Therefore, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they made Him a dinner there, and Martha was serving; and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
—John 12:1-3 (ESV)

Ever seen the show Hoarders? I grew up in a home where we cleaned house every weekend, everything had to have a place, and as much as I tried, “its place is that pile in the corner,” never actually worked as an excuse. I never really appreciated my parents’ philosophy about neatness until I watched Hoarders.

It seemed crazy to me that there were so many people in the world who had let their homes become so filled with unused things that they could no longer function. Don’t get me wrong. I can be a packrat at times too, but the people on the show were struggling with something much bigger.

And it never failed. In every episode, the family and workers would come in to help clean things out, and the homeowner would argue about how important each item was.

No doubt those things had been important, and maybe even valuable, at some point. But they had been stuffed in a house too full for them to be of use for so long, that by the time help came, those possessions were nothing more than trash.

We see the opposite happening in John 12. Mary does not try to hold on. She gives freely, even though what she has to give is a very costly sacrifice. 

The Bible tells us the perfume Mary used to anoint Jesus’ feet was very costly. That’s why greedy Judas threw a fit about it being “wasted.” But just knowing it was expensive doesn’t quite paint the whole picture. 

Nard was a perfume made from a plant that grows in the Himalayas.Wanna know how far away the Himalayas are from Israel? Nearly 3,000 miles as the crow flies. And obviously the camel caravans bringing said perfume from the mountains of modern-day Nepal weren’t taking a leisurely 3,000-mile flight.

It was an ordeal to get this perfume all the way to Israel. And every mile added to the value of the product.

So when Mary poured out this gift, it was a significant sacrifice. 

She didn’t hide the perfume away because it was valuable and she might need it again one day, letting the fragrance fade in its packaging. She didn’t offer Jesus something she could comfortably lose. She offered Him her best, and as a result, the whole house was filled with the beautiful aroma—everyone in the house was blessed (save the one who was determined not to be).

That is one of the most beautiful things I think I’ve learned from writing this series—when we are willing to take a step in the direction of stretching our faith (especially when that step is so hard it hurts), there is no telling what amazing things God will do and how many lives God will touch. And the step of being willing to sacrifice what we value is no exception.

Sometimes we may be called to sacrifice by financially supporting a ministry of some sort. Sometimes the thing we’re called to sacrifice is the border of our comfort zone. 

And it can be tempting to pretend we don’t really see that need that we have the ability to fill or that we don’t sense the Lord leading in that direction, but as we go through this week, let’s be willing to let go, to sacrifice, when the Lord leads. I bet we’ll see Him do something amazing!

As we end our series with Mary and Martha, I would love to hear what the Lord has been doing in your life while we work on stretching our faith. Leave me a comment or send me a message so we can celebrate together! And thank you so much for reading!