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(Presented by Lisa Bishop)
Let’s look at an extravagant response of gratitude by an unnamed woman whose story is told in the gospel of Mark.
Now Jesus was in Bethany, in the home of Simon, a man Jesus had healed of leprosy. And as he was reclining at the table, a woman came into the house, with an alabaster flask filled with the highest quality of fragrant and expensive oil. She came to Jesus, and with a gesture of extreme devotion, she broke the flask and poured out the precious oil over his head (Mark 14:3-9).
In other words, she came to Jesus in a response and act of extreme gratitude!
After this selfless display we see the disciples highly indignant, and in an uproar they question how this woman could waste such an expensive bottle of oil which would have been the equivalent to a whole year’s worth of wages.
Listen to how Jesus responds:
“Leave her alone! Why are you so critical of this woman? She has honored me with this beautiful act of kindness….She has done all that she could to honor me. I promise you that as this wonderful gospel spreads all over the world, the story of her lavish devotion to me will be mentioned in memory of her” (Mark 14:7, 8-9).
We do not know much about this woman, what her life was like or the story of her past. But surely we can surmise that she experienced the saving power and extravagant love of Jesus. And experiencing the extravagant love of her Savior caused her to have an extravagant response towards that love. Her display of extreme devotion and thankfulness to God was so significant that nothing, not even facing the shame, scorn and ridicule of men, was going to stop her from this heartfelt act.
Her act of gratitude towards Jesus was so noteworthy that it is recorded in the Bible for billions of people to read and for us to read as an example 2000 years later.
And Jesus says that as the Gospel spreads, her story of lavish devotion will be told.
When you know how incredibly loved you are by God, more than a head knowledge, but a deep knowing that penetrates your mind, heart, and soul—when you know this love, you can’t help but respond the same way she did. This unnamed woman’s wordless display of gratefulness, her act of worship, is an example for me and for you.
How are you showing your extravagant gratitude for who Jesus is and for what he has done in your life?
The unnamed woman’s act of worship was anointing Jesus’ head with oil. What will be your act of worship and gratitude?