Why This Waste?

“Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?” Matthew 26:6-8 

Just imagine what this must have been like for Mary...

She is carrying a full years’ wages in the form of myrrh to pour over the head of her Lord.

Remember this is a years’ worth of wages... How would you feel walking through the streets where you live carrying a years’ worth of wages?

Do you think maybe she was feeling nervous?

What might she have been thinking about as she walked through the small village of Bethany over to Simon’s home where Jesus was?

What do you think is going through her mind in those few minutes leading up to walking in that house?

Perhaps she wondered if Jesus’ disciples believed Him when He spoke of laying down His life...

Maybe, as she walked through the streets, she wondered what they would think when she poured this fragrance over Jesus’ head...

Could she have been wondering if they will they even understand what she’s about to do? Was she apprehensive on how they would react to her offering?

Could Mary have been concerned about what they will think of her? 

I don’t know, however if I’m honest, and put myself in her shoes, I know that these thoughts and questions would have been going through my mind...

But then again... I the story of Lazarus, her brother who was dead, and walked out of his tomb, alive. Perhaps this caused any uncertainties or reservations Mary might have had to leave her...

And yet I have to believe that Mary wasn’t much different from the rest of us... I’m sure she must have been working through some of the thoughts that are common to us all.

Nevertheless, I do believe she had to have had an amazing resolve and a firm belief that enabled her to put all her hope, and all her fears, her everything...

In to the One she believed WAS WORTHY OF IT ALL.

Mary - had a purpose – a determination because Jesus was worth it.

But how did she get there, and how can we?

A good place to start would be to remember the story in Luke chapter 10 (verse 42). When Mary was interacting with Jesus while He was spending time teaching in her and her sister Martha’s home.

Martha had gone to Jesus because she wanted her sister Mary to help... And Jesus said... “But one thing is necessary and Mary has chosen the good portion,”

Perhaps This is when Mary began to find her resolve... in this “one thing” that Jesus was talking about.

Do you remember what she had chosen? 

She chose to sit at His feet and listen to His Words.

Here the God of the universe had said to her, "the one thing necessary,” And Mary chose the good portion.

Mary realized Jesus’ worth because she had spent time with Him.

For we will never see the worth of Jesus without spending time with Jesus.

Time is the most precious thing we have, and without daily doing that “one necessary thing,” everything else in our lives creeps up as way more necessary than it should ever be.

And we would also do well to take note from these simple words...

If you are like me, You may hear this voice chime in when it comes to setting aside real time to ‘sit at His feet and listen to His Words.’  

A voice that says: “Why This Waste?” 

Sound familiar? The same accusation the disciples hurled at Mary as she emptied all that she was worth on the One Who she saw as Worthy.

“Why This Waste?” We hear it from the old man within us.

We hear it from our culture that tells us that if we don’t accomplish certain things, that our worth is in question. We hear it from the pit of hell... that there are so many other things we could be or should be doing today... and Jesus is not in that list

It’s a deceitful voice. It can easily convince us that what we are doing is good and godly.

And like Martha, concern ourselves with the “more important things” that need to be done before we give Him ‘our’ time. 

Sadly, some of the important” things we believe are worthy of our time are not.

John Piper once said, that he believes "One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day - that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.' "

Let’s stop and consider our own priorities with spending time with Jesus.

For we need to make the place that Mary went, a normal stop. We need to allow His steadfast love to be better that life. 

We like Mary need to sit at His feet and listen to His Words. We need to return to that place day after day, and behold His Power and Glory.”   And fall in love over and over again for the One Who is Worthy....  

 “So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,” Psalm 63:2–5

...because He is WORTHY OF IT ALL.