In John 12 and Mark 14, we read about a woman named Mary — about her boldness and her faith. In the story, it’s dinnertime, and her interaction with Jesus is certainly something no one in the room saw coming. She takes a jar of perfume (that would be worth about a year’s salary) and pours all of it on Him. We then read that everyone in the room complains that what she did was too much. “Why was the ointment wasted like that?” (Mark 14:4). But Jesus steps in and defends her. He says, “She has done a beautiful thing to me.” (v6)
Don’t miss that.
What others thought was too much and too extreme … Jesus called beautiful.
You can’t help but notice how real this still is today. Many people often label living out your faith with boldness as “too much.” But notice what else Jesus says about her act of faith. In Mark 14:9, He stated,
“wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”
And here we are… 2,000 years later, still talking about Mary. Why? Because bold love for Jesus will not be wasted. It will not be forgotten. And it will always leave a mark… on you, and on the people around you.
I Can Testify
I can definitely testify to this firsthand. Before I was a believer, I remember Pastor Billy… (back when he was just Billy). We were sitting in his car at a McDonald’s drive-thru after a punk rock show. He was unapologetically sharing the Gospel with me. (I’m also pretty sure I heard him lock the doors.) At the time, it felt a bit extreme and “too much.” Yet here I am, 20 years later — still talking about it.
Billy’s boldness left a mark. Mary’s did, too. And so will yours!
If you take anything to heart today, I pray it is this: A life lived for Jesus will never be wasted. You will not waste one second of your life obeying Jesus or making much of Him. So BE BOLD FOR JESUS! What others might call “too much”… Jesus says, “That is beautiful.”
So here’s the question:
“Will you BE RADICALLY BOLD for Jesus?”
Don’t ever hold back. I promise you, it’s going to leave a mark.
Posted in A Word from the Pastor