I have a confession to make. I am one of the cheapest people I know. I’m just so darn practical. I love coupons and sales and the thrill of getting a deal on something. If I can buy something that will work for a low price, I have a hard time splurging on something more expensive. I don’t like spending money on unnecessary things (though I often make an exception for cute clothes). I just want to be wise with my money and be a good manager of it.
My husband would rather spend a little bit more money for a higher quality product. Sometimes that’s hard for me, but oftentimes he is right. There are times when it’s okay to splurge. Over the years, he has helped me to loosen up when it comes to money. Still, I have a hard time not thinking certain things are extravagant. It can be hard for me not to judge others for what they will spend on things I think are unnecessary and silly.
An Extravagant Gift
In John chapter 12, we see someone give a lavishly extravagant gift. Mary wants to do something special for Jesus. He has just raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. Mary had doubted Jesus. She had wondered why he hadn’t healed her brother, why he hadn’t come sooner. Still, despite her doubts, Jesus had raised her brother from the dead.
To thank Jesus, while he’s having dinner at her family’s home, Mary brings out an expensive jar of perfume. John tells us the perfume was worth a whole year’s worth of wages. That’s a lot of money. Mary pours the whole thing on Jesus’ feet. The delicious smell of the perfume wafts through the air. People look to see what’s happening. Then Mary takes her hair and uses it to wipe Jesus’ feet. She humbly gives all she has, including her dignity, to Jesus as an offering of worship.
At this moment, Mary sees Jesus for who he is. She knows what he’s done for her. She recognizes that nothing she has is worthy of him, but she gives the best she has.
An Stingy Reaction
Not everyone is pleased about this. Judas (you know, the guy who betrays Jesus) is not happy. He thinks the gift is wasteful and he tells Jesus so. That money could have been used to help the poor. How dare she waste it on Jesus’ feet. Now, John lets us know that Judas doesn’t have great motives here. He’s just mad the money didn’t go to him. He handled Jesus’ money and he liked to “borrow” a little here and there.
Jesus immediately defends Mary. He says she’s done a beautiful thing. She had a unique opportunity to do something for Jesus. The poor will always be around. This moment, this time with Jesus won’t.
To be honest, my cheap, practical self has a hard time not siding with Judas in this story (never a good place to be). Mary’s gift just seems so extravagant, so over the top, such a waste of resources. That’s not how Jesus sees it though. Jesus sees it as a unique form of worship, a lavish display of love. The extravagant nature of the gift says something about Jesus, that he’s worth it. He deserves it all. It also says something about the giver, Mary. She’s willing to pour it all out for him. She’s willing to offer Jesus everything she has and put her dignity on the line for him.
This story can teach us a few things:
Jesus deserves it all.
We are called to be like Mary, giving lavishly extravagant gifts to Jesus.. We could give all that we have to Jesus and it would still never be enough. We shouldn’t hold back our time, talents, treasure, resources, anything we have. We should be willing to give it all back to the one who gave it to us in the first place.
Are you holding anything back from Jesus? Do you have a hard time trusting him with your finances, your relationships, your time? What would it look like in your life to offer those things to Jesus? It might be as simple as starting to tithe or spending time on your own in worship.
Worship isn’t practical.
Pouring an entire bottle of really expensive perfume on someone’s feet is maybe the least practical thing of all time. Our God is not a God of practicality. What’s practical is not his first priority. He is a lavish, extravagant God who created a world that doesn’t just function, it’s also beautiful. Flowers don’t need to be beautiful to function (and some aren’t), but God created them to be beautiful to bring glory to himself and joy to us.
God isn’t practical and he doesn’t expect us to be practical all the time either. He wants us to do impractical things that bring us joy. This is one of the ways we worship him, by taking advantage of the gifts, talents, and joys that he’s given us. Music, art, poetry, sports, all of these things are impractical, they don’t accomplish anything amazing in and of themselves, but they are beautiful. We come to know God through them and we can worship God by doing them. Go sing out loud. Cover your sidewalks with colorful chalk drawings. Play in the rain. All of these things can be ways that you worship
When we worship, we lose our dignity.
Wiping someone’s feet with your hair is pretty gross, especially if that person is barefoot or just wears sandals all the time. However, Mary is willing to sacrifice her own dignity to worship Jesus. We are called to do the same thing.
This is a struggle for me. I don’t like to be embarrassed. I don’t want to do the wrong thing, but God calls me to give up my dignity to worship him. What would it look like for you to sacrifice your dignity to worship God? Maybe you actually sing in the worship service or you put your hands up. Maybe you’re not afraid to dance with your kids as they worship with you at home or in public? Maybe it means stepping out an sharing your art, your writing, your poetry, your athleticism or your other talents in front of others so they can worship God with you are using your gifts.
There’s always a place for lavish gifts.
Jesus is not going to physically come to dinner at our house, so we can’t pour expensive perfume on his feet. However, Jesus says that whatever we do for other people, we do for him (Matthew 25:40). We can give extravagant gifts to the least among us, and by doing so we give them to Jesus.
Find ways to give extravagant gifts to Jesus. Leave a ridiculously huge tip at a restaurant. Donate your wedding dress to someone who needs one. Buy Christmas gifts for kids whose parents can’t afford them, and go over the top. While there’s some value in being cheap and practical, the God who promises to provide all we need invites us to become lavishly extravagant.
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