Five-Minute Lesson: Broken, Spilled Out, and Used Up

Understanding the Moment

Six days before Passover, Jesus visits Bethany and dines with Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. Martha serves, Lazarus reclines at the table, and Mary does something remarkable—she pours out a full pint of pure nard, a perfume worth a year’s wages, on Jesus’ feet and wipes them with her hair.

Judas objects, calling it wasteful. He says the perfume should have been sold and given to the poor. But Jesus defends Mary, saying, “Leave her alone… You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

What Mary’s Act Teaches Us

• Her act was irrational—but it was love.
  In today’s economy, that perfume might be worth $40,000. Mary didn’t count the cost. She poured it out because her heart was overflowing with gratitude. Lazarus, her brother, was alive. Jesus had done what no one else could.

• Passion for Jesus often looks unreasonable.
  Her devotion may have looked foolish to others, but Jesus calls it beautiful. In Matthew and Mark’s gospels, He says her story will be told wherever the gospel is preached.

• It wasn’t about the perfume—it was about the heart.
  Judas missed the point. This wasn’t about money. It was about love. Mary’s act symbolized the full giving of herself to Jesus.

Scriptures to Reflect On

• John 12:1–8 – Mary’s offering of perfume and Jesus’ defense.

• Revelation 2:4 – “You have forsaken the love you had at first.”

• Luke 10:27 – Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.

• Romans 12:1 – Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.

Summary

Mary’s act challenges us to examine our passion. Are we still twicker-pated—captivated—with Jesus like we were at first? Or has our faith become calculated, familiar, and routine?

Her love was not symbolic of what Jesus would do—it was a response to what He had already done. Jesus hadn’t yet gone to the cross, but Mary had already seen His power to bring life from death. So she gave all she had.

Let us be like Mary—willing to be broken, spilled out, and used up for Jesus. Because He was willing to be broken and spilled out for us.