Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1834
“She has worked a good work for Me.” Mark 14:6.
THIS holy woman had displeased the disciples. She must have been very sorry to do that. She would not have willfully grieved the least servant of her Lord. But she did so without the slightest blame on her part—it was the unexpected consequence of a most blessed action and the fault lay with those who complained of her holy deed—not with her. I do not know whether all the disciples felt grieved, but we are told by Matthew that, “they had indignation,” and he seems to speak of them as a body, from which I gather that those who love Jesus much must not measure their conduct by that of Christ’s ordinary disciples. Indeed, it might fare ill with them even if Apostles became their judges! They must not tone down the fervor of their zeal to the lukewarmness of the general order of Christian men. They must not measure the consecration of their lives by the little which many professors present upon the altar to God. No, my Brother, or Sister, you must not be too much distressed if the best of the household misjudge you, for it has happened to many favored sons before you.
You, O man, greatly beloved, can not abide to be lukewarm, but be not surprised if the lukewarm cannot agree with you! Count it no strange thing if, in your ardor, you should come to be accused of fanaticism, lack of prudence, rashness, forwardness. Do not break your heart over it if they should even call you mad, or suspect that you have more zeal than knowledge, for Mary, whom we would be glad to imitate, came under this kind of censure! And David, and your Lord, the Son of David, were each thought to be madmen!
This honored woman performed a notable act which is to be rehearsed wherever the Gospel is preached and yet, she thereby stirred the wrath of the brotherhood of the disciples—of how small account is the judgment of men!
Chiefly, she called down upon her head the censure of Judas. As far as Judas was known to his brethren, he was reckoned among the best of them. They never suspected him of playing the traitor or they would not have approved of his being their treasurer—they once had indignation at James and John—but the shrewd Judas had their respect. I should think he was the most businesslike man of the whole company—which is not saying much for business, is it? He was a leading spirit among that little band. He was one who would be selected because of his prudence—and that is not saying much for prudence, is it?
Doubtless Judas abounded in that cool, calculating shrewdness which makes a man fit to deal with moneys and purchases. He had far more business ability than impetuous Peter, or affectionate John, or thoughtful Thomas. He was the right man in the right place, if he had but happened to have been an honest man. Wonderful it was that he could conceal the deep meanness of his spirit from all his fellows during the years in which they lived together. But he had done so and, therefore, his opinion carried weight with it. Among the Apostles the censure of Judas meant the calm condemnation of a judicious person. His judgment was not what you and I would esteem it to be, for we should think nothing of his censure, now, because we know that he betrayed his Lord—but the disciples could not foresee this—and, in their judgment, that which Judas would condemn must be very censurable. At least it must not be businesslike; it must lack common sense; it must be imprudent and wasteful. Was not Judas the perfect model of economy? Was he not the sort of man who, in these days, many a father would point out to his boy as an example? Hear him say, “Boy, if you want to get on in the world, imitate Judas Iscariot. He is the model man. He is a Christian and yet he has a keen eye for his own advantage and is a sharp man of business.”
It was a hard thing for a timid woman to bear such a censure from one so highly respected in the college of Apos-tles—but she had this solace, which I will guarantee you put quite out of her mind all care about the censure of disciples, even of the biggest of them—she pleased her Master! She could see, by the very look of Him, that He accepted what His followers condemned. She knew in her conscience that she had the approbation of the Lord, even though she had the disapprobation of the servants. And oh, Brothers and Sisters, let us always carry our case into the highest court and live before the Lord and not as the slaves of men! If we are conscious that we have sincerely done what we have done as unto the Lord and if we feel sure that He has approved our service, it is of the smallest possible consequence what men shall say about us! Let us never provoke our Brothers and Sisters to be ill-tempered with us, neither let us do anything that can be rightly censured—but if we have gone somewhat beyond common custom in the fervor of our spirit, let us reply with young David to his envious brethren, “Is there not a cause?” The opinions of other men are no rule to us—we have our own obligations to discharge and, as our debt of love is larger than usual, let us take liberty to be as full of love and zeal as we can be—only regretting that we cannot go still further in the way of sacred service.