1
The beauty and the strength of
the new commandment of Christ
John 12 : 1 - 8
2
From previous sermon
3
John 13:34 I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 15:12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
The new commandment of Christ
The disciple of Christ walks on
the new commandment of Christ
4
Mary of Bethany
followed the new commandment of Christ
in loving Lazarus
5
John 12:1 Therefore, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they made Him a dinner there, and Martha was serving; and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Mary of Bethany saw Lazarus eating
at the banquet with Jesus
She saw the fruit of the new commandment of Christ
6
Mary of Bethany lived in her role
in the new commandment of Christ
to love others just as Christ has loved her
7
John 12:3 Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
What is the meaning of this beautiful story ?
8
Mary’s hair
9
1 Cor 11:10 Therefore the woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
14 Does even nature itself not teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her as a covering.
The hair in a woman is a symbol of :
That is woman”s role from God
10
John 12:3 Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Mary wiped the feet of Jesus with her long hair,
so Mary’s hair must have grown long
Maria has grown in her role to follow the new commandment of Christ, Mary had gained beauty and authority
This is what Jesus will give to anyone
who is willing to follow His new commandment :
more beauty and authority
11
Isa 53:1 Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of dry ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we would look at Him,
Nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him.
Christ sacrificed His beauty at the cross
So that Christ can bless anyone who follow His new commandment, with His beauty
12
Mary’s hair and the feet of Jesus
13
John 12:3 Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Mary’s hair and the feet of Jesus became one
In her role in following the new commandment of Christ,
Christ would follow and became one with her
Why ?
Because she was beautiful in the eyes of Christ
Songs 1:15 “How beautiful you are, my darling,
How beautiful you are!
Your eyes are like doves.”
14
Any believers who follow the new commandment of Christ will become more beautiful
compared to normal believers
Songs 2:1“I am the rose of Sharon, The lily of the valleys.” 2 “Like a lily among the thorns, So is my darling among the young women.”
15
John 12:3 Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Anyone who follow the new commandment of Christ, will not only become more beautiful, but he will be blessed with the strength of Christ
2 Cor 12:10 Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
16
The anointing on the feet of Jesus
17
John 12:3 Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
In her role in following the new commandment of Christ,
Mary had anointed and made the feet of Jesus beautiful
Isa 52:7 How delightful on the mountains Are the feet of one who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
18
Isa 53:2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of dry ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we would look at Him, Nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him.
Jesus sacrificed His beauty as the Son of God
and
regained His beauty as the Son of Man
Isa 52:7 How delightful on the mountains Are the feet of one who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
19
The anointing overflow
20
John 12:3 Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
The whole house was blessed with the perfume
The one that follows the new commandment of Christ
will not only bless himself and Christ,
but he will also bless everyone near him
21
John 12:4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who intended to betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the proceeds given to poor people?” 6 Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he kept the money box, he used to steal from what was put into it. 7 Therefore Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. 8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”
Jesus came and died
as a humble Son of God
He rose as the glorious Son of Man
to bless the world
22
John 12:8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”
A man of religion like Judas
will be surrounded by poverty
23
John 12:8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”
A disciple of Christ,
who live by the new commandment of Christ,
will live with Christ’s abundance blessings
On earth as well in heaven
24
Who is Mary of Bethany ?
25
John 11:31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house and were consoling her, when they saw that Mary had gotten up quickly and left, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 So when Mary came to the place where Jesus was, she saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Therefore when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled,
Mary used the heart of Christ in her
to move Jesus to bless Lazarus with
a new life in kingdom of heaven
26
John 12:3 Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Mary just used the heart of Christ in her
to move Jesus and bless everyone in the house
27
Mary was blessed with the beauty of the disciples of Christ
The disciple of Christ will be beautiful and
will have the heart of Christ in them
to lead many into
the blessings of the kingdom of heaven on earth
28
John 11:33 Therefore when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, 34 and He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept.
As a disciple of Christ, there will be a time when
we will weep to see the sufferings of others
It is not easy to be a disciple of Christ
Know that at that time, God will also weep with us
God will work. Miracle will come
29
Rev 5:4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
As a disciple of Christ, John also wept
30
John is the writer of the story of Mary of Bethany
31
When John wrote this story of Mary in his gospel of John :
John had the strength of Christ
32
John was blessed with the strength of the disciples of Christ
The disciple of Christ will be strong and
will have the mind of Christ in them
to lead many into knowing the truth of Christ
33
Rev 1:9 I, John, your brother and fellow participant in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
As a disciple of Christ, there will be a time when like John, we feel like we are alone
It is not easy to be a disciple of Christ
Know that at that time, God is with us
His strength will make His disciple strong
34
The 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th blessings of
the kingdom of heaven
35
Mat 13:33 He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until it was all leavened.”
The 4th blessing of the kingdom of heaven
Like an expanding dough,
it will give God’s strength to overcome the pressure of life
36
Mat 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells everything that he has, and buys that field.
The 5th blessing of the kingdom of heaven
It will give the wisdom of God’s mind
37
Mat 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it.
The 6th blessing of the kingdom of heaven
It will give God’s beauty
38
Mat 13:47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.
The 7th blessing of the kingdom of heaven
It will produce disciples of Christ
The 4th, 5th, and 6th blessings of the kingdom of heaven
will work in a mighty way
in the 7th blessings of the kingdom of heaven
39
These are characters of the disciple of Christ
Like Mary of Bethany :
Like John :
Just by following
the new commandment of Christ
40
These are the characters of the disciple of Christ
Just by following
the new commandment of Christ
41
Topic for next sermon
The perfection of God’s work
thru the new commandment of Christ
42
Today’s discipleship material
The hair of Samson (Judges 13 – 16)
&
The hair of Absalom (2 Sam 13 – 18)