What is Jesus worth to you? Most Christians would answer, “Everything.” But if He were here in the flesh, would you sell all your possessions and throw Him a $50,000 party? Would you sell a prized family heirloom to fill His house with a million roses?
We can hardly imagine Jesus accepting such generosity, especially in a world of hungry people. But there was at least one time that He did.
In Jesus’ day, traveling preachers were often invited to be the guest of honor at banquets. They gave a lecture and were “paid” with food. One day, when Jesus was honored at a special banquet, Mary, Jesus’ close friend, prepared the food out of love, not to “pay” him. She also brought a large jar of perfume that was worth a year’s wages (probably a family heirloom). She cracked the seal and began pouring the precious, expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet, wiping them with her hair (John 12:3).
Feet were washed with water, not anointed with oil. And a woman’s hair was to be kept out of the gaze of men. But Mary’s worst sin, according to Judas, was her extravagance at the expense of the poor (John 12:4-5). Everyone shamed her for it (Mark 14:5).
“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied (John 12:7). “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me” (John 12:8). Since Jesus came for the poor (Luke 4:18), blessed the poor (Luke 6:20), and taught others to remember the poor (Luke 11:41, 14:13), something important was being taught here. Someone even more important than the (very important) poor was here. Mary’s actions ended up being more meaningful than she realized (John 12:7).
In her own way, Mary threw a $50,000 party for Jesus and filled His home with roses.
He was that valuable to her.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Ruth 1:1-22
More:
Read Luke 10:38-42 to see Mary’s devotion to Jesus expressed in another way, and read John 11:1-44 to see one reason for her love.
Next:
What is your most valuable possession? Would you sell it and spend its value on Jesus? Why?
Kathy @ In Quiet Places on March 15, 2012 at 10:06 am
I don’t have an expensive jar of ointment or $50,000 for a party, but I am reminded of a Christmas carol “In the Bleak Midwinter” by poet Christina Rossetti, and my heart for Jesus would echo these words…
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.
by Christina Rossetti
mike wittmer on March 15, 2012 at 11:10 am
Thank you for these encouraging and challenging thoughts, Sheridan. I desperately want to give Jesus everything. Strangely, the more stuff I accumulate the more difficult this is.
sheridan voysey on March 15, 2012 at 1:23 pm
Me too. Perhaps the other lesson here is giving over our ‘family heirloom’ – ie, the most precious things we own – to him too.
jstabel on March 15, 2012 at 1:46 pm
The way I see it is that if we give our Heart to Jesus we will not be able to hold back anything from Him no matter how priceless the world might think it is.
sheridan voysey on March 16, 2012 at 5:13 am
I think that’s true – in theory :). Don’t you wrestle sometimes with your heart wanting to stray from Jesus? For me it’s a wrestle, but the Spirit is always there to help. Sanctification takes a lifetime!
iamahumbleservant on March 16, 2012 at 12:41 am
i fail many times when i had to give God my heart. its often clawed back by personal greed and desires and selfishness.
i am learning to give up my fears and self-centeredness and let Him guide me.
sheridan voysey on March 16, 2012 at 5:14 am
It’s that constant attitude God wants. Then, slowly, the time gap between our stumbling and our faithfulness begins to decrease.
daisymarygoldr on March 16, 2012 at 10:40 pm
“Flowers are love’s truest language” was my 10th grade teacher’s response when I gave her a garland of sweet-smelling jasmine from my garden. I never gifted flowers to my husband and I’m not sure whether Jesus would appreciate the million roses 🙂 But I do get your point. We can easily declare in words to give our all to Jesus. However, it is not that easy to part from our prized possessions and lay them at His feet.
In Middle Eastern culture, hosts dab some fragrant oil on their dinner guests as warm gesture to make them feel welcome and extra special. Mary went overboard and poured out all of her precious possession to honor Jesus. It was extravagant devotion, to say the least. In anointing Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume and wiping them with her hair, Mary was acting with absolute abandon.
Such extreme expression of love was in response to God’s extravagant love in giving us His most precious possession— His one and only Son. The fragrance that filled the house is the public display of her heart that overflowed with God’s love. Mary’s actions ended up being more meaningful because she had insight into God’s will for sending Jesus into this world.
Caring for the poor in society is important. But Jesus comes first and then others. Christ is no longer physically present among us today. To lavish Him with our love means to spend extravagantly for the least of His brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ (Matthew 25:35-40). This is how our actions in doing God’s will (Matthew 7:21) fills the whole House with the fragrance of Christ.
It is God’s love that compels us to passionately devote ourselves to His Body of believers without thinking of the cost. And what is seen as extravagant is the least we can do for our King. It may be wasteful to others but is highly valued by Him. Thanks Sheridan Voysey for challenging us to think about selling our most valuable possession and spending its value on Jesus!