God’s Heart For The PoorSample

Act of Worship

On the Saturday night before Jesus’ triumphal entry, we encounter one of the most beautiful people in the Gospels. This event takes place in the home of Simon the Leper in Bethany. During dinner, a woman named Mary approaches Jesus and pours an alabaster jar of expensive nard perfume over His head and wipes it with her hair. This was an act of anointing.

The disciples object because the perfume is worth a year’s wages for the average worker. (Mark 14:5) They thought the anointing was a waste since the oil could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus responds by saying the poor will always be with them, but He has only a little while to live.

Jesus is not telling His disciples to forget the poor. Instead, Mary’s anointing is a special tribute to Jesus and maybe even an act of worship. They will have other opportunities to give to the poor, but Mary’s act was a preparation for burial. An act of heartfelt worship toward Jesus is never a waste.

Like Mary, we can sit at the feet of Jesus and make Him our priority. We may not be able to literally sit down with Jesus for dinner, but we have God’s Word. From it, we can gain understanding to live a secure and worship-filled life like Mary of Bethany.