Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume (John 12:1-3).
Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before the Passover to spend some time with his friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. This event occurred the following Tuesday evening and the gospels of Matthew and Mark indicate it took place in the home of Simon the leper. In those days, lepers were cut off from the rest of society, so Simon was obviously healed by Jesus, and out of a grateful heart, he was willing to host this party to honor the Lord.
On a previous day, Jesus pointed out that Martha was “worried and upset about many things” and once again, she was busy serving everybody (see Luke 10:38-42) and Lazarus was at the table with Jesus.
When people ate a meal during that time period, the tables were often real low, and it was common to recline at the table. You would actually lay next to the table with your arm propped up. When someone arrived at your house, it was customary for the lowest servant to wash the feet of the guests. So here is Mary, in a posture of humility, washing the feet of Jesus, not just with water, but with some costly perfume.
In that culture, if someone was an honored guest, it was a nice gesture to anoint their head with oil, as a sign of blessing. In the other gospel accounts, it says that Mary poured this precious substance on Jesus’ head and his feet. Rather than using a towel, she used her hair to dry Jesus off. It was considered to be inappropriate or immodest for a woman to unbind her hair in a public setting. However, you get the impression that Mary was so caught up in the moment, it didn’t even matter to her what others thought. She had eyes only for the Lord!
Notice that Mary expressed her devotion in a very tangible way, with her entire being.
- Her hands were involved, as she washed Jesus’ feet and poured out the perfume.
- Her hair was involved, as she unwrapped it to dry Jesus off.
- Her knees were involved, as she bowed before the Lord.
- Her eyes were involved, as she gazed upon the One she loved.
Not everybody liked what Mary was doing. Verses 4-6 state: “But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 ‘Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.’ 6 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.”
Nard was part of a plant that gives off a fragrant aroma, and it was very expensive because it was imported from India. It was worth a year’s wages for an average worker. Just think about that, would you be willing to give up a year’s wages in one moment, in one expression of gratitude for the Lord?
It’s interesting that Mary didn’t even say a word. She didn’t have to. Her actions spoke volumes that Jesus was more valuable to her than anything else. When Mary was pouring out the perfume, it was a vivid picture of her pouring her heart out to the Lord. Mary’s example should motivate us to ask the question: Do we love Jesus more than anything else? And what are we doing, practically speaking, to show him our love?
Judas had the nerve to criticize Mary, using the excuse that the money could have been given to the poor. But this passage makes it very clear that Judas didn’t care about the poor. He was a thief and he regularly stole money from the money bag used by Jesus and the other men.
Mary didn’t re-gift something that had little or no value. She brought to Jesus her very best offering and he gladly received it. According to the other gospels, Judas wasn’t the only one who criticized Mary for her extravagant offering. The other disciples chimed in and said, “Why this waste? This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” They made their motives sound so pious and so holy. Why would anybody in their right mind waste such a precious resource on Jesus?
Even today, many people are like undercover Christians, who never really say or do anything to publicly express their devotion to God. Mary’s faith wasn’t a private one that she kept to herself. She adored Jesus. She cherished his word. She had a grateful heart because her brother had been raised from the dead and Simon had been set free of a dreaded skin disease. In that sacred moment, Mary couldn’t help but pour out her affection to Jesus, even as she was pouring out this costly perfume.
The world would say to us, why are you wasting yourself in living for Jesus Christ? Why are you wasting your time participating in a local church? Get a life! Don’t you have more important things to do? Why are you wasting your hard-earned money supporting Christian ministries?
As Mary poured out her offering to the Lord, the Bible says the whole house was filled with the wonderful fragrance. Life is hard, and there are a lot of tough situations that we go through, and sometimes our circumstances stink and it’s not easy to keep on keeping on. But when we express our devotion to the Lord, like Mary did, don’t be surprised when the sweet aroma of God’s Spirit breaks into our present circumstances and permeates the atmosphere.
How we need the Lord’s presence to fill our homes and impact our relationships. How we need him to lift our spirits and brighten up our lives, especially with all the stuff going on in our country today. And how we need the sweet aroma of Christ himself to fill his church once again, so we can continue to advance his kingdom around the world.
As Mary found out, certainly there’s going to be some opposition. In fact, there’s millions of people who think we’re being foolish to waste our time coming to church, participating in a small group, and giving and serving. The truth is, Jesus is more precious than prestige, or power or all the possessions in the world! Mary is a great example of giving God our best. And, if you think about it, any sacrifice that we make is quite small compared to our Lord’s sacrifice.
Notice how the Lord defends his servant, in John 12:7-8: “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” Jesus saw some prophetic significance to Mary’s actions. She was preparing him for his burial. In a few days, he would be hanging on a cross, betrayed by Judas, rejected by the religious leaders, abandoned by his disciples, with the crowd yelling, “crucify him.” They mocked him, scourged him, and then nailed him to a cross. With all that going on, it had to be a source of great comfort for Jesus to think of Mary, who seized that timely moment to show him how much she cared.
Jesus spoke plainly here about his burial, and in the other passages he spoke of being delivered over to his enemies to be crucified (Mark 14:1-2; Matthew 26:1-5; Luke 22:1-2). When Mary poured out her costly perfume, it was act of devotion that Jesus greatly appreciated. The next time a fragrance was poured out to anoint Jesus, he couldn’t enjoy it (John 19:38-40). He was already dead.
In Mark 14:9, Jesus commemorated Mary with these words: “Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Jesus holds Mary out as an example to all people, all around the world. Because, the truth is, without this kind of radical love and passion for the Lord, the gospel will never be effectively spread to unreached places.
Perhaps you would say, “I believe in Jesus, but I’ve never experienced the kind of passion for him that you’re talking about. I’m just one of those low key, non-expressive types.” Okay, your personality may not be as demonstrative as others. That’s understandable, but the question is: Are you truly grateful that Jesus took you from death to life? And do you recognize that the love Jesus has for you is the greatest love of all? He’s simply asking us to love him back, with everything we’ve got.
How do you express your love for Jesus? Perhaps you appreciate prayer walks, where you’re enjoying nature and being with the Lord outdoors. Perhaps you respond well to worship music. Your heart just kind of leaps for joy when certain songs are played. Maybe you need to get some songs on your phone, iPad, or laptop, and connect with God in that way. Maybe you play an instrument and you can use it to worship the Lord.
Some of us seem to have our deepest experiences with God when we’re being intellectually stimulated through in-depth Bible study and learning. Another way to show our love for God is to tell people about Jesus, serve the poor, and do deeds of kindness in his name. A strong relational connection is important for all of us, so why not make it a priority to join a small group as soon as possible?
Most of us need to slow down and sit quietly at Jesus’ feet, to listen to him and learn from him. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). Take some time this week to identify one step that you plan to take to express your love for God and to deepen your connection with him.
Prayer
Help us to express our love for you, God, each and every day. You have loved us with a perfect love; it is our joy to respond to your love by loving you back. We will not hold back, Lord, but like Mary, we will continue to pour out our hearts in worship to you. You are worthy of all our praise!
Question
How will you express your love for the Lord this week?