The Word - April 2, 2012 - TRUE WORSHIP

"Six days before the Passover began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus. As dinner was being prepared, and Lazarus was among those who ate with Him. Then Mary took a twelve ounce jar of expensive perfume, from the essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair" (John 12:1-3).

Various aspects of worship are brought to our attention in this account of the Lord Jesus being anointed by the woman in the story. The act of worship involved in the washing of Jesus' feet gives us a picture of the cost of true worship. Pure nard was a very expensive perfume which was imported from India. Three hundred denarii was about a year's wages for the average working man of the day.

True worship involved sacrifice; a lot of hard work and sacrifice went into Mary's worship. I wonder, does my worship of God cost me something, or is it just cheap perfume involving little sacrifice?

True worship does not hold anything back; it goes all out. This is one step further than sacrifice. It is possible to sacrifice some, but still only go "half way". In verse 8 of the account in Mark's Gospel chapter 14, The Lord says, "She has done what she could." What the Lord is actually saying is that Mary did ALL that she could.

Mary went to the limit of her ability; she went all out! What about us? Does the Lord say the same thing about our worship? Am I holding back from God something for just me? True worship does not hold back, it goes all out!

Just stop a moment and remember; the anointing of Jesus by Mary of Bethany is remembered wherever the Gospel is preached. The same is true of your worship of God. The worship you direct to God in whatever job or ministry or activity He gives you, will never be forgotten.

The point to remember here, is that Mary did not hold back anything in her act of worship. She didn't use just a few drops of the perfume. She gave the whole thing! This is worship at its highest.