Adoring Jesus
Scott K. Miller, Associate Pastor
Victory Baptist Temple, Piedmont MO
December 25, 2024
Joh 12:3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
It was a common scene at their home every time Jesus and His disciples resorted there. Lazarus was at the table hosting the event; Martha was busy serving, and Mary was at the feet of Jesus, treasuring His every word.
Perhaps that is the reason she understood that Jesus would be crucified and then rise again? The disciples surely missed it.
Consider how her adoration for the Saviour flowed from her heart. At some point during the meal, she expressed her overflowing love for Him by anointing His feet. Spikenard was a fragrant plant grown primarily in India and was imported to the Holy Land. This is the reason for its costliness.
John identifies it as a pound, or about sixteen ounces. Judas estimated the cost as 300 pence. In today’s wage and price scale that would be nearly $900 an ounce! Is it any wonder John describes it as very costly?
His feet anointed; Mary began to wipe them with her hair. In that culture it was generally considered a disgrace for a woman to appear in public with her hair unbound. Consequently, this act would have been extremely humiliating for a woman of Mary’s status and character.
Yet for her, the cost and act of humility was of no consideration for the Lord she loved.
How does your worship of the Lord compare with Mary’s? Is it lip-service, or life-sacrifice?
True worship is not so much about the place as it is about the Person. Our Lord desires worshippers, not workers. So often people misinterpret service for worship. Yet, the fact of the matter is that serving people are not always worshipping people.
O come let us adore HIM!
Consider: A person who worships well will also serve well.
