The True Cost of Your Praise

Rev. Marcia Allen Owens
John 12:1-11
1Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5″Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7″Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. ” It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
9Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him.

At some point after raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus visited Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with a luxurious perfume, and then wiped his feet with her hair. Mary’s act of worship went against culture and tradition; it broke some rules. First, using something valued at a year’s salary was indeed extravagant. Judas, the disciple who would eventually betray Jesus, chided Mary for what he deemed as a frivolous use of the expensive ointment. (But this past Christmas, some of us spent what amounted to a year’s salary for someone at the poverty level, especially once interest is added to our charges.) Second, a proper Jewish woman would never let down her hair in public. Yet, Mary did it anyway.
There are times when no one understands the true cost of your praise except you and Jesus. It is beyond explanation or understanding. The magnitude of your gratitude is too large to be contained in the normative liturgical order. In Mary’s case, Jesus was her friend, one who raised her brother from the dead. What is it for you? Today, meditate on something that Jesus has done for you that would make you worship against the rules. Don’t worry about people looking at you and assigning their own value to you and your circumstances, because they do so from their own limited perspective and limited faith. Yes, they want you to shut up, hurry up, sit down, and dry your tears. To see you worship in this way makes them uncomfortable, but you have to do it anyway. Just come to the comfort and contentment of knowing that only you and Jesus know the true cost of your praise.
Rev. Marcia Allen Owens
Tallahassee, Florida