Fragrant Worship

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 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.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.

John 12:1-7

Have you ever said something you really didn’t mean in order to cover your true motives? Or maybe you said it and really convinced yourself that you believed it because you did not know your own heart or were not prepared to admit what was in your heart. Our text today looks at just that with the response of Judas to a moment when Mary ministered to Jesus.  There was a dinner given in Jesus’ honor just a short time after he had raised Lazarus from the dead. Mary took a jar of expensive perfume and washed Jesus’ feet with it and then wiped his feet with her own hair.

I love that it says: “and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” Our worship, our ministering to the Lord, ought to have that kind of an impact.

To fill the air with a sweet fragrance.

The air of offense is quite the opposite. It is not a fragrance, instead, it is an odor.

Our passage tells us that Judas objected. However it makes it clear that what he said in objecting and what his true motivations were, were quite different. Judas was a follower of Jesus Christ, selected by the Lord himself to be one of the twelve. While he would betray the Lord and perhaps at some later time would pass a point of no return I don’t think this moment was it. I believe there was still opportunity for him to repent. There was still that opportunity to examine his motives, ask for forgiveness and continue to walk with the Lord.

When we examine ourselves perhaps one way to measure where we stand is to ask the question: “What surrounds me?” Is it a fragrance of worship and ministry to the Lord or is it the odor of self-deception and objection to others worship? Instead of entering into worship ourselves do we always feel it necessary to criticize the worship of others and cloak those objections in religious excuses? Ouch!

I find it interesting that there is no account of Mary defending her actions. A true worshipper need not do that. Jesus came to her defense.

Ask the Lord to help you grow in your worship so that it is less and less about anything else and more and more about Him.