Mark 14 vs. 3 – 11
“While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.”
Today’s reading relates the events that took place in Jesus’ life on the Wednesday before Good Friday. He was eating a meal when a woman came and broke a very expensive jar of perfume over his head. Some of the disciples complained because it was a waste of money, but Jesus was able to see that this woman’s actions were motivated by love for Jesus. Whatever she knew she understood enough to know that Jesus would soon die so she was lovingly preparing him for his burial. Her love for Jesus was revealed in the expense that she went to because the perfume she poured out on Jesus cost more than most people earned in a year.
It was this love that Jesus commended for he could see by her costly actions the depth of her love for Jesus. And for us the challenge is do we by our actions show the Lord how much we love him? Not just in terms of showing it by how much money we give but also showing the Lord how much we love him by doing his will even when others will look at us strangely or think less of us if we serve the Lord rather that living to please others. Love like that is costly love which the Lord delights to see in his people.
