Selective Hearing

Six days before the Passover ceremonies began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus – the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus' honor. Martha served, and Lazarus sat at the table with him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples – the one who would betray him – said, "That perfume was worth a small fortune. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor." Not that he cared for the poor – he was a thief who was in charge of the disciples' funds, and he often took some for his own use. Jesus replied, "Leave her alone. She did it in preparation for my burial.” (John 12:1-7 NLV).

Isn’t it odd how some people only hear part of what you say? Some people only hear what they want to hear and then there are others who hear you say one thing, and interpret it as something entirely different. I heard a story the other day about a hobo who walked up to the front door of a big farmhouse, and knocked on the door until the owner answered. The hobo said, “Sir, could I please have something to eat? I haven’t had a meal in days.” The well-to-do owner of the house said, “I have made my fortune in the world by never giving anything away for free. If you go around to the back of the house, you’ll fine a fresh gallon of paint and a clean brush. Paint my porch and I’ll give you a good meal.” The hobo headed off to the back of the house. About an hour later he knocked on the front door. The homeowner was surprised. “You’re finished already? That was quick! Come on in and sit down, and I’ll have the cook bring you a meal.” “Thank you, sir!” the hobo said. “I must tell you though, you really don’t know your cars. That’s not a Porch back there. It’s a BMW!"

Sometimes people just don’t understand clearly, and that is the case with today’s Scripture passage. Judas didn’t understand why Mary was wasting the expensive perfume with the anointing of Jesus at Bethany. Jesus had to explain it to him. Jesus knows what lies ahead of him in Jerusalem. Perhaps Mary knows too. So we are left with Mary at Jesus’ feet, anointing him with this perfume of nard and symbolically preparing Jesus for his burial. It is an extravagant gift! It is easy to stand in awe of Mary who really gives us the model of faithful discipleship. When we examine Mary’s model for faithful discipleship, we can see that it was born out of a profound sense of thanksgiving. She was so thankful that she gave all that she had in the expensive perfume as a token of her thanksgiving. It was Mary’s profound sense of thankfulness that caused her to throw the dinner party for Jesus. It was her profound sense of thankfulness that caused her to break open the expensive pint of perfume that was worth a year’s wages, and pour it over Jesus’ feet. It was her profound sense of thankfulness that moved her to wash Jesus’ feet with her hair. Her profound sense of thankfulness was at the very core of her relationship with Jesus.

With Easter just a few weeks away, what will you hear Jesus calling you to do? He has given us the most extravagant gift anyone could imagine. What will your response be in return? Will you hear the call in your life, or will you selectively tune it out? Even though you may have nothing “valuable” to give Him, He asks only for your love and attention. Commit yourself to Him this morning. You will not be disappointed with His response!