March 18
Bible Reading: John 12:1-8
John 12:3, “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.”
It was an audacious act of worship! Mary loved Jesus. Jesus had just raised her brother from the dead. One can imagine the depth of gratitude she felt. It was the same Mary who “sat at the Lord’s feet listening,” while her sister was busy and distracted. She loved Jesus and had a heart for worship. So, on this occasion, she poured out her vial of expensive perfume, estimated to be worth the equivalent to a year’s worth of wages, and wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair. It would have taken a lot of courage on her part to do such a thing amidst that group of men. But she wasn’t thinking of them. She had her eyes set on her Savior!
So, in that extravagant act of worship, Mary sacrificed her costly perfume. As did the wise men traveled across a continent, over “field and fountain, moor and mountain,” bearing their expensive gifts (including myrrh), and Nicodemus who braved expulsion and worse, when he prepared Jesus for burial with spices estimated to be worth about $150,000!
Extravagance has to do with spending too much or beyond what is reasonable. We might say that a person is being extravagant when they go beyond the norm. There’s a tendency to gravitate towards what is reasonable or expected in our “religious” dealings. It is expected of a Christian to attend church, to read the Bible, and pray. We might even limit our doings to the minimum we can get away with. But worship doesn’t work that way. In worshiping Jesus, the one who died for our sins, nothing is too much. It’s far better to think of worship in personal terms—in who Jesus is and what He has done for me—and respond accordingly (Romans 12:1-2)!
The Apostle Paul commended the Macedonian believers, because they supported their brethren, giving beyond their means (2 Corinthians 8:3). As Paul noted, they exercised such extravagance because “they gave themselves first to the Lord” (2 Corinthians 8:5). Therin lies the key. When Jesus has all of us, then we are not afraid to give our all in worship!
“God spilt the life of His Son that the world might be saved; are we prepared to spill out our lives for Him?” — Oswald Chambers
I GAVE MY LIFE FOR THEE
I gave My life for thee,
My precious blood I shed,
That thou mightst ransomed be,
And quickened from the dead;
I gave, I gave My life for thee,
What hast thou done for Me?
I gave, I gave My life for thee,
What hast thou done for Me?
My Father’s house of light,
My glory-circled throne
I left for earthly night,
For wanderings sad and lone;
I left, I left it all for thee,
Hast thou left aught for Me?
I left, I left it all for thee,
Hast thou left aught for Me?
I suffered much for thee,
More than thy tongue can tell,
Of bitterest agony,
To rescue thee from hell;
I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee,
What hast thou borne for Me?
I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee,
What hast thou borne for Me?
And I have brought to thee,
Down from My home above,
Salvation full and free,
My pardon and My love;
I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee,
What hast thou brought to Me?
I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee,
What hast thou brought to Me?
LookingtoJesus 