THe real deal

3 “Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.”

25 “Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.”

44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

Main Point: Proper value comes from proper vision.

Have you ever bought something knockoff before? Admittedly, I am a sucker for a bargain. However, not all bargains are good bargains, regardless of how hard that is for me to believe. I remember finding this pair of Jordan’s, Concord (Black & White) 11’s to be exact, on eBay back in college. I was excited, as I was never able to afford or get my hands on these growing up. For some odd reason, they happened to be on sale, which I should’ve known was too good to be true. Upon receipt they were underwhelming at best, but of course, I still rocked them. Until, one day I was at an event and ran into someone who had the real deals on and the difference was astonishing. Getting an actual real life glimpse, versus just pictures on a screen, made the true value of these shoes obvious.

This memory relates to the opening scene of John chapter 12 involving Mary and Jesus. Many people hear of Jesus second hand or view Him in a distant manner, as if from a screen. However, Mary saw him up close and personal, experienced His power raising her brother Lazarus from the dead (see chapter 11), and felt His love firsthand. Her response to some, such as Judas in verse 5, seemed too extravagant, but to her I’m sure only scratched the surface of what she desired to give. The perfume, worth a year’s salary, and her hair, signifying beauty, glamour and luxury, were literally laid at Jesus’ feet. Mary was a living embodiment of verse 25, caring nothing for what the world may deem most valuable in this life. She gave an extravagant, lavish offering to Jesus. What a great example of worship!

What do you see when you look in Jesus’ direction? What is He worth? Verse 45 makes a clear claim, Jesus is not a prophet, a moral man or someone historical to emulate. Jesus is God. Seeing that truth and that light, will cause us to ascribe Him the proper value.

Deeper Focus:

-What are your most valuable things and what would you be willing to give or do to keep them?

-With that concept in mind, now think about Jesus. What value do you ascribe to Him?

-How does reading about Mary’s actions/elaborate sacrifice in this chapter make you feel?

-What are some things you should lay down for Jesus? (Figuratively and literally)

-The truth is we all wrestle with ascribing more value to things we can see physically or loving this current life. However, Jesus indicates “caring nothing for this life” is the key. Pray today that God would help you place proper value on Jesus vs. things in this life.