John Reading GuideSample

What would you consider your most valuable possession? Maybe it’s a car, a family heirloom, a computer or a house. We all have things that we value and take great care to keep.

In the beginning of John 12, we see the thing Mary considered precious—a bottle of expensive perfume. This perfume was not just a fragrance to Mary. It was worth nearly a year’s wages. Mary wasn’t just saving this perfume for a special day. This bottle was her financial security.

In an act of worship, Mary poured her perfume onto Jesus’s feet. She knelt to the ground and washed His feet, indifferent to the opinions of others. Mary gave radically. She gave not knowing if she’d be able to live through the day, but trusting Jesus anyway. She gave with such extravagance that the disciples told her she’d given too much.

To put Mary’s situation in today’s terms: the average American makes about $50,000 a year. It would be like you going to church next Sunday, feeling called to give and writing a check for your entire year’s salary. Absurd! Yet, this is the same way God gave to us. He gave His best, Jesus. God not only calls us to radical faith. He calls us to radical giving.

1)  What did you learn about Jesus from this chapter?
2)  What’s holding you back from pouring your security out at Jesus’ feet? How does this chapter show us that we can trust Him with what’s most precious to us?
3)  Is there anything in your life you have not given to God?