Day Seven: Poured Out

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 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 26:6-13 NIV)

The placement of this story in Matthew’s narrative is extremely enlightening, as the verses immediately following these provide us the account of Judas betraying Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

The narrative found in John 12 gives insight into the true heart of Judas and the indignation of the disciples over the “waste” of this perfume. It says,

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. (vv. 4-6)

That was Judas’s heart. For Judas, money was his master. It had his heart. And he was willing to go as far as betraying Jesus to gain its wealth, believing it would give him something it could never deliver. We know how that turned out.

In contrast to Judas, this woman who is Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, takes a very expensive perfume that Luke tells us was worth a year’s wages and pours it out on Jesus’ head.

In doing so, she worshipped her Master and Lord, pouring out her love and gratitude. He had her heart. And she was willing to pour out her wealth on Him, even if it cost her a year’s wages.

The value of the perfume meant nothing to her in earthly terms. But it meant everything to her in showing just how much she valued her Lord. For Mary, it was a symbol of how she was totally poured out for Jesus.

Over the last seven days, we’ve been looking at the seductive power of money and its ability to control our lives and to do so at the expense of our wholehearted devotion to Jesus. In fact, that is your and my default position with money.

That’s why Jesus talks about money more than heaven and hell combined. And if our relation to money is that important to Jesus, then it needs to be that important to you and me.

If you will heed Jesus’ advice and put money where it belongs in your life and let Jesus take His rightful place as your true Lord, you will find the security only He can deliver. My prayer is that you will do so today.

This devotional is based off the book, "Secure", by Rick Dunham. Find out more about the book here.