Worth and Waste

Yesterday was the Sunday before Easter and on this week, some 2,000 years ago, the Easter story unfolded. If you were to follow a chronological timeline of events you would discover that this past Saturday night was the night that Jesus sat with his friends at a feast in the home of one Simon who had once been a leper before he met Jesus. What unfolded at that feast was one of the most talked about events in the life of Jesus. The fame of that special act of worship was declared by Jesus to be as unforgettable as the gospel, in that everywhere the gospel was preached, that story would be told too.

It was an incredible event but it was not a unique occurrence. What happened that night in Simon's house was a reenactment of sorts of something that happened much earlier in the life of Jesus at the home of a Pharisee in Galilee. On that occasion a forgiven prostitute, out of the overflow of a grateful heart, brought her most valuable treasure, her life’s savings in the form of a precious ointment in an alabaster box. In an act of unselfish love she fell upon the feet of the master and as she kissed them without ceasing, she poured the precious perfume upon the feet of Jesus, washing them with her tears and her hair. The self-righteous Pharisees at that dinner sought to condemn Jesus because of the manner of woman that she was. But Jesus reminded them that, because she had been forgiven much, she loved him much in return. And her offering was not extravagant but was simply the product of an overflowing heart!

Mary was a close follower and friend of Jesus and, no doubt, she knew of this incident. She had heard the story and marveled at the pure unadulterated worship that drove that nameless woman to pour her love upon Jesus. Mary was a worshiper herself; she was the one that was scolded by her sister, Martha, for sitting at the feet of Jesus. As a follower of Jesus, we know from that narrative that she hung on his every word. She listened to what he said as if his words were, indeed, the words of life itself.

Lately the words of Jesus had changed somewhat in tone. Many times they had heard him say, when threatened, that his time had not yet come. But now, as this final week of his life was upon them, Jesus was doing everything he could to warn his followers that the time was at hand. Now he was saying things like. “My time has come.” But no one was listening. No one was getting it. No one, that is, except for Mary. Mary heard him and Mary understood, what perhaps no one else understood. She realized that something pivotal was about to take place. She sensed the subtle change in the things Jesus was saying and how he was saying them. It is doubtful that she recognized that his death was so near, it is doubtful that she fully understood just what he meant, but it is certain that she felt motivated to lavish upon Jesus some profound display of worship in this critical hour.

So she drew from whatever resources she had. She robbed her penny bank, cashed in her savings, scraped together all her extra money and purchased the costliest fragrance she could afford. Both John and Mark record that the ointment was worth 300 Denari – about a years wages. It was encased in an alabaster box, just like on the previous occasion, and the box itself was quite expensive. When Mary came into the room that night, the Saturday evening before the crucifixion, she had in her hands the very most expensive gift that she could afford. It was everything she had and it cost her very dearly to obtain it. But she had only one thing on her mind. In the midst of the increasing tension, in the face of the upcoming Passover, with a sense of urgency to the hour, she wanted nothing less than to make an undeniable statement of worship and praise. Mark says she broke the alabaster box, which further increased the value of the offering. With tears of worship and adoration she started with his head and proceeded to anoint his feet, washing them with her tears and drying them with her hair. She was a woman driven by worship, her heart was filled with gratitude, and the fragrance of her praise filled that room.

Her sense of the value of Jesus, told her that the sacrifice of ointment wasn’t enough. He was worth so much more than that, but that was all she could afford. His worth to her dictated that, not only would she anoint him with the oil, but she would sacrifice the alabaster box as well! His worth to her is what was on display that evening; His value to her. She was saying, in her worship, Jesus you are worth so much more than this to me. You are priceless beyond comparison; your worth knows no measure. This is the best that I have to offer and I’m bringing you my very best, but my tears declare the fact that I know that even my best isn’t good enough! You deserve this many times over. You are worth this and so much more! This was the greatest display of worship that Mary had ever seen and she wanted to emulate it that night. It wasn’t about eclipsing what had previously happened. Rather, it was about saying from her heart, you are worth that much to me... I want to be a part of that kind of praise. I want to render to you that kind of worship.

It was a beautiful scene. But, in the midst of such an incredible display of worship, that was the place that Judas weighed worth against waste. At the same time that Mary was declaring the worth of Jesus, Judas was lamenting the waste. She was enthralled with the worth of the word made flesh. He was angry over the waste of such a precious ointment. Where Mary saw worth, Judas saw waste! John’s account lets us know that Judas was the ringleader in the effort to discredit Mary’s offering. But John also informs us that Judas’ motivation was less than noble. John tells us in John 12:6 that Judas didn’t care for the poor but, rather, he was a thief. He kept the moneybox, he was the treasurer for the disciples and, unknown to anyone (except Jesus), he had made a habit of stealing from what went in the moneybox. Because of that, what Mary, and millions of bible readers since, have seen as the ultimate statement of the worth of Jesus, Judas saw as a lost opportunity for personal financial gain. If the gift had been given to him in order to sell it and distribute it to the poor. He would have been able to pilfer a large sum of money from the exchange. His anger at the display of worship was rooted in his deep sense of greed.

However, at the time, he was one of the twelve and they all trusted their friend Judas. He began to stir the disciples to anger, saying, “What a waste!” What a way to squander such a valuable resource. Eventually this bitter reproach found its way into a sharp rebuke aimed at Mary. But Jesus stepped in. He quickly let them know that Mary wasn’t being wasteful at all. Mary was right in the center of the divine will of God. Mary didn’t fully realize it yet, and the disciples hadn’t come to understand it yet, but the death of Jesus was at hand. And, since he wouldn’t be in the ground quite long enough for the traditional means of anointing the dead, it was needful that his body be anointed while he was yet alive! God used Mary, due to her sensitive spirit and her willingness to express the worth of Jesus in her life, in an incredibly significant gesture. Jesus said, “She has anointed my body for my burial!” She didn’t even know that was what she was doing. But the one thing she did know was that He was worth more than anything she could ever do for Him.

If you read the book of Matthew, this story is told out of context. Matthew doesn’t tell it in the chronological manner that Mark and John do. He, in the context of Jesus’ final night with his disciples, inserts this story into the narrative just before Judas goes to the High Priest and offers to sell Jesus. It seems as if Matthew is telling us that this incident was what motivated Judas, it was the thing that opened his heart’s door for Satan to come in and use him. It was the greed. He was consumed with the material wealth. He couldn’t see the worth for the waste! He couldn’t see the worship because he was to busy morning the loss of the perfume. In the face of incredible worship, in the presence of declaration of unparalleled worth, Judas could only shake his head and mutter, “What a waste!

Perhaps it was this act and the Lord’s approval of it that made Judas willing to betray the Lord. From this scene Matthew returns to the narrative and tells us that Judas went to the chief priests and offered to betray Jesus. Talking about worth and waste: Judas agrees to sell Jesus for the paltry sum of thirty silver coins. Thirty pieces of silver was the sum due as compensation to an owner for the loss of a slave. It was worth only about a third of what Mary’s ointment alone had been worth! Oh what a waste! Jesus, the healer, the teacher, the savior of the world and the precious lamb of God was sold for the price of a slave!

It is highly doubtful that the money alone is what induced Judas to sell Jesus. But it seems abundantly evident from the way that Matthew chooses to tell the story that something transpired in Judas’ heart when he ascribed a value to Jesus and determined that he wasn’t worth the sacrifice being offered to him. I doubt that, at that time, he valued Jesus as low as the slave’s ransom that he would eventually sell him for. But the truth is that he made his great mistake when he exalted something -- anything -- over the value of Jesus in his life. That’s when he turned worth into waste.

Today, that’s a trap that we should all endeavor to keep from falling in. Because, before people lose out with God they first reach the place that they weigh worth against waste. They first come to the conclusion that something in this life is more precious to them than Jesus. I want you to know tonight that you are walking in a dangerous place when you begin to look longingly upon the things that you have to given up in order to be a part of the church. When you begin to look at the cost of your praise and the price of your devotion with regret you are walking the same dangerous path that Judas walked.


I have a simple question for you: What is Jesus worth in your life? How much is too much. Where do you draw the line. Is it asking too much to spend a few minutes each day in reading your bible? Is it asking too much o spend an hour each day in prayer? Is it asking too much to push away your plate and fast one day a week? What is the worth of Jesus in your life? What if he asked you, like the rich young ruler, to sell all you have and give to the poor and come follow him? What if he asked you to swallow your pride in an act of complete worship? What if he asked you to forsake your occupation to serve him? How much is too much?

I don’t ever want to get to the place where anything in my life is worth more to me than my walk with Jesus! I don’t want to ever get to the place where I value anything over my worship. I don’t want to ever get to the place where I set anything about the value of my salvation. My desire this evening is to give the Lord anything he might desire from me. My desire this evening is, like Mary, to pour out my very best for him whether he requires it or not. You understand, nobody asked Mary to make that sacrifice. It came from her heart and lowed from her incredible sense of the worth of Jesus. That’s the way I want to live. I want to pour out my whole life to the glory of Jesus. I want to give everything that I have that he might be glorified.

Judas serves as a warning to all of those that start out with good intentions but let this life capture their heart. Judas started a journey away from God long before that fateful night in Simon’s house. I don’t know exactly where and when he started stealing from the treasury. I only know that somewhere along the way he exalted himself over Jesus. That’s where the true question of worth and waste came into play. Judas valued himself and the desires of his own flesh over his relationship with Jesus. Because of that he wasted his life, his opportunities and even his soul. Perhaps this is why Jesus referred to him in John 17:2 as the son of perdition. That literally means the “son of waste.” This was Jesus’ way of echoing Judas’ words. Oh, what a waste… Oh, what a tragedy. Judas had so much going for him, so many opportunities before him. But he wasted it all because he failed to realize the worth of Jesus in his life!

I can think of no more tragic epitaph for a life than to have it recorded that Jesus said of you, “Oh what a waste!” After all the preaching you have heard, after all the bible studies you’ve partaken of, after all the opportunities you’ve had… Oh, what a waste. What a waste it is to lose out with God. What a waste it is to lose your soul over things in this world that really have no worth.

Don’t let your life be wasted. Recognize the worth of your relationship with God. Recognize the value of God’s will and his desire for your life. Most of all, you need to recognize the value of the gift of salvation that He has given to you. Nothing in this world is worth as much as His presence in your life. Nothing in this world is worth the price that has been paid for your soul.

Perhaps this is what Paul had in mind when he admonished the church in Thessalonica to “walk in a manner worthy of God.” To do anything else would be to waste the precious gift of salvation that God has given you. How will your walk with God be characterized? Worthy or wasteful? It’s up to you to make that choice. Why don’t you choose worth over waste?