Matthew 26-12.22.21

Scripture

Matthew 26: 7-11 

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. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

Observation

While Jesus is visiting a home during His last days as a free man, a woman comes to visit Him in which she pours an expensive jar of perfume on His head. This action is taken as sacrificial and Jesus states that she is preparing His body for His soon to be burial, however it may be even more sacrificial than just that.

Understanding

You can have it all, Lord.

A dangerous prayer, but one that this woman so willing offers to Jesus in this moment. It may just be an expensive jar with expensive perfume, but it represents so much more than just that. This jar and the perfume represent this woman’s livelihood, all her money in a certain sense, because she could have so easily done what the disciples said and sold it to obtain said money. Something that it is interesting though: the disciples see and even validate the value of the perfume, but still ask: “Why this waste?” Shouldn’t they be inspired that she would even sacrifice this for Jesus? Instead they somewhat mock her and make fun of the fact that she gives it all freely to Jesus.

Not everyone will understand your sacrifices to God. Some may think it’s a waste of both time and money, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t sacrifice it anyway. Without the sacrifice and surrender you can not experience the victory. I know that sounds extreme in the case of perfume, but she offered everything she could even when others did not understand it. Sacrifice to God is never dependent on the consensus of opinion, but oftentimes we worry about what others might think or say when we offer everything to our Creator. Lavish God with gifts of your sacrifice continually.

Life Application

So what is it? What haven’t you surrendered yet? I had a realization about two weeks ago about a certain breakthrough I have been praying about for some time, and I felt God say “but have you surrendered it to me yet?” So here it is, all of it. This is no sacrifice God, here’s my life (the expensive and the trivial).  

-Allison Khan