Holy Wednesday: Costly Worship of our Priceless Savior
As we enter Wednesday of Holy Week, the Biblical account of Jesus on this day is incredibly brief. We are only told of one story from this day, but it is an especially beautiful story to meditate upon that reveals some glorious truths about Jesus and His Kingdom. Here is the account of this story taken from the Gospel of Mark…
“And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”
Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him. (Mark 14:3-11, ESV)
Three glimpses of Jesus and His Kingdom that I want to reflect on today…
1. Jesus is worthy of costly sacrifice.
This is an incredibly poignant scene. While reclining at table, a woman approaches Jesus and pours a flask of anointing oil over his head. The oil was incredibly expensive – this single flask was worth the equivalent of 300 days wages. In our modern currency, assuming an hourly wage of $15, that would be something like $36,000 worth of oil poured out in this moment. Can you imagine? I am not sure there is any equivalent to this kind of expensive oil in our day.
Put yourself in this moment – how would you have responded? Do you identify with some of the disciples at all, who asked themselves, “Why this waste? We could have done so much good for the poor with that money!” I absolutely do! I am definitely an economizer (at least that’s what I call it; my wife calls me “cheap”). I am always trying to squeeze every dollar for all its worth. If I had been there in this moment, I am certain my objections would have been similar.
Truly, I think that is the point. As Jesus defends this woman and celebrates her offering, it is meant to be surprising. Jesus is making a point here – He is worthy of costly sacrifice! This expensive flask is being poured out upon the creator of heaven and earth, the redeemer of our souls, the prized lamb of God who was slain for the sins of the world – he is worthy of it all! No sacrifice is too great, and no cost is too much! In this passage we are catching a glimpse of the value of Jesus – He is invaluable, and He is worthy of it all in our worship.
2. Jesus defends His worshippers.
As the disciples “scold” this woman for her costly sacrifice, look again at Jesus’ response – “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.” I love this! Jesus steps between the tension of this moment, and He refuses to allow the sincere worship of this woman be criticized. He defends her to the hilt, going so far as to call her sacrifice “beautiful.”
This teaches another glorious truth about Jesus – He defends His worshippers! He loves to be worshipped rightly in Spirit and in Truth, and He never rejects those who come to Him this way. He receives our worship, He defends us as worshippers, and He declares our worship beautiful! Though acknowledging it is indeed good to do good to the poor, He elevates worship above good works as the ultimate calling upon us all, defending this woman in hers. We are to love him with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and all our strength – just as she has done here!
3. The good news of Jesus will go to the whole world.
As Jesus concludes his defense of this woman and her costly sacrifice, he utters one final glorious statement that is worth our attention – “And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” This is a great promise! Jesus honors this woman by promising that her story will never be forgotten, and instead it will be told all throughout the world wherever the gospel goes forth.
How amazing is that? Jesus knew before it ever happened that this story would be written down and recorded in the gospel narratives. Then He worked providentially through biblical authors like Mark to make sure it was indeed recorded. And now, as His church carries the good news to all the peoples of the world, her story is indeed being remembered everywhere!
Jesus knew that His work on Calvary was not just for a select few who lived in Jerusalem. His sacrifice on the Cross was to secure a people for Himself from every tribe, every tongue, and every nation on the planet. And indeed, He has commissioned His church to go forth proclaiming His gospel until all of His people are brought into His family!
Our Savior is amazing! He saves us from the darkness of our sin into the glories of His perfect redemption. He shows us how worthy He is of our worship. He defends us as we sacrifice and live for Him! And He calls us to take the good news of His work to others! As we approach Easter Sunday, let us remember His worth and consider how we can make costly sacrifices to serve and obey Him rightly!
Pray – Ask God to give you eyes to rightly see and understand the true enormous worth of Jesus. Pray that you would never value anything more than Him in this life. Ask Him to show you how you can worship with a sincere heart of genuine sacrifice in the days ahead!
Sing – If you have additional time, take a few moments to listen and reflect upon the lyrics of How Rich A Treasure We Possess in light of this passage from Mark 14.