A Foot Washing Bonanza

 Ever been in a moment that feels totally and utterly random?

This moment in John 12: 1 – 8 (yes whip out your Bibles and read it!) could seem one such moment.

Picture the scene: Jesus is sat having dinner in a busy room (most likely all guys), when trotting across the room comes a lady called Mary. She takes a pint of Nard. (A pint of what I hear you ask! – an extremely, extremely expensive perfume – maybe valued as much a year’s wages.) She pours this stuff all over Jesus’ feet. Then using her hair she wipes his feet.

This is happening in front of everybody! The fragrance of the perfume must have filled the room as they finished chomping their dinner. Can you imagine the look on the faces of those who were there? There definitely would have been some raised eyebrows, dropped jaws and probably frowns.

One guy with a mega frown was Judas (the guy who eventually betrays Jesus.) His “seeming” scrupple was that the money that the perfume cost should have gone to the poor. This seems quite noble. But Judas really didn’t care about the poor so he was just a moany, complaining ball of mean idiot.

Jesus rebukes Him.

You see Mary, was on to something. Mary loved to sit and listen to Jesus – flick to Luke 10: 38 - 42.
It’s important to see that Mary didn’t pour any old expensive perfume on Him, but Nard, a perfume used to in preparing a body for burial.

Why did she do this? Is this not very odd? No, in fact it’s a really significant thing to do as she knew that Jesus was going to die soon. You see this lady was in touch with the purposes of God, and this lavish act of love and devotion was her giving all she had over to Him because he was the king of her life and she loved Him.

This is soooo challenging for us isn’t it?! In two major ways I think:

1. Are we willing to give our whole-selves and all our resources to Christ out of our love for Him?
2. Are we in tune with the purposes and plans of our Father God? Are we seeking Him? Listening to Him so that we can be like Mary?

I challenge you this week to be more like Mary, to be listening to God in prayer and through His word and to be ready to have a generous heart in giving outrageously.

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