“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. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” — John 12:3, 7 - 8 NIV
One sad thing I’ve seen under this sun after attending some funerals is that people tend to express how they value the dead on their days of burial, not while they are living.
Numerous people hardly call to check up on people they ‘think’ they value until something happens to them. And even though this attitude is evil, it has gradually affected many believers’ lives. Nowadays, it’s common to see two people in one church only meeting themselves during church days. Apart from that, no phone calls or texts to check up on each other, not even once in a while. Jesus, seeing this thing, destroyed that attitude and mentality, first in the minds of the disciples and now to us.
When Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiped it with her hair, some of the disciples objected to her action. Although the book of John didn’t state this, I saw it in Mark 14:4-5. However, Judas Iscariot was bold enough to say that she could have sold that perfume and brought the money to the ministry. But Jesus’ reply was different.
Jesus told the disciples to leave the woman alone. In other words, they should stop complaining about what she did. Why? Because it showed that she valued Jesus’ presence, so much so that she couldn’t wait to honour Him with her best offering before His crucifixion. What can we learn from this?
1) We must learn how to show value to people, especially when they are living because no dead person is really honoured by what you do for him when he’s no more.
2) Sometimes, pastors must learn to enjoy their privileges as they serve God. That doesn’t mean the church should give all offerings to them. No. But once in a while, congregants should learn to honour them, not because they need them, but because it’s their right. Usually, in ministries, the leader works more than all the subordinates. In one ministry I know of, they’ve dedicated one Sunday every year, only to honour their prophet. You can apply this system in your ministry too.
Don’t wait for someone to die before offering your best help to the person. No matter how much you value people, they’ll not recognise anything you do for them or their family when they are gone. Letting this consciousness be in you becomes very powerful for God to use to root out selfishness from your life.
You’re a blessing.
Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, grant me a heart of compassion that seeks to offer my best help to people while they are living so that they’ll see the expression of Your love in me to them. Amen.
Devotional Code: KGD – 2023 – 050
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