Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

In Mark 14, Jerusalem is abuzz with preparations for Passover weekend. The religious leaders have decided to get rid of Jesus. But maybe not during the holiday, because his fans might riot. 

Meanwhile, Jesus has been predicting his death, but only he and the religious leaders who hate him believe he will really die.

Now, two days before Passover, Jesus is feasting at the home of Simon the Leper. Unnoticed and uninvited, a woman slips into the feast, breaks open an alabaster jar of high-end perfume, and pours it on Jesus’ head. 

The feasters are annoyed, and heap abuse on the woman. Why, they demand, are you wasting a whole bottle of expensive perfume? 

They point out that she could sell the jar for 300 denarii, about a year’s wage. Like $25,000 if your McJob pays minimum wage. Why didn’t the lady do something useful, like giving the money to the poor, instead of using her perfume to make a scene?  

Jesus rebuked the rebukers. “Leave her alone,” he said. “She anointed me to prepare me for burial. You can give to the poor whenever you want. But her gift is special.” 

Comments. 

1. First, it’s weird that this woman would so publicly demonstrate love for Jesus. When I go to church, I don’t pour perfume on our preacher. Do you think this passage suggests I should?  

2. What magnificent symbolism. Most scriptural anointings commission kings, priests, or prophets. But here’s Jesus, whom God has already anointed and commissioned, getting a second anointing. This time in an inappropriate situation, by an unnamed woman, in a strange, public display of affection, using a whole bottle of perfume, reminding Jesus he will soon die. Awkward!

3. Third, Jesus’ response to her extravagance tells us how God calculates return on investment. God didn’t order a cost-benefit analysis on the best use of an expensive gift. Jesus accepts a woman’s perfume, as he earlier accepted a widow’s gift of pennies.

Let’s pray. 

O father, how strange is this woman’s action. Did she think interrupting a feast was a good idea? Did she understand she was anointing Jesus for burial? 

Or was she motivated by something else entirely? Perhaps love for Jesus with no limits and no boundaries?

Unlike her, we calculate the value of our giving. We do the math on our tithes and claim tax benefits with the receipts. We hoard our alabaster jars and our bank accounts. They are piggy banks for a rainy day, not funds to spend lavish gifts.  

O father, grant us freedom of heart to count less and give more. To value relationships more than money. To exchange our hoarding ways for extravagant love and spontaneous generosity.  

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

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