Giving God Your Best - and All of It

Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating,a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head. - Mark 14:3 (NLT)

I couldn’t help think that the woman gave Jesus the best she had. Not only did she give her best, she gave Him all of it, not just part of it.

Let me set the scene. Jesus and the disciples were on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The time had also come for Jesus to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. On their way they stop in Bethany to visit and hang with a man by the name of Simon the Leper - a man who, at some point in time, suffered from leprosy, but was now healed. It’s during this time that a woman comes and offers Jesus this expensive bottle of perfume.

How expensive was it? According to the disciples it cost at least a year’s wage. Imagine what you make in a year. Now go buy some perfume, stock, land, house, car, you name it - then give it to God; not some of it, not part of it, not almost all of it, but every last penny’s worth. Offer it to God.

Would you do it? Could you do it? She did. The woman enters Jesus’ presence and offers her most costly investment. It was something that was used a little at a time because of its value. But she didn’t care. This was Jesus. He was different. We don’t know why He was different to her, but for some reason He was. He had made some kind of impact in her life and she set the example for a room full of men. Men who knew Jesus was different. Men who had spent time with Jesus - day in and day out - for the better part of three years. Men who sat around and grumbled about a woman’s offering. Men who were made to look silly by the example of a woman.

In some ways this incident reminds me of the current state of many churches. Think about it for a minute. Who does or leads out in most of the ministries at your church? Who sets the examples in your prayer ministries, outreach ministries, fellowships/get togethers, building relationships, discipleship? I would venture to say it’s the women. Why? Because most of us men are standing around the back of the room sipping on stale coffee, arms crossed, worried more about Saturday’s college football game, the status of latest hunting season, or work, waiting for someone else to do the ministry. We’re more worried about making sure there’s coffee than whether there are lost people in the service. We’re more focused on the style of worship than who just moved in down the street. We’ve been beaten to the leadership roles, not by good leaders, but because we have forfeited our leadership roles to the women who will do them. We have been showed up much like the disciples were.

Men, it’s time we stood up and began leading. Some of you do. Some of you reading this will probably be somewhat upset at what I’ve said. It’s understandable. Thank you for setting the tone in your church. Then again, who’s leading in your church. I’m not talking about positional leadership - pastors, elders, deacons, coordinators, teachers. I’m talking about rounding up some men and leading out by example.

Reading further into Mark 14 we find Jesus sharing His last supper with these men. He takes the bread, gives thanks and breaks it. Giving it to His disciples He speaks, “Take it; this is my body.” Next He takes the cup, again giving thanks He offers it to the men gathered in the room with Him. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” He said to them. Jesus gave it His all as well. He gave His all for you and for me. He didn’t hold anything back. He didn’t quit in the middle. He offered God all of Himself - the most expensive thing He could give - for us.

Men, are you giving God your best? Are you giving Him all of it? Are you leading by modeling or by griping?

Mike