"6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Jesus’ disciples stood in condemnation of this woman’s act of worship. And honestly, their argument is actually pretty practical. “The money gained from the selling of that perfume could have done ‘so much more’ for the poor if it hadn’t been poured out so ‘wastefully.’” But what I can’t help but walk away from this story with is a deep conviction to be cautious when standing in criticism of anyone else’s “act of worship.”
And what is “worship”?
Here’s one of the places I look to in finding the answer:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2
And along with a willingness to lay your life down as a living sacrifice while being transformed, there’s the part about walking in obedience to His commands.
“But Samuel replied; ‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.’” 1 Samuel 15:22
“If you love Me, you will obey what I command.” Jesus in John 14:15
And what if in these positions of worship, these steps of obedience to the Spirit’s leading, you find yourself in an unusual place, doing unusual things?
Look at Moses. “Stick out your staff, and the waters will part.” Really? That doesn’t seem at all feasible. What if You just strike the Egyptian army with another deadly plague?
Or how about Joshua; “March around Jericho for seven days and the city wall will crumble.” Yeeaahhh... about that, God. What if we hold a strategic brainstorming session instead? A seven day march would just deplete the people of energy, energy that we’ll need for the next conquest.
Or another favorite, David; “Come here, shepherd boy. I want you to face the 9 foot terror named Goliath, that trained soldier over there who happens to wield a ginormous sword and be donned in chiseled armor, with... a slingshot. Oh, and a rock. Five, really, but you’ll only need the first one.” Ummmm....what?!?! That just seems plain ol’ dumb.
But that’s not the way the stories go, is it? In each of these instances, God’s people walked in faithful obedience... and what beautiful acts of worship they were! Their outward acts may not have made sense to anyone else, but in that obedience, God was most certainly glorified.
So, if we are offering our lives as living sacrifices, if we are being transformed by the Spirit and allowing our minds to be renewed, then God will reveal His will to us. And sometimes, His will may look bizarre to those standing close enough to critique it. But even if our “worship” in those moments causes a backlash of criticism, it’s really the best (and only!) posture of praise that we can take. Simply put, we choose to worship by obeying Him anyway.
So, coming back to those well-meaning disciples... when we are in the position of onlookers to another believer’s efforts, we would do well to recognize that God does indeed work in unexpected ways with a sometimes surprising cast of characters. And maybe our response should be to put down our pitchforks and prayerfully consider our words before slashing another’s attempts to obey. Should we be discerning? Most certainly. Are there folks out there who may be misled themselves as they attempt to lead others? Undoubtedly. But let it be the Spirit inside us that guides us to wisdom in those moments, and not our own fleshly desire to show off our uniqueness and spiritual intelligence by running to assume the position of “critic.”
Man, I don’t want to be the first in line murmuring, “What a waste. That perfume could have done so much more,” all the while, the Savior of us both is pleased beyond measure with such an obediently gorgeous act of worship. At that point, the only thing really “wasted” would be the opportunity I had to join in worshiping the One who uses us ALL as little clay vessels to display His Glory and His Renown.
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