ANNOINTED

MARCH 30, 2026 

Holy Week - MONDAY

3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, 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.

4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

When the woman poured her expensive perfume on Jesus, some people were furious. “What a waste!” they said. From their point of view, it made no sense—she could’ve sold it and helped a lot of people.

But Jesus shuts that down immediately. He refuses to let their cost‑benefit mindset define what matters. Absolutely, the perfume was valuable. True enough, the money could have gone to the poor. But Jesus sees something deeper: this was an act of worship. And worship always reveals what’s at the center of your life.

I believe we know that in life, when our focus, what we worship is something other than our Creator, everything else falls out of balance. But when you worship the living God, the One who gave Himself for us through Jesus, you start to see what truly matters. Your priorities shift. Suddenly, “wasting” your life on Jesus doesn’t feel like a waste at all. It feels right. It feels beautiful. And it naturally leads you to care about the things He cares about, standing up for justice while showing compassion to those who need it most.

Now, Jesus isn’t downplaying the needs of the poor here. He’s actually quoting Deuteronomy 15, a passage that calls God’s people to radical generosity. But generosity flows from worship. Get the first thing right—God—and everything else, falls into place.

When God is first, your life becomes something poured out in all kinds of beautiful ways for the sake of the world.


LET'S PRAY

Lord, I admit that I often give my worship to the wrong things. Teach me what it means to pour out my life for You, trusting that You’ll make something beautiful out of it. In Christ’s name, Amen.