MIDWEEK MEDITATION

Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

John 12:1-8

The sharp, earthy scent filled the entire room. The people within that room stood in shock as they watched a fortune pour from a broken stone jar onto the feet of Jesus. Not just on His feet, but over them, around them, and onto the floor. 

Waste.

Mary, the one who had just poured out this treasure on Jesus, bowed before Him, and wiped His feet with her hair. The shocked observers couldn’t look away from the spectacle.

Waste.

For Mary, there was nothing too valuable to place at Jesus' feet. There was no service beneath her when it came to our Lord. There were many that day who looked at the wealth being poured out and thought it a waste. Mary looked at the Savior and thought Him worthy. What is the worth of oil for a burial when you are standing before life Himself?

When we focus on the worth of Jesus and the grace He brings to our lives, it unleashes generosity in our hearts. What is your heart focused on today? 

Father, give me faith to believe that You are my provision and my protection. Free my heart from the tyranny of false control, and free up my heart to live generously as You lead.