While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as 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.As I read this passage, I was (un)surprisingly convicted by the similarity of the disciples' response and my own response to Christ.
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. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
One line in particular stands out; "Why this waste?"
Waste? Waste?! Waste?!?! This is the Son of God, and it's waste?! How could they think that Jesus is not worth enough to be anointed with some perfume? How much do they actually value Him?! The pagans would build idols of gold, but these guys, who knew that Jesus was not just some false idol, thought this act of worship to be a stupid one?!
And then it hit me. How much do I value God? How much is He worth to me? Thirty pieces of silver? Where is my faith? Where is my love? I sing of surrender, but I wouldn't break my patchouli over His feet.
It's a funny thing, how we can get caught up in being a "Christian" by doing so many good things, but forget why we are doing it. We may say, "So the world will know Christ" but come on!! The world knows Christ. They know He died. But they don't know His love; His Mercy. Thus they do not value Him. They do not find Him worthy of worship.
So I am in the midst of a heart-check. I'm finding that I hold things higher than Christ. I'm finding that instead of offering the things that mean a lot to me, I hold onto them because I've incorrectly valued them.
We ought to re-evaluate our heart's affections, and if Christ is not in the center of our lives, then we are doing something wrong. How much more is a life than a bottle of oil? I want to give Him that.
1 comment:
there have been a few rare occasions that i read this blog and don't feel chalenged (i like wearing D.O.), but seriously, your thoughts of our modern christian attitude are flooring... Thank you for your candor in addressing such issues.
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