Mary's Costly Love — John 12 Devotional on Wasteful Devotion
The fragrance filled the whole house. Mary had poured out everything—a year's wages in spikenard, her dignity in unbound hair, her heart in a gesture the disciples called wasteful. But Jesus called it beautiful. And he still does, when our love for those we're losing compels us to give everything.
The House Filled with Fragrance
Picture the moment when you realize someone you love deeply is walking toward danger you can't prevent. Maybe it's a parent facing surgery, a friend making destructive choices, or a spouse deploying overseas. Your heart races with the desperate need to do something, anything, that might matter. Mary of Bethany knew that feeling as she watched Jesus approach Jerusalem and certain death.
Six days before Passover, with plots thickening and fresh memories of Lazarus's resurrection, Mary does the only thing love knows how to do: she gives everything she has, critics be damned.
Take a moment to read John 12:1-11. Read it on Bible Gateway if you'd like.