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A Memorial of Mary

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A Memorial of Mary

10 minuten leestijd Arcering uitzetten

“Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her” (Matthew 26:13).

The enmity against a crucified Christ lives in the heart of man. That enmity becomes evident only where the gospel of free grace is preached in its purest form. As long as the gospel is preached in a legalistic form, that enmity shall remain hidden, for then the hearers imagine that by their various activities they have made themselves worthy of this gospel. They do favor a gospel ministry in which active people are involved; but wicked enmity is aroused when a gospel is brought in which all activities of man are excluded and in which the message of free grace alone is preached to lost and godless sinners.

The gospel was never preached more purely and uncorruptedly than by Him who is the incarnate Gospel. No one, however, was exposed to more burning enmity than the Lord Christ Himself. That enmity came not only from the side of the Pharisees, but also from the circle of His own disciples. The disciples followed Jesus, but still their eyes were closed for the necessity of His suffering and death. They had imagined an earthly kingdom in which there would be special places reserved for them. When Christ spoke of His approaching suffering and death, they were not only disappointed, but they resisted the idea. “Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee.” Peter was immediately ready to draw the sword to prevent the suffering of Christ.

But here we read of a very different attitude, that of Mary. At various times we read about this woman, for her name occurs in the gospels more often. She was the sister of Martha and Lazarus, and of her the Lord once said, “She hath chosen the good part.” She desired to sit at Jesus' feet, and His words of heavenly instruction fell upon her soul like divine dewdrops upon the thirsty ground. Martha, who thought she had to serve the Lord by working, even wanted to take Mary with her in her way of legalistic zeal, but Mary had heard and understood the words of the Lord, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” Mary needed such a Jesus, One who served her with His God-glorifying and sinner-saving work. Mary had learned to understand something of the preciousness of the gospel of free grace.

How could that be? I once read about Rutherford that someone asked him how it could be that he observed so often the sweet odors of the Rose of Sharon, and that he could speak of them in such a captivating way. He answered that it was because he had in like manner observed the foul air of hell and the stench of sin in himself. These two matters are very closely connected. Where by the discovering grace of God much self-knowledge is received, there shall also be much room for Christ. The fact that in our days so little is spoken and observed of the preciousness of Christ is the result of a lack of self-knowledge, so that we are so content with all we have once experienced.

Mary was taught at the feet of Jesus, and there she also learned who she was. In the school of Jesus we shall also learn self-knowledge. Christ placed the abomination of sin in the light of the majesty of God's righteousness and truth. In the light of those attributes of God, the merit of the works of man is utterly cut off. Then the necessity of the mediatorial ministry of the Lord Jesus is declared more and more.

Blessed Mary; she understood what Christ would have to undergo in Jerusalem. Therefore when Jesus abode in the house of Simon, she wanted to reveal the love of her heart by breaking the alabaster box with the precious spikenard. Mary did not spare any expense to perform this act of love. Mary had seen what Christ did for her. She understood that His going up to Jerusalem was to bring the only sacrifice that could truly be a ransom, also for her guilt. In all this she had seen the suffering Surety. Hence in this act her love said, “Ever, O Lord, with Thee, all shall be well with me, held by Thy hand. Because Thou hath first loved me, and hast confirmed Thy love in Thy suffering and death, I will love Thee with my whole heart.”


In the school of Jesus we shall also learn self-knowledge. Christ placed the abomination of sin in the light of the majesty of God's righteousness and truth.


What was the alabaster box when compared to the breaking of His body and the pouring out of His soul? It seems impossible to me that the act of Mary, explained by Christ to be a preparation for His burial, would have been performed by her without an eye to His suffering, as some commentaries have tried to show. No, by heavenly instruction received at Jesus' own feet, Mary understood something of His work and His suffering. In it she saw His great love, and that had kindled a holy fire of love in her heart. Mary, a lost child of Adam, who was worthy of death and hell, was by Christ deemed worthy of His life. Should not Mary then esteem Him worthy of all she had?

Judas' hatred was aroused against this act of love. Judas had more love for money and honor than he ever had for Jesus. In following Jesus he sought only to attain his own purposes. He sought his own honor, fame, and money. To the degree he perceived that those unholy desires would not be fulfilled by following Jesus, his zeal decreased. Money was worth more to him than Jesus, and therefore he stirred up condemnation of Mary's deed in the circle of the disciples.

Judas and Mary were placed opposite to each other—Judas, who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, and Mary, who proclaimed that Jesus was worth everything to her. These two confronted each other, and the sad part is that the disciples gathered themselves on the side of Judas. They agreed with Judas' representation. Judas hid his evil designs under a pious varnish. Was it not a reasonable, even a pious argument when he said, “Could not this ointment have been sold for much, and the money given to the poor?”

Certainly, Judas-hearts know how to conceal their evil purposes under a mantle of piety and neighborly love. Having been injured in his self-esteem and disappointed in his expectations, he was filled with deadly envy. How often Jesus still is sold, squandered, and betrayed in a Judas-like manner. How often those who have learned to admire, love, and adore the gospel of free grace are resisted by such Judas-like professors, often with pious arguments. How many there are who still would have something to do with Jesus if their self-seeking existence would not be hampered. They desire to be glorified with Jesus, but their whole being rebels against going into death with Him. They would be celebrated with Him, but are averse to being despised and humiliated.

How was it possible that the disciples chose the side of Judas? It was because, in their expectations concerning Jesus, they also still had so many fleshly ideas. They still lacked the true ministration that makes place for Christ's humiliation. They, too, were still too full of self and of the value of it, and therefore in the house in Bethany they also stood on the side of Judas. Therefore they also condemned Mary.

By grace Mary disregarded herself entirely. With her it had become only Jesus. That had become her whole life. And for that reason Jesus said, “Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.”

The gospel of the crucified Christ is the gospel of free grace. Preaching the gospel means preaching the one-sided work of God in saving a lost sinner, cutting off all work of man, all piety, all pious frames, all the glory of man, and all honor of the sinner. Preaching the gospel means bringing the tidings of God to the hell-worthy, to the condemnable sinners, to the harlots, to the publicans, to the adulterers, to the thieves, and to the murderers.

But why a memorial to this Mary? It is because the only way in which this gospel is truly embraced and loved is the way Mary did it. As a condemnable sinner she laid herself at His feet. She was privileged to lay her hand on the precious gospel of free grace. She embraced Jesus as her only Mediator, her only Surety, and her only Savior. She adored, loved, believed, glorified, and worshipped Him who had become everything for her.


They are blessed Marys who have learned to break the bottle of their heart at His feet, and have learned to testify even of Him who has humbled Himself unto death…


The crucified Christ is preached to you, especially in these passion weeks. Then you must choose between Mary and Judas. There is no middle course. We often seek one, but God's Word leaves no room for it. You are either on her side or on that of Judas. Standing on the side of Judas, you see no value in the crucified One. Then you consider your money, your name, your honor, your conversion, your frames, or your activities of more value.

Religion and self-righteousness seem to be divergent, but in their attitude toward the crucified One, they go hand in hand. There Pilate and Herod were friends. The one loved his sins too much to come to the feet of Jesus as a sinner; he loved his sin more than he loved Jesus. The other loved his self-righteousness too much to give up all he had in which he hoped to find life, in order to come to Jesus' blessed feet. That was the attitude of Judas. Consider this and reflect upon your own life.

But there is Mary. She had a heavenly lesson, and she had not only learned by divine instruction to see her sin and guilt, but she had also seen the worthlessness of all her righteousnesses, and she came to the feet of Jesus as a poor sinner. She had found her life outside of herself in Him who gave Himself unto death and thus purchased His church with His precious blood.

They are blessed Marys who have learned to break the bottle of their heart at His feet, and have learned to testify even of Him who has humbled Himself unto death, yes, of Him, “He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.” Then He is worth everything, yes, everything!

— Rev. A. Vergunst (1926-1981)

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Bekijk de hele uitgave van vrijdag 1 februari 2002

The Banner of Truth | 28 Pagina's

A Memorial of Mary

Bekijk de hele uitgave van vrijdag 1 februari 2002

The Banner of Truth | 28 Pagina's