Day 35 – Outrageous worship
Mark 14:1-11
Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So, he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
Liz Nixon writes:
What a contrast in these few verses! The religious men and leaders want Jesus dead, and a woman wants to anoint Him. It's no coincidence that she anoints Jesus on the same day that the lambs are being readied for sacrifice at the Passover. Hers is an act of worship, but one which is prophetic in nature, pointing towards Jesus' death. It's a simple act of love - she generously "wastes" what she has on Jesus - an expensive jar of perfume.
Some of those at the meal disapprove of the waste - it could have been used to help the poor. But Jesus sees her heart and He sees their hearts - hers is full of love and devotion, theirs is full of hypocrisy. They are not concerned about the poor - they are concerned about the extravagant, over the top worship she is pouring out. It's too much! Worship should be more controlled, restrained, appropriate right? And it seems that it is this act of extravagance which pushes Judas over the edge and sends him scurrying away into the night to betray his Master. It reminds me of King David dancing in the street before God, and his wife Michal despising him in her heart for it.
Sometimes, someone else's heartfelt worship reveals something hidden within our own heart - it can provoke us. How do you respond when someone is exuberantly praising or worshipping God? Does their worship cause you to worship or does it cause something else? Take some time to ask the Holy Spirit to examine your heart and reveal what is within it when it comes to the worship of God.