Matthew 26:7-8 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked.
One
of the most exquisite portraits of worship throughout the bible is of a woman
named Mary. Her heart of adoration and her acts of worship are indeed something
we must instill in our lives to make the church a place of worship and praise
to God. The woman who anointed Jesus understood sacrifice to the point where
she took on a no-holds-barred attitude toward her worship of Jesus. There was
no limit or barrier regarding how much she would sacrifice to Him. The setting
is Bethany, a small village outside of Jerusalem where many came to seek
lodging during the annual Passover celebration, which would be Jesus’ final
Passover.
He
is visiting Simon, a man whom Jesus probably healed of leprosy. According to
John 12, the famous Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead, was with them. These
three men are reclining around the table along with the 12 disciples. Lazarus’
sisters, Martha, and Mary were also in attendance, and Martha, as usual, was
serving the food. John writes that her sister, Mary, was the woman who anointed
Jesus. We could imagine Mary, excited that her brother’s healer had come to
town, probably rushing home, and bringing back this expensive perfume, which
introduces the primary object of this story.
God
loves a worshiper with zeal, and He has much to say about how we worship Him.
And in every instance, it boils down to the heart. God has ordained ritualistic
worship styles through the animal sacrifices and offerings of Old Testament
times. He has ordained singing of our voices, clapping, and raising hands as we
sometimes do. He has ordained the playing of instruments. He has ordained using
creativity in teaching as our Lord did many times through His parables and
stories. He has ordained using freedom in worship as we see Him and the
disciples freely singing a hymn of praise at the Last Supper. He has ordained
private prayers and public prayers. He has ordained the sacrificial giving of
His people to the kingdom’s work. But all these manifestations of worship do
not matter to God if there is no heart behind them.
Having
a right heart will naturally manifest the kind of worship Jesus wants from us.
Our example set forth in scripture is Mary’s right heart manifesting
sacrificial worship—she gave something to her Lord that was precious and meant
a lot to her. She took a significant risk of humiliation to perform this act of
worship. And God blessed her for it and created from this action an example for
all His followers to imitate in our daily lives.
There
are many thoughts about what worship is and what it isn’t. The battle line of
praise and worship is not whether we should have guitars or other stringed
instruments in worship. It is not a battle between styles or genres of music.
Instead, the battle line in worship is whether God is transforming us through
Christ Jesus and how we will respond to that transformation. It is about
seeking Him with our mind, body, soul, and heart. It is about our responding to
what He has done for us by sacrificially giving Him our most precious and
valuable assets, whether that means financially, our time, or whatever God has
blessed us with talents and abilities.
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