When I graduated from Rhodes College, all of my friends were getting traditional jobs that came with salaries, benefits, and career trajectories. I spent the summer living at home, writing fundraising letters for a ministry role that paid $24,000 a year. It felt foolish to leverage my entire network so I could do Bible studies with students I'd never met. But efficiency is a market value, not a kingdom one. Love often looks like bad math.
Matthew 26:6-16
While Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman approached him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw it, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. "This might have been sold for a great deal and given to the poor." Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a noble thing for me. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. By pouring this perfume on my body, she has prepared me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her." Then one of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him. And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.
Assume you had $100,000 sitting in a bank account. Would you cash out your account to buy a single bottle of Parfum VI by Gianni Vive Sulman? If you did, would you be willing to shatter the crystal bottle and its diamond-studded stopper at church on Sunday? Imagine the aroma of jasmine, roses, sandalwood, and cinnamon filling the sanctuary. It's said that this scent was Michael Jackson's favorite. If it adorned his concerts, why not the worship of God? If anyone did this at my church, I would think they were crazy. At first glance, the disciples' reaction to this woman seems entirely reasonable. But Jesus rebukes them because they are responding to beautiful worship with spiritual revulsion. He sees what they can't: she gave her all to honor his commitment to give his all. And the disciples' professed concern for the poor? If they wanted to sacrificially redirect their resources for the needy, they've always had that opportunity. This is the moment that broke Judas. After seeing Jesus honor this woman, he decided to negotiate his own price. He and the chief priests agreed: thirty pieces of silver was the right amount to betray Jesus. This story exists because the apostles eventually came to see this unnamed woman as a role model. Though the apostles didn't get it at the time, they eventually saw things from Jesus' perspective, and so they wanted to share her story. What was her insight? She saw that worship doesn't have an ROI. The fragrance of that moment has wafted through people's hearts for two thousand years. This woman poured out everything because she adored Jesus. Judas asked, "What's in it for me?" Jesus didn't just break open a bottle of expensive perfume. He broke his body for us. How does his extravagant sacrifice affect your heart?
Why do you think Jesus rebuked the disciples so strongly?
The disciples brought a "market mindset" to their relationship with Jesus. Where do you notice that impulse in yourself?
What would it look like for you to give God something that doesn't make strategic sense?
We often try to optimize our schedules. Today, set a timer for five minutes, sit in a chair, and "waste time" with Jesus. Don't ask for anything, just share how much you love him. When the timer goes off, text a friend. "I tried spending five minutes of unproductive time with Jesus. What surprised me was..."
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