Reading: Mark 14:3-9

Whilst the Jewish leaders were plotting to kill Jesus, two days before the Passover, Jesus was being prepared for His death in a very different way. The story of the woman with the alabaster jar of expensive perfume is a famous one, as Jesus said that it would be. (Mark 14:9)

It is often the case that we will complain about the waste of some expensive commodity, as the people at the house of Simon the leper did. They were upset because of the value of the perfume that they considered to have been wasted. They were focusing on what had been lost so much that they couldn’t see the value the the woman’s act had. Jesus pointed out that there will always be more opportunities to gain material goods or perform acts of charity, but there are some things which are far scarcer, and which should be valued more highly, such as Jesus Himself.

It’s easy to focus on the things that have a definite, concrete value, and we tend to try to protect or preserve those things. But actually, it is the things that are, effectively, priceless, that should be our focus – things like time spent with a sick friend, the precious milestones in our children’s development – their first smile, first tooth, first steps, first words – or even our quiet times spent in the company of God. The things that we can’t put a price tag on are the ones we should really be cherishing, not the things that can be easily replaced.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for reminding us that it is not the monetary value of things that truly gives them value. Thank you for the people that you bring into our lives and for the precious moments spent with them. Help us to remember always where our focus should be, and not to invest everything we have into things that can be easily replaced whilst neglecting those things that can’t.