Matthew 26:7

While [Jesus] was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.

Things were hotting up. Jesus had launched a tirade against the religious leaders and they were now absolutely committed to seeing him put to death. We learn that they had a secret meeting at the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas, in order to plan this. Amid all of this ferment, we go to a home in the village of Bethany and meet a woman performing the most amazing act of devotion to Jesus.

At the time, it was quite usual for a Jewish woman to carry a little alabaster jar of precious perfume around her neck. This perfume could be incredibly valuable, and in the Gospels of Mark and John, we are told that it was worth 300 denarii. That would be about a year’s earnings! It was a phenomenal act of devotion, and it is unsurprising that the disciples were shocked by what she did. They saw it as a terrible waste and reflected that the money could have been used to help the poor. But Jesus saw it very differently. He saw the woman’s extravagant devotion and said that her deed would be remembered wherever the good news was preached around the world.

Love doesn’t do calculations. It doesn’t look for the cheapest way of doing things. It just loves. The woman’s act of love was absurd in financial terms, but she wasn’t trying to be sensible. She freely and joyfully poured out her precious perfume for love’s sake. When Jesus went to the cross, he did something which would seem incomprehensible to most people, but he did it because of his love for the world, and he invites us to pass on his extravagant love to those around us.

Question

What do you learn from the woman’s extraordinary generosity?

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for your extravagant love for me. Help me to pass it on to others today. Amen