John 12:1-8 NLT - Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. 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. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 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. Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
This scripture does not let us in on the response of the disciples in this situation. But I can tell you what would happen in most churches these days.
Judas would have gotten a resounding “Amen! Mary shouldn’t have even had that perfume anyway! How dare she be so extravagant and wasteful with her money.”
Many Christians love to point out when they believe another Christian has misused money, especially if talking about a well-known minister. These people think they are being a good stewards by “helping others” know when money is misused.
But, the truth is, when you call out what you perceive to be a misuse of money, you are right there with Judas. You are on your way to betraying Jesus.
Have you ever noticed how we don’t even have a record of Jesus calling someone out for misusing money? If anyone has a right to do so, it would be Him.
Jesus had the perfect opportunity in this instance. He already knew Judas was stealing from the other disciples. But He didn’t even mention it. He simply stood up for Mary.
So, I will do the same and stand up for all of you.
You have no right to get involved with how someone else spends their money. You shouldn’t even allow your thoughts to go there.
As soon as your thoughts get involved in someone else finances, you’ve entered the devil’s playground. And I don’t think that’s where you want to be.
When you are tempted to fuss about how someone else is spending money, exercise some of that self-control the Holy Spirit gives you to make those thoughts obey Christ.
This applies to how your grown kids spend their money, your parents, your friends, your boss, and even the church. If you do not have authority over the bank account, let it go because it’s not up to you.
And really, that’s good news. If what you perceive to be a misuse of money is actually misuse, the person in charge of the money will suffer the consequences, not you.
So why would you get involved? Isn’t it enough work to manage your own money?
This simple truth will help your relationships thrive and keep us in a place of unity at church.
Just because you give doesn’t mean you have a say in what is done with that money. The elders, deacons, and I are responsible for managing God’s money here.
Don’t forget, Satan loves to get people wound up about money they have no control over, just like he did with Judas. It ruins relationships and destroys the work of Christ.
Dismiss yourself from that mess. You don’t have to answer for how money is spent here. The only thing you will answer for is if you were obedient with your own money.
That’s why I teach you about Biblical giving because you will answer whether you obeyed or not. But I never check to see if you actually give, because that’s none of my business.
Next week, I’ll dive into tithing. Yes, it is relevant to you even now in the age of grace. I know you are at the edge of your seat and want to hear all about tithing right now, but it’ll have to wait until next week.
I do, however, want to give you an opportunity to give. It’s the best investment opportunity available. God says to give with a cheerful heart and He’ll return it to you multiplied.
To give by cash or check, use the offering envelope in front of you. Then, drop it in the donation box on your way out today. You can also mail it to PO BOX 2168, Owasso, OK 74055.
Most of you give online. You can do that anytime. Simply visit nolimits.fyi or text the amount to 84321.
