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What is the most extravagant gift you have ever received? Take a few moments to think about it. Who gave it to you, and what did you do with it?
Today’s Bible reading is about extravagant gifts: one that Jesus received and one that Jesus gave. We’ll read the first half of Mark chapter 14. It’s about what happens just before Jesus is betrayed, arrested, and crucified. First, let’s pray.
[Read Mark 14:1-25]
An extravagant gift to Jesus
Our story starts with an unnamed woman pouring out expensive perfume on Jesus’ head.
It was so expensive that some people grumbled in verse 5, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.”
Mark doesn’t tell us the woman’s name, but the Gospel of John records a similar event. In John chapter 12, the woman is Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus—all close friends of Jesus. We don’t know if this is the same incident or the same woman.
If it was Mary, here’s what we know: She’s been following Jesus for some time. She sat at his feet and listened attentively when he talked. She must have heard about Jesus prophesying his death, which was coming very soon. She’s seen his miracles—after all, Jesus raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. Very likely, she believed he was the Messiah that God promised to the people of Israel.
The word messiah means “anointed.” In Israel, anointing the head with oil has a special significance: it’s the way to crown a king (1 Samuel 10:1; 16:13) or to ordain a priest (Exodus 29:7). By pouring that perfume, she may have simply been showing her love for Jesus or her grief that he was going to die. But she may also have been showing her faith: that Jesus was the Messiah, the promised king of Israel. And it is fitting to give a king an extravagant gift.
But she was seen as wasteful by some witnesses—specifically, by Judas Iscariot, according to John chapter 12. Judas did not share Mary’s level of devotion to Jesus.
On the outside, Judas didn’t seem like a bad guy. When Jesus said at the last supper with his disciples, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me,” the disciples didn’t suspect it was Judas.
In contrast, Mary understood that Jesus was worthy to be given everything. No treasure of hers was too valuable to give Jesus.
I’m encouraged by Jesus’ response to Mary. Mark 14, verse 6: “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.”
Have you ever wondered if you are wasting time, energy, or money doing something for the Lord? No matter what it is, 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Another translation says, “nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.” (Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation)
So, don’t worry if other people think that your choices are foolish. What matters is that the Lord is pleased with you.
An extravagant gift from Jesus
Nothing is too extravagant to give Jesus, because he deserves all we have. He deserves all we have, because he gave us all he has. The Holy Communion that we take every month at IBF reminds us that Jesus gave us the extravagant gift of himself.
Today’s story ends with Jesus’ final meal with his disciples. They celebrated Passover, one of Israel’s most important festivals. During this meal, he instituted a custom that Christians still practice today; we call it Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper.
I would like to spend the rest of this message talking about Holy Communion. It’s good to be aware of why we take bread and wine together as a church. Why bread and why wine? Why use food at all?
Let me start by explaining that the basis of Holy Communion is actually the Passover meal.
The Passover celebrates Israel’s freedom from being slaves in Egypt, around the 13th century BC. The Passover meal has symbolic foods: lamb, bread with no yeast, bitter herbs, and wine. Whoever is hosting the meal explains how every dish is a reminder of Israel’s history (Exodus 12-13). The lamb recalls how God asked the Israelites to put blood of a lamb on their doorframes, as protection against the angel of death in Egypt. Bread with no yeast recalls how they left Egypt in a hurry. Bitter herbs reminds that their slavery in Egypt was bitter. Wine celebrates freedom. Lastly, besides remembering the past, Passover is also celebrated in hope of future freedom (Isaiah 52).
At Jesus’ last supper, he was the host of the meal. But instead of simply reminding his disciples of Israel’s history, he took the meal to a new level.
Mark 14:22: “Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take it; this is my body.’” Jesus said the broken bread was his own body, which about to be broken on the Cross.
Although this passage doesn’t mention the lamb—which is the most important dish in the Passover meal—we know that the lamb is also a reflection of Jesus, whose blood will save many from death.
Then verse 23: “Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,’ he said.”
This phrase “blood of the covenant” was used in Exodus 24, when God made a covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai after they escaped from Egypt. In ancient times, covenants were often sealed with blood. Blood was like a signing the bottom of a contract, such as that during the time of Moses at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 24).
But that was the old covenant. Later, God also promised to make a new covenant with his people; you can find a good summary of this in Jeremiah chapter 31, verses 31-34. In the new covenant, God promises to write his laws in people’s hearts and to forgive their sins. We know now that the new covenant was sealed in Jesus’ blood, the blood “poured out for many,” as he says in Mark 14:24.
Jesus also added, in verse 25, “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” The wine not only represents Jesus’ death and sacrifice but also Jesus’ resurrection and victory. One day, he will celebrate with his disciples in the future kingdom of God.
So that is why we continue to use bread and wine rather replacing it with just any kind food or drink, like noodles or Pokari Sweat.
Why do we take the Holy Communion?
For two thousand years now, as a community we eat the bread and drink the wine. Or—in IBF’s case—we have crackers and grape juice, which are similar to bread and wine. But why do we take Holy Communion at all?
There are many reasons, but for the sake of time here are 3 reasons. One, the meal reminds us of Jesus’ sacrifice. Two, it nourishes us not only physically but spiritually. Three, it sends us out to the world to do God’s work.
Let’s start with the first reason. Mark’s Gospel doesn’t mention this, but Luke’s Gospel says Jesus asked his disciples to remember him whenever they ate the Passover meal. Luke 19:19: “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
We forget easily; and I think Jesus knew that we need physical reminders of things that are spiritual or invisible. Because of this explicit instruction from Jesus, Christians over the centuries continued taking Communion as a way to remember Jesus’ sacrifice.
His sacrifice reminds us that Jesus is worthy to receive everything we have—something that Mary understood well.
Secondly, the bread and the wine are not only physical reminders or physical nourishment; they are also spiritual nourishment.
This is not emphasized in evangelical churches today. But in older Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic church, Holy Communion is believed to have spiritual effects. Through Holy Communion (as well as baptism), we receive the spiritual benefits bought by Jesus’ body and blood (1 Corinthians 10:16).
The spiritual benefits are like the examples mentioned in Ephesians chapter 1: We are forgiven and redeemed from sin; we are adopted as God’s children; we are brought to unity as one family.
It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to receive these benefits as we receive baptism and Communion—not because the water, the bread, or the wine have magic in them. The bread and wine in itself has no power, but God chose these ordinary items—which aren’t hard to find or prepare—as a channel of his Holy Spirit’s work. Theologians call this concept “means of grace.” The bread and wine by themselves only nourish our physical bodies; but during Communion, they become instruments in which the Holy Spirit provides us spiritual nourishment.
This is how Baptist theologian Richard Barcellos puts it, “The benefits of Christ’s blood and body (1 Cor. 10:16) are spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3), brought to souls by the Spirit of Christ. Through the Lord’s Supper, communion with Christ and the benefits of his blood and body takes place. This communion is effected by the Holy Spirit, the bearer of blessings from the Father because of the work of the Son. This is how the Lord’s Supper is a means of grace. It was instituted by Christ and is blessed by the Spirit of Christ to the nourishment of pilgrim souls.”
You may wonder if the Holy Communion really has an effect on you, other than being a reminder of Jesus.
Well, there are many things which are invisible and can’t be felt with our five senses yet do exist—like the human mind. Just because the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives seems slow and quiet, it doesn’t mean he’s not there.
Also, I believe the spiritual benefits of Holy Communion only come when we receive it the right way.
The Apostle Paul talks a lot about the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians chapter 11. Verses 29 to 30: If people take the bread and wine in an “unworthy manner,” they might “eat and drink judgment on themselves . . . That is why many of you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.” Think of it this way: Food is only nutritious to the body if it’s fresh enough; but if it’s rotten, it makes us sick.
Likewise, Communion should be received under the right conditions. Paul mentions two conditions.
First, 1 Cor 11:33, “when you gather to eat, you should all eat together.” Holy Communion is a communal meal, not private or individual. In 1 Corinthians 10:16, Paul describes the taking of bread and wine as koinonia; it is a Greek word that can be translated as “fellowship,” “communion” or “participation in a group.” The point is, Holy Communion is not a private ceremony—just as our faith is not a private matter; doing things as a community is essential.
Second, in verse 28, “Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.” If our hearts are not prepared, then instead of spiritual nourishment, we might receive spiritual illness. This might be shocking to some of you. Perhaps you could ponder 1 Corinthians 11 and let me know what you think.
Let me end with one last reason we take Holy Communion. Roman Catholics call it “Mass.” This term comes from the Latin word missa, which means “to be sent.” It reflects the words of the priest to the congregation at the end of Holy Communion: Ite, missa est—“Go, you are sent.” This is a very biblical truth. We are nourished by the word and by Holy Communion so that we can be sent out to the world, to do the work of God.
We don’t eat just to be full and happy and sleepy. We also eat to be capable of working. We work in our neighborhoods, offices, schools, and homes. Our work is not only to type on computers or serve customers but to be a channel of God’s presence to others.
In summary, we take the bread and wine to remember our Lord is worthy of devotion, to be spiritually nourished, and to be sent out to serve him.
Conclusion
The English preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, “I think the moments we are nearest to heaven are those we spend at the Lord’s table.”
I pray that we may encounter God through the bread and wine. May it not be an empty ritual but a time we are nourished. May we recognize the extravagant gifts God has given us. May we be inspired to give back to Him and to others. Like the woman who gave a fortune to Jesus, may we feel that Jesus is worthy of us pouring out everything for him. Holy Communion reminds us that he first poured out everything for us.
Let’s pray. Almighty God, you gave your only Son to be for us both a sacrifice for sin and an example of godly living: Give us grace thankfully to receive his inestimable benefits, and daily to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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