Every year during Holy Week (the week leading up to Easter), many churches follow Jesus’ example during the Last Supper by washing one another’s feet. Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and told them to imitate what He had done. Washing feet is a prayerful and powerful act, but it can also upset our sense of pride, personal space, and privacy. It can be truly unsettling.
Mary, filled with love for Jesus, pulled out her “jar of expensive perfume” and spilled it over Jesus’ feet (John 12:3). She cleaned them with the aromatic ointment, using her own hair as a towel.
Unlike the discomfort we might feel while having someone wash our feet (and the discomfort the disciples felt (especially Peter) when Jesus washed their feet), Jesus welcomed Mary’s tender generosity. It wasn’t Christ but Judas who was bothered. “That perfume was worth a year’s wages,” he exclaimed. “It should have been sold and the money given to the poor” (John 12:5).
John tells us that Judas’ intentions were not so noble as he made them sound; rather he was conniving to get his hands on more of the money. Still, I’m struck by Jesus’ defense of Mary. “Leave her alone,” He said. “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me” (John 12:8). Jesus, a constant friend to those on the fringe, was in no way opposing care for the poor but rather highlighting how love for Him comes before all other affections.
Mary’s effusive love was an offense to some of those around her. Jesus’ effusive love for us is an offense to many as well. Extravagant love heals us, but it also unnerves us. We’ll need courage to both give and receive this powerful, profuse love that flows from God.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Genesis 8:1-22
More:
Read the story of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17). Place yourself in the story. How would you feel? What questions would you have?
Next:
When have you encountered God’s extravagant love? What struggles do you face whenever you feel the desire to express an extravagant love for God?
Gary Shultz on January 6, 2017 at 6:23 am
Hi Winn: Extravagant Love, as you rehearse the scene of Mary that day it is so compelling. It is amazing that “Extravagant Love” seemed to be bound in Mary’s life. To me one of the most touching words in scripture is when Jesus spoke her name, “Mary” outside the tomb. Moving to the next section you do bring a point that brings great struggle to life. How can we take in a love so great, from One who is the “All” of the cosmos? It is staggering and my mind fails to know how to properly respond. When you read Isaiah, Ezekiel, and others and work through revelation the picture of God’s greatness is so profound, I am depleted as to how to really respond to all of that. I will still not understand; however, there are a few things I know. He loves me because He can, He loves me because He wants to, and He does want me to respond to Him, in this my human form. Now, that is awesome! Thanks Winn
godlove on January 6, 2017 at 6:35 am
The boxed sections today give me quite a lot of food for thought, Winn. Without the benefit of hindsight and the knowledge we now have of the lesson He was trying to teach, I would most certainly have felt just as uncomfortable as the disciples did, if not more, had our Lord proposed to wash my feet. I think I might even have suggested to invert roles and wash His feet instead, to show my love and submission towards Him. The same fantastic sign of love and humility shown by Mary, as she washed His feet with expensive perfume and wiped it with her very hair. (Funny how the only thing which bothered Judas was the cost of the perfume used, when the entire scene taking place should have made the onlookers feel rather uneasy). In response to the questions in the Next section, I firmly believe that I experience God’s extravagant love every single day. The saved sinner that I am deserves absolutely nothing in addition to the free gift of salvation from Him, so I’m extremely grateful for His special love for me manifested through His grace and mercies shown towards me daily. I am guilty of usually feeling embarrassed to express my love for God publicly in an extravagant manner, usually restrained by plain apprehension of being seen as a religious fanatic. Like I said, much for me to think about here today, thank you Winn. Blessed weekend to everyone.
Tom Felten on January 6, 2017 at 11:02 am
Winn, your words, “We’ll need courage to both give and receive this powerful, profuse love” left me thinking about how to courageously receive God’s love: choosing to hear Him call my name and tell me that I’m loved above the loud voices from without and within that tell me I’m unlovable and unworthy; choosing to dwell in His satisfying love instead of trying to gain satisfaction in the fickle stuff of earth. And I see ever more clearly, that only by having the courage to truly receive God’s love will I ever have the courage to lavish true love on those around me. Yes, HE LOVES US!
BearPair on January 6, 2017 at 12:29 pm
Thank you, Winn, for taking us to this well-worn story which is always filled with potent teaching and stimulating visuals! Why is it that we become embarrassed when others show us this kind of extravagant love? I confess to the experience on occasion. Oh for the love-in-abandon with which Mary so saturates our Lord Jesus.
Mike Wittmer on January 6, 2017 at 4:32 pm
Thanks, Winn. How humbling to picture God’s effusive grace in this way. May He grant us grace to receive it.
pilong56 on January 9, 2017 at 8:21 pm
pilong56
Thanks for your unconditional love for that we would rather receive his unconditional love than that of the hatred going on in the Middle Eastern states,why can’t there
be a peace treaty in the Middle Eastern states.
Sincerely,
Bobby.Park