/ November 15, 2021). Clive Christian’s “Imperial Majesty Perfume” comes in a 500 ml. bottle which is about 16.9 fluid ounces. At $215,000 per bottle (including the exquisite a bottle itself), this equates to $12,721.89 per ounce.
[2] Alison Doyle, “Median Salary in the U.S.,” The Balance, https://www.thebalancemoney.com/ (September 19, 2022).
[3] Mark 10:35-37 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.” 36 “What is your request?” he asked. 37 They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” (NLT2)
[4] Boice, James Montgomery. Boice Expositional Commentary, John, Volume 3: Those Who Received Him (John 9-12). Paperback ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005. WORDsearch CROSS e-book, p. 917.
[5] John 11:31-32 31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. 32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (NLT2)
[6] Boice, James Montgomery. Boice Expositional Commentary, John, Volume 3: Those Who Received Him (John 9-12). Paperback ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005. WORDsearch CROSS e-book, p. 917.
[7] Boice Expositional Commentary - The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2: The Triumph of the King (Matthew 18-28).
[8] Ruth Clemence, “What Does It Mean to Be a Pleasing Aroma of Christ?, https://www.biblestudytools.com/ (August 08, 2023).
[9] Michael Foust, “Phillies Pitcher Gives God ‘All the Glory’ after Tossing No-Hitter: ‘I Just Had God's Grace,’”
ChristianHeadlines.com (August 11, 2023).
[10] Ibid.
[11] Cole Claybourn, “Phillies pitcher Michael Lorenzen tosses no-hitter: ‘I just had God's grace today,’” Sports Spectrum, https://sportsspectrum.com/ (August 10, 2023).
