And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
Mark 14:3 (ESV)
What exactly does it mean to make a sacrifice to the Lord in the context of my life living in this modern world some 2,000 years after this passage in the Gospel of Mark was written? It has always been an interesting question for me to think about and ponder over the years. There are a lot of examples like this passage throughout the Bible, but there seems to be a single thread woven through all of them. That thread is the heart’s motivation and purpose behind the sacrifice being presented to Jesus. The focus seems to be less on what is given and the value of this sacrifice with an emphasis placed on bringing pure worship to our God. This is true in this passage as well. The people in the room wanted to make this about the costliness of the perfume and how many people could have been helped by selling it and distributing the funds. Jesus understands her motivation and confirms that this sacrifice of hers was to honor Him. It was such a beautiful sacrifice that her story is still being told and will continue to be told.
Continue reading “Aroma of Sacrifice”