“When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Matthew 26 v 12
What do you want to be remembered for?
Some people hope it will be their achievements, others their financial success and some their contribution to society. But today we see that what Jesus honours is a heart of devotion. A heart that is not concerned by what others think but is concerned only to follow the prompting of the Spirit. A heart that is led by His extravagant love. In today’s passage we read of how Jesus had been spending time with His disciples. At this time Jesus had informed them that during the Feast of Passover, which was two days away, ‘the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified’. The timing of this interaction is hugely important. We know that Passover referred to the time in Egypt where the angel of death came through the streets to kill the firstborn child in each house whilst passing over the houses that had applied the blood of a lamb to their doors. Jesus knew He was soon to be betrayed, God had chosen for this to be the time where Jesus would become the sacrifice for us, the lamb who would die for the redemption of our sins.
Further into this chapter, we read of how Jesus was in the home of Simon the leper in Bethany. This is radical in itself, it demonstrates to us that Jesus’ heart was to acknowledge the people outcast by society, and to not simply spend time with them but to invest, value, honour and love on these people. Jesus did not care about the social ramifications that this association would bring, He was simply modelling out the heart of His father while on the earth, even in His last days! This is a challenge for all of us! Do we try to live our lives in this way, or do we get too caught up and concerned by the opinion of others around us? Verse 12 then tells of how a woman courageously approached Jesus and poured the most expensive perfume on His head from an alabaster jar. The disciples that witness this act are described as being ‘indignant’ accompanied with the commentary of ‘why this waste?’ It is important to recognise that the disciples are probably still processing Jesus’ earlier comments, regarding the Son of Man being handed over to be crucified, but let’s look at what this act of surrender from the woman truly represented.
Firstly, it required boldness to approach Jesus while with His disciples, it is likely she had to overcome the looks of that busy room while walking towards Jesus with this extravagant jar of perfume in her grasp. She had to set doubt and fear aside whilst remaining determined to do what she had come to do. The importance of honouring Jesus was of greater weight to her than the reaction of those around her. Lastly, her actions required sacrifice socially but also economically. As mentioned, this perfume was expensive enough that the disciples considered it to be a ‘waste’ in this circumstance. The alabaster jar of fragrance would have been considered a luxury, it would have had a large price tag and would have only been used in the most exceptional of circumstances. She could have sold it and received a substantial sum of money in return but in Her spirit, she knew this was the purpose for which it had been entrusted to her. Jesus is more than aware of the thoughts and conversations happening in the room at this time following this act of love. Jesus then publicly acknowledges what this woman has done, He knows the magnitude of her sacrifice and significance of her actions that is preparing Him for the days ahead. In burial, bodies would be anointed with fragrance and oil and Jesus recognises this act has been one to prepare Him for the days that lay ahead of Him. Her sacrifice was so counter cultural and extravagant that Jesus recognises that it would be remembered throughout the world.
We can at times find it so easy to ‘sacrifice’ the things we hold lightly, it may be easier to give if we are in a place of abundance. It may be nicer to serve if it is an area we are interested in and it also may be simpler to love the people who have it ‘altogether’, but we have access to such grace that it is simply too important to keep to ourselves. When we are transformed by this grace and know we are righteous as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, may we have His eyes to see the people in our lives who need this transformation too and not hold back!
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Easter Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2021