Reckless Love and Extravagant Appreciation

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly. "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial." (Mark 14:6-8)

Reckless love for Jesus! It is something we really see very little of. Extravagant displays of appreciation to God are foreign to many of us. Giving as little as possible and doing as little as possible are more the norm of the Christian church. Yet in this narrative, Jesus shocks us with His very own appreciation for reckless love and extravagant appreciation.

As Jesus stops in Bethany on His way to the cross he reclines for a meal with His friends and followers. As we see from reading this account in the other Gospels, Mary of Bethany breaks a white jar of perfume and pours it over Jesus. It is believed that this type of expensive perfume came from a plant root that is found near the Himalayan Mountains. The pouring of scented water or perfume was a normal practice by those hosting special guests. If the guest was a person of great honor then they would pour out the perfume and break the jar so that no person of lesser importance would ever use the same perfume or oil.

Jesus thought it was a wonderful act of kindness and yet those around him thought it a total waste of money. Such hypocrisy comes from Judas the betrayer who spouts off that the money could have been used to help the poor, like he really cared about the poor. Jesus tells them plainly that they could have been helping the poor all along and that the poor can be helped in the future as well, but this is a special gift which he appreciates.

As Jesus prepares for a week where people will mock him, spit on him, pull out his beard, beat him until he is unrecognizable and finally nail him to a cross to die, this last act of kindness is so appreciated by Him. Jesus once again uses the event and conversations to teach his followers as He speaks of the perfume as preparation for his burial to come, but in His humanity, He truly appreciates this extravagant gift given in reckless love.

Jesus says of her gift, "She has done a beautiful thing to me." The NIV translation does a good job of translating that word "good". There are two words that can be used for "good", one meaning "morally good" and the other meaning "lovely" or "beautiful". Mary was so caught up in the emotion that she poured the whole bottle of perfume on Jesus, and Jesus said it was a "lovely thing to do."

Mary was not thinking of the cost because it truly was worth a years wages for the average person of that day. Mary had this one opportunity to be extravagant for the Lord, and she took it. She did not hesitate, she did not debate it, she did not reason it out, she just acted out of love.

I confess once again I am startled by this account. I am rattled when I see how much my Lord appreciated her act of kindness towards Him. So I ask myself, "If her act of love meant so much to Him, then when do I show reckless love and extravagant appreciation?" The bigger question for us all might be, "How do we show this kind of appreciation?"

A friend of mine was telling me of a super bowl party he went to. As the game went on and the drinks were flowing the mixed crowd got a bit out of control. Even in this public place some of the women started doing things that were, well, not morally good. My friend said as soon as that activity started he got up and left the room because he knew God would not want him there.

It was his love for his Lord that caused him to leave the room with diet coke in hand, even though his flesh may have desired to stay. Jesus is thrilled when we consciously make a decision to act in a way that is pleasing to Him. Mary's actions were connected to her heart-not her head! The Father, Son and Holy Spirit long for us to make decisions of the heart to show our love and appreciation for them.

I live near Avila Beach here in Central California. Avila is a Spanish name and there is a city in Spain of the same name. In the 16th century there was a nun who the Catholics now affectionately call, St. Teresa of Avila. I have only read a bit of her life and journals but she had a profound love for Christ, much like Mary of Bethany. In one of her books, she writes, "Since He does not force our will, He takes only what He is given; but He does not give completely of Himself until he sees that we have given all we have to Him."

Isn't that what Paul meant when he said, "Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice" to our Lord and Savior? This week make it your goal to do an act of kindness at least once while you say out loud, "Lord I am doing this because I love you!" Maybe you sacrifice something, or maybe you give to someone, or maybe you just sit reading and meditating on Scripture while talking to Him. "Lord, I am doing this because I love you!" Be reckless in your love and extravagant in your appreciation for Him. Jesus longs for it!

Bless you my friend,

Dan

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