Yesterday in our church service we talked about Palm Sunday and that even as Jesus was coming into Jerusalem, being celebrated and lauded as the King, He knew that the cost of following the Father would require that He sacrifice all of Himself.
We start today, by looking at a story that happened the day before Easter, and looking at a woman who understood the costly price of following Jesus as well. This passage is from John 12:1-8, “Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 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. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 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. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
Do you remember these friends of Jesus? These are the same sisters, Mary and Martha, who were unhappy with Jesus when he delayed to come to help when Lazarus was ill, and Lazarus ended up dying. Jesus wept for the death of his friend, and then raised him from the dead!
These sisters had seen the miracle of resurrection, they saw their brother come out of the grave. They saw the impossible become possible. At this dinner, Mary did something unusual. She took a pound of expensive ointment from pure nard and anointed Jesus’ feet. This wasn’t just like a bottle of expensive perfume. It’s cost was an entire year’s wage. An entire year’s wage! Think of what an entire year’s wages are for you. What would it feel like for you to write a check right now to Jesus for that full amount and just hand it over?
It would be a costly sacrifice for most of us. We struggle to give God our 10% tithes, or 30 minutes of time with Him every day, or making it to worship service every Sunday with our families. So to offer an entire year’s worth of income is unimaginable.
But this is where the Easter story starts—with a woman, a friend of Jesus, who gave something that cost her dearly, and humbled herself by washing his feet with her hair. Mary got it. Christ deserves our all, our best. Why then, do we give Him our leftovers?
Today, what would it look like to give Jesus your all, your best? Does it mean more time spent with Him today? Does it mean walking away from a situation that isn’t glorifying to Him? Spend a moment with Him right now and ask what He is asking of you today, to give your all to Him.