The Beautification of a King: When worship looks wasteful

I’m a creature of my environment. Most women are. We tend to take on our environment and kind of mold or blend into it. This is why women do not merely live in a house, but they create a home. Look around, you probably have decorated your home with family pictures, Bible verses, colorful decor, and other elements that make your space special. Women make things beautiful; it is part of how God created us. 

As women, we tend to take this aspect of beautification into our worship with the Lord. We like to make the Lord feel beautiful, so to speak. 

That’s how it was for Mary. She was an ordinary woman with an expensive jar of oil. Perhaps, it was the only thing of value she owned. We don’t know much else about Mary, yet it’s impossible to read the gospels and not know of Mary. 

I imagine Mary was just like you and me, she was longing for something more than this earthly life could offer. She searched for greater purpose, maybe she felt a void or like something wasn’t right in her life. She had flaws and often reached for earthly substances to fill the eternal hole in her heart. She always hoped for more, but she did not know how to find it.

Then one day, she was invited to dinner. This was normal in her time, to join friends and neighbors for a meal. But she heard hushed whispers around town that a special guest would be present. A guest who healed the sick, cast out demons, and even raised the dead to life. She heard rumors that this guest might just be the one she was longing for, the one she needed. So, she dressed in her finest attire, covered her hair as was customary, and at the last moment, felt a stirring to pack her most costly bottle of perfume. She eagerly went to dinner, hoping to be near this special guest. 

Once she arrived, the table was set, and people gathered around the guest of honor. She hesitantly peeked around the table to see if she could get closer. She could hear his voice. She could feel his peace. She was overwhelmed by his love, by his gentleness. Inch by inch, she drew closer, and inch-by-inch was overtaken by a love she had never felt before. Without thinking, she threw herself at his feet. She threw herself at the feet of Jesus. 

Mary began to weep, she was in awe, she was in wonder. “Who was this man, they called the Messiah? Could it really be him? Could he really save me?”, she thought. She was afraid to look up, afraid he would disapprove of her. She was a woman; she could be arrested for such a bold act. She felt his hand on her cheek, she heard his whisper “daughter, you are loved”. She knew she was safe. She knew he was the Messiah, the one she was waiting for. She quickly retrieved her costly perfume and began to pour it on his feet. She sang softly as she anointed him with her oil. She wept as she adorned him with the scent of perfume. She wanted to pour out her very best for him, she was willing to give up everything, if it meant she could sit with him. 

Mary paid a price that day. She put herself on the line. In her culture, it was inappropriate, if not illegal, for a woman to do what she did. She likely drew the attention of those around her, who would have been displeased with her display of worship. She was criticized for wasting a costly bottle of perfume. She was deemed to be unacceptable. Her act of worship was rejected by those around her. 

Except for Jesus. 

While others rejected her, he promoted her, rebuking the others “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 26:10-13.

Significance: 

The act of anointing Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume is significant for several reasons. First, it shows Mary’s deep love and devotion to Jesus, it shows she was willing to offer her most costly gift in his honor. Second, it symbolizes Jesus’ imminent death and burial. Last, Mary reveals a heart of humility and service as she wipes Jesus’s feet with her hair, a scandalous act in her culture. 

Her humility, offering, and heart of devotion took her ordinary bottle of perfume and made it into something even greater: 

The beautification of a King and the preparation for His sacrifice. 

With her oil and heart of devotion, Mary poured out everything she had on the Lord’s feet. She didn’t worry or care about what others might think. She didn’t worry about the money or cost of the perfume. She didn’t worry about her reputation or her safety. She had one thing on her heart, to worship Jesus, to worship the King. And to bring him something beautiful. 

Reflection

Think about what you treasure the most. Perhaps a car, a house, or a wedding ring? Maybe you have something that is not expensive, but it is invaluable to you. What is that one thing that you could not live without or that you cherish the most in life? 

Think about that item. Does it bring you joy? Does it provide you with safety, security, or comfort? Does it give you a sense of belonging or identity? 

Now, think about Jesus’ walking into your home today. What would you do? Would you sit and have a cup of coffee with him? Would you put on some worship music and sit at his feet? Or would you prepare a meal for him and bring out the best your home has to offer him?

If you’re anything like Mary, you would sit at his feet and bring him your most valuable and treasured possessions, the things you hold most dear. And you would not just offer it to him as a gift, but you would pour it on his feet, essentially, giving away that treasured possession all together. 

What others thought was foolish or wasteful, Mary saw as an opportunity to show her love and devotion to Jesus. She wasn’t embarrassed to pour out such a public display of affection, she wanted to show her love in the most lavish way she could. Sometimes our devotion to the Lord will look foolish to others but what looks foolish to others, God sees as the beautification of a King.