Matthew 26:1-16 - Where is Your Treasure?

What Do You Truly Treasure?

I have the distinct pleasure of introducing our last miniseries in the Gospel of Matthew. You guys have been incredibly gracious and patient with us as we’ve journeyed through this book, and now we arrive at Matthew chapter 26. We are looking at these final days of Jesus’ earthly ministry that are so critical to the narrative Matthew is painting for us.

To begin, I want to take you back to a warm, off-kilter January day in Texas when I was growing up. As a family, we kind of just up and went fishing. We drove a few miles out of our hometown of Plano over to Denton, Texas, and we were fishing off a bridge on Highway 380. We spent all day Saturday doing that and had an absolute ball as a family. My mom made us fried chicken—because we’re from Texas, and that’s what you do! I just remember having a delightful time with my brother, my mom, and my dad.

Later that evening, we stopped at a restaurant on the way back. My mom called my aunt, who lived not too far from us back home, and she got a horrific response. My aunt said, “You need to come home right now. Something horrible has happened.”

We literally stopped eating, got in the car, and rushed home. As we pulled up, we saw what used to be our house. It was totally consumed by flames, completely destroyed, with only the shell left standing. Our entire home had burned literally to the ground. Whatever wasn’t destroyed by the fire was ruined by the smoke, and whatever survived the smoke got destroyed by the water hoses. We literally lost everything.

I remember in that moment just having no words. After the firefighters put the blaze out, I watched my parents walk through the rubble, trying to sift through whatever was left. In those moments, you’re forced to decide what is truly important. When everything is removed from you, when everything is stripped away, you realize what you truly treasure.

My dad, for instance, missed the trumpet he had played since he was an eight-year-old boy, which had been consumed in the fire. My mom talked about the vinyl records they received when they were first married, melted into unrecognizable shapes by the intense heat. Family photographs that we will never get back were gone forever. You stand outside in the street and realize the only thing you possess in the entire world is the shirt on your back and the shoes on your feet. It is in those moments of total loss that you discover what you value most.

Today, we are going to look at three stories involving three groups of people and what they treasure. We are going to meet a woman who does an amazing job living out what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” That really is the heart of our passage. We will see three different responses that demonstrate, through what is treasured, where each heart ultimately lies.

Matthew 26:1-2 (NASB)

When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, ‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is [to be] handed over for crucifixion.’

The Gathering Storm

To give us a sense of the timeline, over the past few weeks in chapters 24 and 25, we’ve been looking at the Olivet Discourse—the return of the King and discussions of the end times. Now, we return to the chronological narrative of Passion Week. It is Tuesday evening. Jesus is just hours away from celebrating the Passover meal with His disciples on Thursday night.

Passover was one of the greatest pilgrim feasts in Jerusalem. According to the Law of Moses in Exodus, Jewish males from near and far were required to travel to the holy city to celebrate. Jerusalem’s population swelled dramatically, likely holding over a million people. Yet amidst this festive atmosphere, Jesus reminds His disciples in verse two that this is not going to be a triumphant political coronation. He tells them plainly that the Son of Man is about to be handed over to be crucified.

Jesus had spoken of His impending death before, but His descriptions were growing increasingly specific and graphic. Any lingering hopes the disciples harbored that Jesus was going to ride in on a white horse, overthrow the Roman occupation, and establish an earthly political empire were dashed. Jesus made it clear: He came to be the Suffering Servant.

Meanwhile, behind closed doors, another meeting was taking place in the palace of Caiaphas.

Matthew 26:3-5 (NASB)

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. But they were saying, ‘Not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people.’

Caiaphas was the High Priest and the ruling head of the Sanhedrin, the supreme council in charge of Jewish affairs under Roman oversight. The religious leaders had gathered for an emergency session. Caiaphas and the council harbored an intense hatred for Jesus. Of all the groups that opposed Christ—the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Herodians, the scribes—the Sanhedrin had the most worldly power to lose. Their authority was granted by Rome, and they viewed Jesus as a threat to their status and security. More than anyone else, they wanted Him dead.

Notice their dilemma in verse five: they plotted to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him, but they dared not do it publicly during the festival because the common people loved Jesus, and an open arrest would spark a massive riot. They needed a covert way to arrest Him away from the crowds. They needed an insider—a traitor within Jesus’ inner circle.

An Extravagant Anointing in Bethany

Before showing us how this betrayal comes together, Matthew deliberately pauses the chronological timeline in verses 6 through 13 to insert a breathtaking story. He sandwiches this account right between the plotting of the corrupt chief priests and the treachery of Judas Iscariot. In stark contrast to those who despise and betray Christ, Matthew presents an incredible portrait of pure worship—a woman who gives up her greatest earthly treasure for something of infinitely greater worth.

Matthew 26:6-7 (NASB)

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined [at the table].

Bethany was a small village located just two miles east of Jerusalem, down across the Kidron Valley and over the Mount of Olives. Jesus was dining in the home of Simon the Leper. We know very little about Simon, except that he was identified by his former affliction. If he still had active leprosy, no one would have been allowed in his house; he would have been quarantined outside the city. It is almost certain that Simon was a man whom Jesus had miraculously healed, hosting a dinner in honor of the Master.

According to the Gospel of John, Lazarus, whom Jesus had recently raised from the dead, was at the table, and his sister Martha was serving. This dinner was a sweet, serene moment of fellowship—truly the calm before the storm. Jesus was surrounded by some of His dearest friends just days before His crucifixion. But verse seven brings the focal point of the story into view.

Matthew simply refers to her as “a woman,” but the Gospel of John identifies her as Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Throughout the New Testament, whenever we meet Mary, she is in the exact same posture: sitting at the feet of Jesus. When Martha was distracted by serving, Mary was at Jesus’ feet listening to His teaching. When Lazarus died, Mary fell at Jesus’ feet weeping. And here, once again, Mary is at the feet of Christ.

She brought an alabaster vial containing a very costly perfume. Alabaster was a beautiful, translucent, marble-like stone imported from Egypt, carved into delicate flasks. Inside this vessel was pure nard—an aromatic oil derived from a rare plant grown in the high pastures of Northern India. It was the most expensive perfume of the ancient world, completely out of reach for ordinary people. In verse nine, we learn it could have been sold for a high price; Mark and John tell us it was worth 300 denarii, which represented an entire year’s wages for a working laborer.

This ointment was likely a treasured family heirloom passed down through generations. Mary didn’t bring it on a whim. She didn’t arrive at the dinner and suddenly decide to do this. She brought it with her from home with a singular, deliberate purpose. As Jesus reclined at the table, she didn’t merely unstop the flask to sprinkle a few drops; Mark tells us she broke the neck of the alabaster vial and poured out every single drop upon Him.

John adds the deeply moving detail that she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair, filling the entire house with the fragrance of the perfume. Picture that scene for a moment. She knelt down at the feet of Jesus and wiped His dusty feet with her own hair. In that culture, a woman letting down her hair in public was scandalous, yet Mary was completely unconcerned with what anyone else in the room thought. She was entirely consumed with ascribing worth to Jesus Christ. Instead of using a common towel, she used her own glory—her hair—to honor her Lord.

Indignation versus Devotion

Tragically, this extravagant act of worship was met with immediate criticism from the very men who should have understood it best.

Matthew 26:8-9 (NASB)

But the disciples were indignant when they saw [this], and said, ’Why this waste? ‘For this [perfume] might have been sold for a high price and [the money] given to the poor.’

The disciples were indignant. That word carries the sense of deep irritation and vocal scolding. They looked at this beautiful act and called it a “waste.” They argued that this perfume could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. John’s Gospel reveals that Judas Iscariot was the one leading this charge, and the other disciples chimed in. Judas didn’t say this because he cared about the poor; he was the treasurer of the group, a thief who regularly stole from the money bag. He wanted the perfume liquidated so he could get his hands on the cash.

Notice the contrast: Mary was willing to pour out her most valuable possession at the feet of Jesus, while Judas was calculating how he could turn Jesus’ ministry into personal financial gain. Jesus immediately steps in to defend her.

Matthew 26:10-13 (NASB)

But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ’Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. ’For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. ’For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. ‘Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.’

Jesus says, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me.” The Greek word translated “good” means noble, morally beautiful, and praiseworthy. Jesus wasn’t dismissing the poor; Scripture consistently commands care for the needy. Rather, Jesus was emphasizing the uniqueness of the moment. The poor would always be with them as an ongoing opportunity for ministry, but Jesus’ physical presence on earth was drawing to an immediate close.

Mary recognized the gravity of the hour. In verse 12, Jesus says, “When she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial.” In ancient Jewish custom, bodies were anointed with costly spices and oils prior to burial. Mary was, in essence, anointing Jesus for His funeral beforehand. She gave her eulogy not with words from a pulpit after His death, but with an act of lavish love while He was still alive.

Jesus honored her so deeply that He made an astonishing promise in verse 13: wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she did would be told in memory of her. Today, two thousand years later, we are sitting here reading the fulfillment of that prophecy. In an ancient world that routinely marginalized women, Jesus permanently elevated Mary’s selfless devotion as the model of true worship.

The Price of Betrayal

Immediately following this radiant display of worship, the darkness returns in verses 14 through 16.

Matthew 26:14-16 (NASB)

Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?’ And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. From then on he [began] looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.

Judas leaves the dinner party and goes directly to the chief priests to negotiate the betrayal of Jesus. Why did Judas do this? Judas wanted a Messiah, but he did not want a crucified Messiah. He wanted a political conqueror who would overthrow Rome and give him prestige and wealth. When it became undeniably clear that Jesus was marching toward a cross rather than an earthly throne, Judas decided to cut his losses.

David Crowder wrote a lyric that captures this human tendency: “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” Everyone wants the blessings and perks of being near Jesus, but few want the suffering and self-denial of following a crucified Savior. When Jesus stopped functioning as Judas’s personal genie, Judas traded Him away.

The chief priests weighed out thirty pieces of silver. In the Old Testament Law, thirty shekels of silver was the compensation price for a slave accidentally gored to death by an ox (Exodus 21:32). In Zechariah 11, it was the prophetic wage paid to a rejected shepherd. It was a modest sum—perhaps a month’s wages. Mary gave an entire year’s wages to honor Jesus, while Judas sold Him out for a single month’s pay.

Every character in this passage assigns a value to Jesus Christ:

• The Sanhedrin say: He is worthless and dangerous; He must be eliminated.
• Judas says: He is no longer useful to me; I will cash out for whatever I can get.
• Mary says: He is priceless; He is worthy of everything I have.

Three Marks of True Worship

As we look at Mary’s example, Jesus calls us to remember her because her actions demonstrate what genuine worship looks like. There are three characteristics of true worship that Mary models for us:

1. Worship Begins and Ends with Submission

Mary never speaks a single recorded word in this text, yet her posture speaks volumes. She fell at the feet of Jesus. Worship requires surrendering our own agenda, our pride, and our self-reliance. Mary may not have understood every detail of what the crucifixion would entail, but she trusted Jesus completely. True worship begins when we lay our lives at His feet and say, “Lord, not my will, but Yours be done.”

As the Apostle Paul wrote:

Philippians 1:21 (NASB)

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

To worship Christ is to yield our lives entirely to His lordship.

2. Worship is Sacrificial

True worship costs something. Mary gave her absolute best—her most precious, valuable earthly possession. When King David sought to build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah in 2 Samuel 24, Araunah offered to give him the land and the oxen for free. But David famously replied, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.”

Worship that costs us nothing is worth nothing. Following Jesus requires the sacrifice of our time, our resources, our comfort, and our very lives. It means willingly giving up what we hold dear because Christ is infinitely more valuable.

3. Worship is Deeply Personal

For those of us who tend to live in our heads—analyzing, organizing, and thinking pragmatically—Mary’s heartfelt, uninhibited affection can feel challenging. If we had been in that room in Bethany, many of us might have joined the disciples in their practical objections. It has often been said that the longest journey a person can take is the eighteen inches from the head to the heart.

Jesus is not looking for mere religious ritual or hollow outward performance. He desires genuine, heartfelt devotion. Mary loved Jesus deeply, personally, and without reservation. She knew who He was, and she loved Him with everything she had.

Where is Your Treasure?

Two thousand years later, history has proven Mary right. She made the right investment. Jesus is worthy of every drop of our devotion, every ounce of our treasure, and every breath of our praise.

Wherever you find yourself today—listening in your home, driving in your car, or gathered with family—I want to challenge you to examine your heart. What do you truly value most? What sits upon the throne of your affections?

Let us look past the temporal things of this world and set our eyes upon the King who laid down His life on a cross for our redemption. Let us ascribe worth to our risen Savior with our whole hearts.

Closing Prayer

Father, we are so grateful for the testimony of this woman who had the courage to lay everything on the line to honor Your Son. Lord, give us that same courage today. Forgive us for the times we have treated Jesus casually, or valued the things of this world above Him.

We pray that You would transform our hearts. Move us from cold intellectualism into vibrant, sacrificial, and personal worship. May we see Christ in all His beauty and worth, knowing that He alone is our greatest treasure. We lift our voices and our lives in praise to our risen King, in whose precious name we pray. Amen.