what pleases the Lord exceedingly

she did what she could. (Mark 14:8)

the passage today is about the woman who anoints Jesus by pouring very expensive perfume on His head.

i can't think of many times in the gospels that Jesus commends someone as highly as He commends this woman.

i suppose it was because her action was such a pure, unabashed, extravagant expression of love and gratitude toward Him.

in luke's account of this incident, we are told a few more details about this woman. she "had lived a sinful life" (luke 7:37) . . ."and as she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears." (luke 7:38).

this kind of honest outpouring of love and devotion is always deeply offensive and embarrassing to hypocrites or to those who are nominally in the faith.

this is evidenced by the comments of some of those who witnessed the scene: "'why this waste of perfume? it could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor. ' and they rebuked her harshly."

in other words, they try to demean this poor woman's humility and adoration towards Jesus by their supposed concern for the poor. after all, don't they know best what this woman should do with her money?

i suppose profound and deeply felt displays of love can only really be understood by those who have profoundly and deeply loved themselves. who can fully put into words what it is like to be truly forgiven, to be so completely loved and accepted; the wonders of redeeming love and grace?

well, this woman knew, and "she did what she could" about it. Jesus ardently defends her because He was so moved and, in a sense, ministered to, by the outpouring of this woman's love.

i can't help thinking of all the times in the scriptures that Jesus tried to tell His disciples that He would be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law to be crucified, "but they did not understand what He meant and were afraid to ask Him about it." (mark 9:32).

Jesus must have felt very alone and friendless even among His disciples as He faced imminent death in jerusalem. who can know the extent to which Jesus dreaded "the baptism He was about to undertake"?

and yet this woman somehow understood.

she was, maybe, the only one who did, and in Jesus's words "poured perfume on [His] body beforehand to prepare for [His] burial".

somehow she knew and "she did what she could". her act of extravagant love prepared Jesus for what was coming and must have comforted Him beyond measure.

and Jesus commends her, not for the gesture that she made, but because she loved Him with her whole heart, which was, to Him, "a beautiful thing".

there is a time to do the ministry of the Lord (giving to the poor) which is very important, but most essential of all, is genuine, heartfelt love for the Lord. this is, in the end, the thing that really counts and the true measure of our faith.

i suppose on that last day, that all our acts of service on behalf of the Lord will be measured not by the service itself, but by the love for Jesus that prompted it.

"wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will be told in memory of her". this woman is the standard-bearer of "what pleases the Lord exceedingly".

"more love to Thee, O Christ".