Pastor Ralph Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Q1. (John 12:3-8) Why did Judas object to Mary’s extravagant act of devotion? Why did Jesus defend her? Why did Mary do this? What does this teach us about worship? Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? For you, what would be extravagant worship? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickledilly Posted February 21, 2015 Report Share Posted February 21, 2015 Judas objected to Mary’s extravagant act of devotion because he had been habitually stealing from the disciples’ treasury and such an expensive perfume/oil was worth a LOT of money. He would have preferred it be sold and added to the funds that he would have had access to for his own benefit. Judas was greedy, devious, and dishonest. Jesus defended Mary because of the motive for her action. Out of pure love, she anointed His feet in an honest act of generous worship, holding nothing back for herself. She apparently never intended to sell this jar of oil, but had saved it for other purposes. Yet now, she poured it out for Jesus, just as He would soon pour Himself out for her/us. It’s interesting to me that this incident occurred soon after her brother Lazarus had died and been raised back to life by Jesus. If Mary had used nard to anoint Lazarus’ body, she may have just purchased a new jar to save for a future need – a need she could see coming. She was surely aware of the intense hatred of the Jewish leadership and threats they made on Jesus’ life. She knew He faced certain danger in Jerusalem. Maybe she was thinking about the real possibility that Jesus would soon die and her time with Him was very short, and this moved her tender heart to lavish the oil on Him that evening at the dinner. It’s interesting to know that some of the effects of nard are oxygenation of the brain, emotional calmness, enhanced mood, relaxation from stress, and reduced anxiety. This anointing certainly foreshadowed Jesus’ anointing in death. But maybe Mary had a more practical compassionate thought in mind for Him as she poured it all out on His feet, massaged it in, and wiped the excess with her own hair. Her actions and the effects of the oil would have ministered to Jesus in body, mind, and spirit. Regardless of her exact intentions, they were pure and fully focused on Jesus, and they pleased and glorified Him. And she wasn’t concerned with what anyone else thought about it. When I honestly compare my worship to this example of Mary, I fall very short and am very grateful the Father does not judge me in comparison to anyone else. But what an inspiration to beware of being stingy - with my time, with my full attentiveness, and with my full resources. And to beware of being deterred by what others may think about it when I know what I should do and give. A willingness to release all to Him is what He wants most from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blezed Posted February 21, 2015 Report Share Posted February 21, 2015 (John 12:3-8) Why did Judas object to Mary’s extravagant act of devotion? Why did Jesus defend her? 1. Judas objected because he was a thief. He felt the perfume was worth a fortune and should have been sold and money given to the poor. Of course, he did not care about the poor. Jesus defended Martha because the act was an act of love for Him. Also, it was preparation for his burial. Why did Mary do this? What does this teach us about worship? Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? For you, what would be extravagant worship? 2. Mary did this because it was her form of worship declaring her love and faith in Jesus. Worship should be for real. We should put our all in our worship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted February 21, 2015 Report Share Posted February 21, 2015 Q1. (John 12:3-8) Why did Judas object to Mary's extravagant act of devotion? Why did Jesus defend her? Why did Mary do this? What does this teach us about worship? Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? For you, what would be extravagant worship? Judas objected because he wanted it himself and he wanted to appear pious. I also think he could not stand the pure intentions of Mary because he himself was corrupt. He did not have the heart of love for Jesus that Mary did and so he objected. Jesus defended Mary because He understood Mary's intentions. Jesus has a heart of love and felt so little on this earth towards Him. How good this must have felt to have someone pour out their pure selfless love for Him. The same kind of love we should all have for Him. True worship should be heartfelt. Extravagant worship sounds to me like giving, our praise to Him, time, money, hearts, lives, however He leads us, wherever He leads us. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiKosum Posted February 21, 2015 Report Share Posted February 21, 2015 (John 12:3-8) Why did Judas object to Mary’s extravagant act of devotion? Why did Jesus defend her? Why did Mary do this? What does this teach us about worship? Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? For you, what would be extravagant worship? Judas Iscariot objected to Mary's extravagant act of devotion not because he cared for the poor but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus defended Mary's action by saying that we will always have the poor among us, but you will not always have me (Jesus). Jesus approved this act because it was symbolic of the preparation for His burial. Mary had performed a beautiful, startling, and extravagant act of worship that was destined to be remembered long after her time.Jesus said '"I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." (Mark 14:9)" Instead of cheap or extravagant worship, I tend to see it as giving out of our poverty or giving out of our wealth; example the widow who cast in 2 mites into the treasury - Jesus said "Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury. (Mark 12:43)" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanMary Posted February 21, 2015 Report Share Posted February 21, 2015 Q1. (John 12:3-8) Why did Judas object to Mary’s extravagant act of devotion? V6 Tells us that Judas did not say this because he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and having the care of the money purse of the 12, he took for himself what was put into it, pilfering the collections. Why did Jesus defend her? Jesus said "Let her alone. It was intended that she should keep it for the time of my preparation for burial. (embalming). You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." (I've read these verses countless times and never before noticed that Mary had purchased and kept the liquid nard to have for after Jesus died. I don't know how I missed that, but this adds so much more to Mary's understanding of Jesus and His purpose.) Why did Mary do this? Mary loved Jesus, believed in Him and did it purely as an act of her devotion for Him. It was an act of worship....she had seen Him wash others feet, more than likely, and was perhaps saying a tearful goodbye through this beautiful and unselfish act, sensing that He was going to leave them soon. As it turned out, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea had the privilege of anointing Jesus' body for burial. Mary had the opportunity to do what she could, "in the moment" and did, otherwise she'd have been too late. What does this teach us about worship? It says to me that worship flows out of the heart of the worshipper, and is not a rigid, prescribed "ritual" to be followed. I believe the Holy Spirit led Mary to worship Jesus in this way as comfort for Him in the short time before He was to face the cross. When we follow the Holy Spirit's leading in worship, the Lord will be blessed! Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? It varies...some times the most costly worship for me is through tears. At times it's a sacrificial offering. I would say it's mediocre much of the time, and to say that brings great sadness. I'm asking Him to grow me in all areas, but especially in worship. For you, what would be extravagant worship? I would have to say, it would be to dance before the Lord, as David did, completely uninhibited and unselfconscious. (Beth Moore said one time that she was overcome with the desire to worship as she walked in the rain...and did a dance right there on the sidewalk. I thought "I can't see me doing that!",,,but maybe someday I will! He deserves the very best I can offer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarence Posted February 22, 2015 Report Share Posted February 22, 2015 Q1. (John 12:3-8) Why did Judas object to Mary’s extravagant act of devotion? Why did Jesus defend her? Why did Mary do this? What does this teach us about worship? Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? For you, what would be extravagant worship? extravagant worship: Judas was objecting to Mary using the oil because of the monetry value of it (12:5). Jesus admired the devotion that Mary was expressing to him. Extravagant worship may be giving to the point of sacraficing. Giving, not from what can be spared but giving that may lead to the giver forgoing something. Delivering meals to the poor, instead of using the time to earn money. Spending time with and getting to know someone who needs your help and time (Galations 6:9,10). Extragavagant worship may be advocating for someone who has been treated unfairy or unjustly, where it might effect your reputation or standing in society (Romans 12:1-2). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haar Posted February 22, 2015 Report Share Posted February 22, 2015 Q1. (John 12:3-8) Why did Judas object to Mary's extravagant act of devotion? He was not really concerned about the poor but his greed and tendency to help himself from the treasury prompted his idea to sell the oil. Why did Jesus defend her? Jesus defended her because He knew that was done for Him was an act of worship that we are all called to do for Him. Why did Mary do this? To show show her heart felt love Jesus What does this teach us about worship? We too should offer the best for Jesus especially worship. Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? Some how. For you, what would be extravagant worship? Spend long periods alone with Him in adoration and praise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haar Posted February 22, 2015 Report Share Posted February 22, 2015 Q1. (John 12:3-8) Why did Judas object to Mary's extravagant act of devotion? Why did Jesus defend her? Why did Mary do this? What does this teach us about worship? Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? For you, what would be extravagant worship Judas was just bothered that the oil was not sold and given to him as the purse holder so that he could help himself Jesusus knew that Mary had done great act of worship. We should also emulate Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delivered Posted February 24, 2015 Report Share Posted February 24, 2015 Q1. (John 12:3-8) Why did Judas object to Mary's extravagant act of devotion? Greed was a reason Judas objected to Mary anointing the feet of Jesus with such a costly ointment, as was hypocrisy, it was in this pretense that Judas spoke and presented a question that echoed that of a man of high standards and character, “why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor”, while in truth, Judas did not care for the poor, he being the keeper of the money bag, he was thinking of himself, and what he could do with that money. Q2. Why did Jesus defend her? Jesus defended Mary because she had chosen the good part, Mary was a true disciple of the Messiah, a true believer is one who holds true to his teachings as we see Mary once again at the feet of Jesus, anointing the Messiah with her “LOVE”, therefore, it will not be taken away from her. In essence the teaching of Jesus is - What good would it do if you gave all your goods to the poor and you still did not have “love”, it would profit nothing. Q3. Why did Mary do this? To give honor to a guest, one would anoint their head with oil, when Mary anointed the feet of Jesus, she displayed to him and to those there of her “devotion”; it was because of her love and devotion that Jesus spoke these words “For in pouring this fragrant oil on My Body, she did it for My burial, therefore, wherever this gospel is preached in the world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouse2014 Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Q1. (John 12:3-8) Why did Judas object to Mary’s extravagant act of devotion? Why did Jesus defend her? Why did Mary do this? What does this teach us about worship? Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? For you, what would be extravagant worship? Judas objection to Mary's act of worship by purring the nard on Jesus feet because first, he was a thief by continually stealing from the groups money bag. Second, because of his greed he saw the valve of the nard more important to sell and keep the money. Thus, he was not a devote disciple of Jesus but instead valued wealth more. Jesus defended Mary because it was her way of showing her love and worship of Jesus. Mary did this to show her love, devotion and worship of Jesus. Even though she did not know of the prophecy of Jesus death, it would be told of her action for millennium to come. This teaches us that our worship to the Lord should be purer with no other interest in our lives to take the place of the love of the Lord. My worship to the Lord is not extravagant or cheap, no other object in my life is more valuable than the worship of God. To me, an extravagant worship would be to boast about how much money I tithed or by the expensive clothes I wore to draw attention to myself by bragging of what I did for the church or putting on an act of arrogance before the people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanks Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Q1. (John 12:3-8) Why did Judas object to Mary's extravagant act of devotion? Why did Jesus defend her? Why did Mary do this? What does this teach us about worship? Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? For you, what would be extravagant worship? Judas, being the treasurer, obviously feels that this is a complete waste of money, as the perfume could have been sold and the proceeds handed over to the treasurer – meaning there would have been more for him to steal. We often see people go astray in the area of their strength; for example the accountant becomes an embezzler, or the counsellor gives in to sexual sin. By defending Mary’s act of worship, Jesus was emphasizing that the opportunity to show love to Him on earth was limited, as He would soon be leaving them. It was a symbol of consecration for that divine work which Jesus was about to do. An early preparation for His death. She also demonstrated her love and devotion for the Lord. He had just recently raised her brother Lazarus from the dead and she knew Jesus was the Son of God. In light of this, her act of gratitude is not extravagant in comparison to what He means to her. Even if we do not fully understand the grace and immeasurable love that He poured upon us, we need to follow Mary’s example and magnify Him by giving all that we have, our very selves. Jesus is more interested in our total surrender to Him than all the money, time, and possessions we may give. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaMallinson Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 Judas objected to Mary’s extravagance, in two ways. Outwardly his objection appears religious: the money would have been better spent on the poor. Inwardly, his objection was because he wanted the money himself. Sometimes we claim motives which are purer than they really are. We cannot see Judas as the most evil person. We are all capable of this. Jesus defended her because he knew that her motive was pure and religious; there was no hidden motive. It was an act of devotion to Jesus as Son of God. This teaches us that our worship should not be hypocritical. It should be straightforward and show our love from our hearts. My worship has changed over the years. At my worst, it used to be the mandatory Sunday attendance at Mass and I forgot God during the week. I rarely prayed outside church. My faith has increased to a stage where I have now given away my previous life and try to follow the Gospel teachings, particularly of generous love. I still stumble and make terrible mistakes, but I do my best. For me, extravagant worship is total denial of worldly values and following the teachings of Christ, particularly love of my fellow humans who are made in the image of God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteD Posted March 1, 2015 Report Share Posted March 1, 2015 1Lesson 21 question 1 Judas misses the point. What Mary did was an act of love and worship. It was poignant because of Jesus impending death. Judas was consumed by the cost - the cost was inflated in his mind because of his greed. Jesus defends Mary because he sees her love as an act of pure worship. Mary did this out of her love for Jesus. She had save the nard for burial, sensing that Jesus was placing himself in danger. Mary's extravagant act does teach us that there are times when the extravagant acts of love and worship are acceptable and mirror the great love and sacrifice of Jesus for us. Only of late am I more generous with my money and outward manifestations of worship. For this I thank God. Extravagant worship is not being afraid of spending money and time on making worship space more beautiful. But also, extravagant worship teaches us not to hold our wealth too closely. It teaches generosity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quilter Posted March 1, 2015 Report Share Posted March 1, 2015 1. Judas objected because he wanted to have the money in his pocket. It would be more for him to steal. He was not giving the money to the poor. Judas was a thief. 2.This was a unique act for a special occasion. This was showing Mary's love for Jesus and a public declaration of faith in Him as the Messiah.This should have have taught Judas a valuable lesson about the worth of money. He did not take heed to this he would soon sell Jesus life for 30 pieces of silver. 3.She did this because she loved Jesus very much. She realize Jesus was walking in danger might be killed and was saving this to be put upon his body after death. 4.It teaches that we should worship with clean hearts and give our all to Jesus in worship. it means giving with an open heart and all we can. 5.My worship is not either. I go to worship and use this time to make me a better disciples for my Master. 6.Extravagant worship to me is bragging about what you have and how much you money you have and stockpiling the money the church has and not using for God's work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace2free Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 Q1. (John 12:3-8) Why did Judas object to Mary’s extravagant act of devotion? Judas was a thief and he wanted the ointment to be sold so that he can steal the money and not because he care for the poor. He also want to put someone down so he can exalt himself. Why did Jesus defend her? Jesus defended her because the perfume was intended that Mary should save it for the day of his burial. Why did Mary do this? Mary did this for just such a purpose What does this teach us about worship? Mary save and gave the most expensive thing for the Master to show how she worship him. Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? What ever I give is not enough compare to what Jesus had given me. For you, what would be extravagant worship? We are precious in the eyes of the Lord. We are to give our whole as our extravagant worship to God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Ondeng Posted April 15, 2015 Report Share Posted April 15, 2015 Q1. (John 12:3-8) -Why did Judas object to Mary’s extravagant act of devotion? He claimed that it could have been sold for much money to help the poor (though his real motive was to feed a stealing habit) -Why did Jesus defend her? He said “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. (John 12:7 NIV) -Why did Mary do this? Mary expressed passion, love and trust for her saviour even to the extent of being called ridiculous -What does this teach us about worship? True worship is courageous, selfless and sacrificial. It is soberly thought out (not emotional) but devoid of influences of dissenting voices -Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? I realise that I've been cheap, selfish and sometimes even meaninglessly emotional. -For you, what would be extravagant worship? See myself as a steward so much that even the sacrifice itself is not from me (it belongs to God). That way I lose that (grip) selfish attachment to "MY" money or "MY" gift and am able to release or give alot more, easier, doing 'as unto God...' truly trusting for him to come through for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royk Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Q1. (John 12:3-8) Why did Judas object to Mary's extravagant act of devotion? Why did Jesus defend her? Why did Mary do this? What does this teach us about worship? Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? For you, what would be extravagant worship? I hate to see me being like Judas and saying give this to the poor rather than extreme worship to Jesus. Thinking about this makes me fee like a mediocre worshiper, almost shameful. When I sing to glorify God I really let go, still, I am very very cheap compared to Mary. It is like she was giving her dowry to Him to be like she is married to Him, exreme worship in the moment, and also as Jesus said "...to symbolically embalm Him after His death..." The Holy Spirit helps me convict myself that even tithing is cheap compared to this one time devotional gift to Him. For me to be extravagant would be to drop everything and hear His call to spread the message of salvation FULL time, for the rest of my life. And I don't know if that is my real calling or just another reason to keep doing what I'm doing as a computer engineer. maybe there is another calling here for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leslie15 Posted July 12, 2015 Report Share Posted July 12, 2015 These are great questions, right on target! > Why did Judas object to Mary’s extravagant act of devotion? Judas acted out of self interest because his motive may very well have been to take some of the money for himself after the perfume has been sold and then have the rest given to the poor - and keep the details of that transaction only to himself since, he was in charge of the disciples’ money, and was a thief! > Why did Jesus defend her? Mary’s act of devotion came from a place of pure love, (for something appropriate) and selflessness. The second reason is that Jesus knew that Mary knew that Jesus’s death was coming, and it was not only an act of devotion to anoint his feet with this extremely expensive perfume, but as an act of preparation for his burial. > Why did Mary do this? Mary’s love for Jesus was so immense because she has been seeing his great acts of compassion, love, and caring, all along. She perhaps felt that her action here might be a way of acknowledging, in kind, the acts of love that Jesus had performed. This act of devotion, then, seemed totally appropriate to her as a response to what Jesus had already done in his life among them. A second reason for what she did maybe that she intuited, or actually knew of, Jesus’s death coming up, and this anointing would also be preparing for that. This is shown directly in Jesus’ response to Judas Iscariot: “She did this in preparation for my burial.” > What does this teach us about worship? It shows how worship can take many forms. We can show our devotion to God in likely more ways that what we’re accustomed to. We can also, and often, worship things of this world as well. So worship in the broadest sense means giving recognition, attention, and the action of giving ourself over to something in our lives, with great passion, single-mindedness, and commitment. > Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? My worship to God is cheap. It is not what is at all appropriate. And I want to change that. > For you, what would be extravagant worship? It would be the single-mindedness that I have had in the past in doing service, Bible study, prayer and meditation, church worship, and tithing - or - in doing any one of these things - to start again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoanG Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 Judas felt that the amount of money could have been given to him to disperse to the poor. He also would have been able to steal the money to use on himself. Jesus knew Mary's heart. He knew how much she loved him. She wanted to honor him. We need to pour our hearts and souls into our worship. I think I make my worship as extravagant as I can. I pour my whole heart and soul into it. I have changed churches so that I can get more out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoanG Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 Judas felt that the amount of money could have been given to him to disperse to the poor. He also would have been able to steal the money to use on himself. Jesus knew Mary's heart. He knew how much she loved him. She wanted to honor him. We need to pour our hearts and souls into our worship. I think I make my worship as extravagant as I can. I pour my whole heart and soul into it. I have changed churches so that I can get more out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Applegarth Posted September 1, 2015 Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 Why did Judas object to Mary's extravagant act of devotion? Judas’ reaction was motivated strictly on the basis of money. John intimates that his “real” motive was theft but Jesus’ only addressed his stated objection i.e., the money could have been given to the poor. Jesus’ rebuke was harsh and straight to the point, He told Judas to “Let her alone!” Why did Jesus defend her? Why did Mary do this? She wasn’t doing it for show, she was doing it out of love and devotion to Jesus. He approved of the worship that she lavished on him because she, more than anyone else in attendance, understood that He is truly worthy of all the love and devotion that we can give Him. Jesus knew her heart and her motives and knew full-well that she was demonstrating “true” worship; she was not only sitting (at his feet) listening attentively to His preaching, she also demonstrated her total devotion to Him when she anointed him with the Nard. What does this teach us about worship? One of the many things one should glean from John’s account of these events that that, just as Mary denied herself by her extravagant act of devotion for Jesus’ sake, true worship means that we must put Him first and foremost in our lives. Total devotion to regular prayer, study of His word and, of course total devotion to Him brings with it a reward that can never be taken away from us. Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? I’ve had to do a lot of soul-searching over how to answer this question and, not to use it as a cop-out, I guess I’d have to say that like a great many Christians, I’m probably somewhere in between. For you, what would be extravagant worship? Extravagant worship must include financial support for the church. Jesus paid the price for us with his precious blood so I guess the question that we all need to answer for ourselves is this; in my own worship, do I place more value on Jesus than I do on earthly things? Mary’s “gift”, and her unabashed worship were clear signs of her devotion to Christ Jesus. Putting things into perspective, Mary, in one night, gave much more than most of us contribute to the Lord’s work in a year (or more). It also means that, giving no consideration to what others might think, we have to let our pride and our egos go. One thing that we should all take away from this story is this; even though Mary’s actions made the apostles feel uncomfortable, what she did was right in the eyes of the Lord. There’s also a personal cost attached to our devotion to Christ because, more often than not, when we give ourselves completely to Christ, most people tend to view us as some kind of religious fanatic. Well, maybe so, people are fanatical about a lot of divergent things, I for one am fanatical about Jesus! Of course, the bottom line is that the only thing that really matters is what Christ Jesus thinks about our worship. Extravagant or not, the only thing that’s important is whether or not the Lord is satisfied?” The way to make sure of that is to live our lives (every day) making every effort to please Him and to be sure that our worship is out of love and devotion to Him and not merely tied to some earthly want or need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Applegarth Posted September 1, 2015 Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 Why did Judas object to Mary's extravagant act of devotion? Judas’ reaction was motivated strictly on the basis of money. John intimates that his “real” motive was theft but Jesus’ only addressed his stated objection i.e., the money could have been given to the poor. Jesus’ rebuke was harsh and straight to the point, He told Judas to “Let her alone!” Why did Jesus defend her? Why did Mary do this? She wasn’t doing it for show, she was doing it out of love and devotion to Jesus. He approved of the worship that she lavished on him because she, more than anyone else in attendance, understood that He is truly worthy of all the love and devotion that we can give Him. Jesus knew her heart and her motives and knew full-well that she was demonstrating “true” worship; she was not only sitting (at his feet) listening attentively to His preaching, she also demonstrated her total devotion to Him when she anointed him with the Nard. What does this teach us about worship? One of the many things one should glean from John’s account of these events that that, just as Mary denied herself by her extravagant act of devotion for Jesus’ sake, true worship means that we must put Him first and foremost in our lives. Total devotion to regular prayer, study of His word and, of course total devotion to Him brings with it a reward that can never be taken away from us. Does your worship tend to be cheap or extravagant? I’ve had to do a lot of soul-searching over how to answer this question and, not to use it as a cop-out, I guess I’d have to say that like a great many Christians, I’m probably somewhere in between. For you, what would be extravagant worship? Extravagant worship must include financial support for the church. Jesus paid the price for us with his precious blood so I guess the question that we all need to answer for ourselves is this; in my own worship, do I place more value on Jesus than I do on earthly things? Mary’s “gift”, and her unabashed worship were clear signs of her devotion to Christ Jesus. Putting things into perspective, Mary, in one night, gave much more than most of us contribute to the Lord’s work in a year (or more). It also means that, giving no consideration to what others might think, we have to let our pride and our egos go. One thing that we should all take away from this story is this; even though Mary’s actions made the apostles feel uncomfortable, what she did was right in the eyes of the Lord. There’s also a personal cost attached to our devotion to Christ because, more often than not, when we give ourselves completely to Christ, most people tend to view us as some kind of religious fanatic. Well, maybe so, people are fanatical about a lot of divergent things, I for one am fanatical about Jesus! Of course, the bottom line is that the only thing that really matters is what Christ Jesus thinks about our worship. Extravagant or not, the only thing that’s important is whether or not the Lord is satisfied?” The way to make sure of that is to live our lives (every day) making every effort to please Him and to be sure that our worship is out of love and devotion to Him and not merely tied to some earthly want or need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthRW Posted August 12, 2017 Report Share Posted August 12, 2017 Judas must have thought how marvellous it would have been to siphon off some money from the sale of this ointment. When he criticised Mary he might have enjoyed the fact that this would make him appear extra caring for the poor. What a beautiful example for us to see that we can trust Jesus to defend us before our critics, in His perfect timing, providing we do what we do or say to honour Him. Mary wanted to give the utmost love gift to Jesus out of gratitude and in anticipation of His death. What an outpouring of love, no words could have said it better. I am thinking of the scripture in Romans 12:1, present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Apart from having the privilege to worship The Lord in church and in our prayer time we can worship Him during the day, if we do everything unto Him. I find that this transforms my day and everything becomes meaningful because I do it unto the Lord. Extravagant worship for me would be to do something beyond what is the norm or expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Jerry Posted September 3, 2018 Report Share Posted September 3, 2018 Judas objected to Mary’s extravagant act of devotion because he wanted the money that spent on the perfume could have been put into the treasury that he was keeping. Jesus defended her because he knew that he didn’t have much longer to live and Mary was worshipping Jesus before he was to be crucified. It teaches that we need to worship whenever we have an opportunity to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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