Extravagant Devotion

From Rich Carroll:

​"...a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head."          - Mark 14:3b

 
In this passage, while Jesus was the dinner guest of Simon the Leper and reclining at the table Mary, the sister of Lazarus, came and without announcement poured a very expensive perfume (a year's wages worth on Jesus' head. There were others there who scolded her harshly for 'wasting' the perfume and not selling it to provide for the poor. 
 
The Lord rebuked them and explained what her gift was actually about- preparing His body for burial. In fact, Jesus explained, her gift was so significant that "wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."  This was the same Mary who at the end of Luke 10 was found at the feet of Jesus listening and being attentive instead of doing good service deeds with her sister Martha.  She couldn't get enough of Jesus' words and presence. 
 
This Mary, here in both accounts, has a deep love and appreciation for her Lord and simply shows it in 'doing what she could', Jesus declared.  Grace had come to Mary and in her gratefulness she gave what she could. This was an extravagant gift.  She didn't announce it. She wasn't trying to proudly catch the attention from others towards her good deed. She was a forgiven woman who longed to see and listen to her Master and do what naturally came out of her gratefulness for His love for her.  
 
May our Master give us the grace to respond as well, out of our simple gratefulness,  for His extravagant gift to us.   

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