Extravagant worship

Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany to a dinner given in His honour at the home of His friend Lazarus. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took a bottle of expensive perfume, poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair. “And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray Him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages. He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of My burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me,” (John 12: 1-8 NIV). Mary’s act of anointing Jesus’ feet drew indignant, “righteous” criticism from Judas. All that money! How wasteful of her! Think of all the good that an equivalent to a year’s worth of wages could have done. But Mary was thinking only of Jesus and of all the good that He had done. And the fragrance of that loving gesture filled the house. There’s a time to wash the feet of Jesus. A time to express your gratitude, love and devotion—extravagantly. There’s a time to fill the whole house with the fragrance of your love. How do you express your love for Jesus? Do you give your best, no matter what the cost, or what people say? Mary’s lavish devotion contrasts sharply with Judas’ critical meanness. Jesus gives Mary permission to honour Him in extravagant ways. He allows Mary to give her all down to the very last strand of hair. Jesus’s words also rebuke the “Judas tendency” to remember the poor only at convenient times. Judas was reminded that the poor are out there all the time, whereas Jesus was soon to die. If you have anything good to do for somebody, do it now. You’ve been given permission to fill your environment with the fragrance of the perfume of your love to God. Extravagantly.