John 12:3: “Then Mary took out a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume”, (NIV).
This week I have been thinking a lot about the story of Mary pouring perfume on Jesus’s feet. I have been thinking a lot about how what she did would not have made any sense to anyone around her. That perfume was worth an entire year’s wages, so it makes sense that most people would be confused as to why Mary would’ve poured it all out on Jesus’s feet and seemingly “wasted” it.
But then I realized why Mary did what she did.
To Mary, this perfume was not wasted. Pouring it out on Jesus’s feet was the most amazing thing she could have done with that perfume. Why? Because she knew who Jesus was. She had faith and believed that Jesus was the Messiah he claimed to be, and she knew that when she saw Jesus, it was six days before Passover (John 12:1), and she was using this perfume to anoint and prepare him for his upcoming burial (John 12:7). She knew that even an entire year’s worth of wages does not even remotely compare to the eternal and astronomical value of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
When we know who Jesus is and we understand his sacrifice for us on the cross, then we realize there is absolutely nothing on this earth that can come even the slightest bit close in value. Nothing in this world, not even something worth an entire year’s worth of wages, can compare to the value of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we encounter Jesus for who he is, when we recognize that he died on the cross to save the sins of all of humanity, when we understand that he rose again on the third day after being buried; when we realize the immense, unfailing, never-ending love that he has for us, what could be worth more than this?
Tonight I want to encourage all of you to think about what Jesus is worth to you, and if you truly know him for who he is. Do you think often about Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection, or is it something that only crosses your mind on Good Friday and Easter Sunday? Do you think often about how Jesus Christ directly affects your day to day life, and how you can live differently and even be transformed from the inside out because of him? Does your heart long to be conformed to the image of Christ? Do you long for Christ more than you long for the things of this world?
Who are you in the story here (John 12:1-11)? Do you identify with Mary, or perhaps with Judas who suggested Mary sell that perfume and give it to the poor (John 12:5)? Do you intentionally set time aside each day to spend with your Lord and Savior? Is your soul rested, or is it weary? If your soul is weary, what kind of price would you be willing to pay to experience God’s peace that passes all understanding and to feel rejuvenated in the deepest part of your being?
Who is Jesus to you? Is he worth that entire bottle of perfume? What would equate to that bottle of perfume in your life? Is there anything you possess that is SO valuable that people would call you crazy for ever giving up, but if Jesus ever called you to do so you would give it up in a heartbeat? Would you be willing to make those kind of sacrifices for Jesus? Is your heart willing to lose your life in order to find it, like Jesus discusses in Matthew 10:39? Are you willing to “pick up your cross” to follow Jesus in the way that he explains to his disciples in Matthew 16:24-25? Are your mind and heart ready to give up everything to follow Christ? Are you a Mary?
Matthew 10:39: “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it”, (NIV).
Matthew 16:24-25: “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”, (ESV) (Italics added by me).
Leah's blog 