There are some, for sure, who make great displays of worship for their own recognition. But not the Marys among us. She was thinking of nothing but Jesus, and she cared not what others thought. Jesus knew, and as He did with the little children who had come to Him earlier, He didn’t rebuke true worship but rebuked those who would try to suppress it.
Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12:3)
There’s something unsettling about unhindered worship. About those around us who worship the Lord with absolute abandonment.
Mary, Martha and Lazarus’ sister, was like that. Days before Jesus was to be crucified, He had come to their home, as He often did. With the risen Lazarus reclining at the table beside her Savior, Mary was overcome with love for the one who had done so much for her family.
Overwhelming love drove her to take a perfume worth a year’s wages and anoint Jesus’ feet. Then, with no thought of public shame, she loosened her hair and used it as a towel to wipe His feet.
The Fragrance
… of extravagant worship floods a room and ascends as a sweet, smelling sacrifice to the Father. It so pleased Christ that He made sure John recorded it for all time. He wanted everyone through human history to see the high bar of unrehearsed, unhindered worship.
The Objection
There are always miserly people who will be upset with such a display. Judas blurted out an objection.
But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” (John 12:4-6)
Subscribe to Free “Top 10 Stories” Email
Get the top 10 stories from The Aquila Report in your inbox every Tuesday morning.