By Pastor Greg
A game hunter went on safari with
his wife and mother-in-law. One morning, while deep in the forest, the wife awoke to find her mother gone. In a panic,
she wakes her husband. He picks up his
rifle, and they both try to find her mom.
In a clearing not far from the camp, they discover the mother-in-law backed up
against a big rock, cornered by a large lion. The wife cried, "What are we
going to do?" "Nothing," said the husband. "How can you just
do nothing?" the wife screamed
at him. The son-in-law replied, "Hey, the lion got himself into this mess,
so … he’ll have to get himself out of it."
What kind of attitude is
that? Is that any way to treat a
mother-in-law? It sounds like this man needs
an attitude adjustment.
You know, our attitude says more
about us than our actions or words. I
mean, a person might say the words “I love you” but it is their attitude
that conveys the feeling. It’s the same
way with saying “I’m sorry.” My dad used to tell me “If you’re sorry, then
show it.”
I heard that a lot growing up.
And I think what my father was trying to teach me was that if I were truly sorry for what I had done, I would learn from my mistakes and
not continue to do the same rotten thing over and over again.
Jesus says we will be able to tell
what sort of attitude a person has by the “fruit” they produce. “So you’ll recognize them by their fruit,”[1]
He says in Matthew 7:20. What He means is,
beyond the words or the actions, a person should be demonstrating “love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and
self-control”[2]
(Galatians 5:22-23), AND, they should be fostering these same “fruits” in the
lives of others. A Christian, whose
attitude honors Jesus, plants love and peace and patience in the lives of
others, not anger, hate, and selfishness.
Let me give you an example. The apostles and several other disciples of
Jesus were gathered at Simon’s house (he was a former leper – see Mark 14:3-9). During the meal, John contrasts the behavior
of two individuals, Mary and Judas. Once
you see their actions, I think you’ll be able to see the “fruit” of their
heart.
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus
was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 So they gave a dinner for Him there; Martha was
serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Then
Mary took a pound of fragrant oil—pure and expensive nard—anointed Jesus’ feet,
and wiped His feet with her hair. So the
house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
4 Then one of His
disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray Him), said, 5 “Why
wasn’t this fragrant oil sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He
didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a
thief. He was in charge of the money-bag
and would steal part of what was put in it.
7 Jesus answered, “Leave
her alone; she has kept it for the day of My burial. 8 For you always have the
poor with you, but you do not always have Me”[3]
(John 12:1-8).
Did you happen to notice the
difference in their attitudes? That’s the
real difference here. Mary decides to
crack open an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. 12 ounces[4]
of pure nard are poured on the feet of Jesus.
This stuff was worth a whole year’s wages. A denarius
was a person’s daily wage, and Mary dumped out the whole bottle. This was how she chose to worship Jesus. Judas, on the other hand, felt that the poor
could have benefited from the sale of this perfume (I find it interesting that
Judas knew how much 12 ounces of perfume would cost). In today’s dollars, it would have been worth
about $30,000.00. He saw Mary’s actions
as wasteful. He felt Jesus was best
served by being practical, not wasteful. The group could have helped the poor. And he is right. Imagine how many people a church could help
if it spent $30,000.00 on the hungry, the poor,
the naked, the orphan and the widow (although some today consider that wasteful
as well).
Mary’s heart was humbled before
the Lord. Judas’s heart was filled with
greed. Even though what he said sounded
like a good idea, his motivation was geared toward selfishness. It was his attitude – his “fruit” – that
Jesus addressed. If he truly had the
proper attitude, Judas would have recognized
Mary’s sacrificial worship and given her praise. Instead, Judas’ “fruit” poisoned the room
while Mary’s perfume filled the room with its fragrance. Judas’ “fruit” created an atmosphere of criticism. Matthew says the other disciples became
critical as well. Because of his poor attitude,
Judas picked himself up, left the house, went straight to the priests and
bargained to betray Jesus (see Matthew 26:14).
This is not a lesson on practicality
or extravagance. This is a lesson in
attitude. What Mary did was valid. She knew that Jesus was soon going to die. Knowing this, she anointed Jesus before he
died (she was not present when the women went to the grave to anoint
Jesus). What some viewed as wasteful,
Jesus saw as sacrificial worship. He saw
the attitude behind the actions and knew
it was done in love.
Paul says, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father”
(Colossians 3:17). Whether we are Martha
in the kitchen, Lazarus as a witness, or Mary at his feet, it is the attitude
behind what we do that makes all the difference. Whatever we do in the name of the Lord, it
must be done with a heart submitted and humbled for Jesus.
As I mentioned earlier, Jesus
describes this attitude as a “fruit.” I find that description kind of interesting. You see, others benefit from the fruit, not
the “tree” that grows it. Our attitude
in life should be a blessing to others.
Our lives should be like a fragrance that fills the entire house. As people watch you serve or teach or cook or
clean or pray, they observe your attitude; your attitude is what becomes a
blessing to others. Your attitude is
what makes your offering acceptable to the Lord (think of the difference
between Cain and Abel).
I believe
it is wise to examine our attitude from time to time. I think a Christian should be watching how
their presence in the house is affecting others. If people are truly blessed by what we do or
say, we should thank the Lord. On the
other hand, if our presence creates tension, anger, hate, and selfishness, then
maybe we need an attitude adjustment.
Maybe other people are not the problem.
Maybe the problem can be found in the attitude of our heart.
[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. 2009 (Mt
7:19–20). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers.
(2007). Holy Bible: New Living
Translation (3rd ed.) (Ga 5:22–23). Carol Stream, IL.
[3] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. 2009 (Jn
12:1–8). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] A Roman
pound equaled 12 oz.
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