“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair.”   John 12:3

When we love someone or something, we go to extremes to demonstrate our affection.

Consider:

A boyfriend who drives five hours to spend two hours with the girl he loves.

An NFL fan who paints their chest and sits in frigid temperatures to cheer on his team.

Or a ‘Swiftie’ (a fan of Taylor Swift) who waits in a long line at 3 AM to buy a T-shirt.

We do these things without thinking, without hesitation. They’re simply a natural overflow of our devotion.

One night, Mary does something a little extreme at a dinner party in Jesus’ honor. She pours out a bottle of priceless perfume on Jesus’ feet (I’m not sure a Swiftie would even do that for Taylor). In doing so, she shows us what worshiping and adoring Jesus looks like. 

After all, worship is much more than merely attending a church service. Worship is declaring the worthiness of Jesus with our entire being, our time, attention, energy, resources, talents, and our very lives!

Let’s unpack what Mary’s “extreme” behavior teaches us about worship:  

• Worship is a response: Worship is not something we manufacture. It’s not self-generated action. On the contrary, worship is reacting to who God is and what He’s done through Jesus Christ. It’s a byproduct of seeing His beauty and understanding a fraction of His greatness. When the God of infinite glory reveals Himself, there’s only one proper response: worship. 

In this particular case, Mary’s act of worship is in response to a miracle: Jesus raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead (John 11:38-44). Recognizing she’s in the presence of the “Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25), Mary is not content for this to be a typical dinner party. She goes above and beyond to express her love and gratitude to Jesus.

While we haven’t been raised physically like Lazarus, Jesus has raised us spiritually. “When we were dead in our trespasses and sins, we were made alive in Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). The question becomes, How will we respond to what Jesus has done for us?

• Worship entails sacrifice: For us, perfume/cologne is an everyday commodity. We spray it on without giving it much thought. For Mary, however, this perfume was worth a year’s wages (John 12:5). It could’ve been sold in an emergency and, therefore, was a source of financial security for her family. Yes, giving up this little bottle of perfume was an enormous sacrifice. But Jesus was worth it.

Not all sacrifices look like Mary’s (Remember the widow’s mite? Luke 21:1-4), but true worship always involves some expression of selflessness. Worship calls us to lay down what is most precious to us – namely, ourselves.  

• Worship demands humility: Mary doesn’t anoint Jesus’ head, but His dirty, smelly feet. This was a job typically reserved for servants. To top it off, she doesn’t use a cloth or a towel to accomplish this menial task.  No, she uses her own hair. Needless to say, this was not normal behavior.  

However, in the presence of Jesus, it was entirely appropriate for Mary to forget about herself and worship with selfless abandon. To lift up the name of Jesus, we must bow down.  

Here’s the million-dollar question: When was the last time you humbly and sacrificially responded to the worthiness of Jesus? 

Can you honestly say there’s ever been a time when you went to the extreme to honor what He’s done on your behalf?

In other words, when was the last time you worshiped like Mary?

Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH

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