Making a Difference in the Shadows, Not the SpotlightSample

Jesus was in Bethany having dinner with his disciples (Matt. 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9) when an unnamed woman “approached him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table” (Matt. 26:7).

Whoever it was, the disciples were indignant at her actions. They asked, “Why this waste?” and suggested, “This might have been sold for a great deal and given to the poor” (Matt. 26:8b–9). Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a noble thing for me. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. By pouring this perfume on my body, she has prepared me for burial” (Matt. 26:10–12).

Jesus couched important insights in this rebuke. First, he revealed that his early followers struggled to grasp that our priority is ministry to Jesus rather than ministry for him. This is still a common problem. We want to do ministry for Jesus. He wants us to do this, but not at the expense of first serving him. We must not lose focus on maintaining personal, intimate devotion to Jesus. Second, he confronted their mistaken belief that extravagance directed toward Jesus somehow exhausts our capacity to serve others. Jesus stated a hard reality, “You will always have the poor with you,” to restore perspective to the conversation. Jesus’ time on earth was limited. Poverty would remain a persistent problem that would always need to be addressed. Through how he responded in this situation, Jesus teaches the importance of serving him. We do this today by spending time in private devotion or personal worship. This involves spiritual disciplines like reading the Bible, meditating on biblical insights, praying (perhaps with fasting), and singing worship songs to Jesus.

Christians also serve Jesus by serving others. His frank assessment about the poor acknowledged human needs that will always demand our attention. Jesus wasn’t advocating that we callously ignore those needs. He was prioritizing relating to him above doing work for him. On another occasion, Jesus indicated that serving others is one way to express devotion to him. He said, “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matt. 25:37–40).

Personal devotion to Jesus versus serving others to express devotion to Jesus isn’t an either/or proposition. It’s a priority problem. We must first serve Jesus through personal devotion, then through practical service to others. When the latter takes precedence, we wear ourselves out with self-motivated attempts to gain his favor. Burnout often results. You may find yourself exhausted from service as devotion, rather than devotion producing service. When you focus on serving as a result of devotion to Jesus, your outflow is sourced by his renewing presence working through you. As a shadow Christian, you have the privilege of an intimate relationship with Jesus resulting in service extended in his name. 

Questions to think about: 

1. How would you describe your priority for ministry? Is it to Jesus or for Jesus? 
2. What are some practical things you can do to shift your priority to ministry for Jesus?