Father, it was a wonderful day of worship and then a great time of gathering with extended family. At this point, it is no longer sweltering but my body and my mind are weary. Help me to be attentive to Your word to me this evening. Amen.
Mark 14:3-9 (<<click to read the passage)
Is there anything in our lives, that we would label as highly valuable, that we would struggle to let go of for Jesus? Friends? Possessions? Time? Jobs? Each of us probably would not find it difficult to fill in the blank. Now that doesn’t mean that we would have to give whatever up but it could, most definitely, be a possibility.
The woman in this passage (John tells us, in his Gospel, that it is Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus) chooses to anoint Jesus’ head with a very expensive jar of perfume. “Essence of nard”, according to the study notes of the Amplified Bible, “was a thick, scented oil (nard) obtained from the root of a flowering plant grown in the Himalayas of Tibet (not exactly down the street!) Smith’s Bible Dictionary states that calculating it in today’s value that it “would equal at least $300 or $400.” That’s a substantial about of money today as well!
It was a sacrifice on her part but to her, Jesus was even more valuable! She was willing to give up something of great value because to her, Jesus was more than worth it! Yes, she was sharply criticized for the act but Jesus “had her back”, if you will. It was not done to be wasteful but it expressed her love for and devotion to Him. She may not have understood all the ramifications of it but obviously, she was compelled to give her very best, regardless of the cost to honor Him.
Lord Jesus, if I am being totally candid and transparent, is there anything that I would not give to honor You? As I sit here nothing comes to mind but if it came to the point where the rubber meets the road, would I do it? I pray that I would. I want to say that there would be no question about it, but honestly, I don’t think this was an off-the-cuff decision on her part to anoint Jesus with such an expensive gift and I don’t think I would do so on a whim either. But what I do know is that You would be worth it – whatever “it” would be – for You spared no expense for my salvation. In fact, You gave Your very life so that I would not be condemned for my sin but that because of Your sacrifice my sins could be totally eradicated when I, in true faith, seek Your forgiveness. May I give my all, no holding back! Amen.
July 21st, 2019, Sun, 8:21 pm
