All for Love

Since it is Valentine’s Day, I thought I would talk about love – but not the love that the world is celebrating today. Yesterday in our Bible School class, we discussed the first part of John 12. “Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” (John 12:1-3, NIV)

There is much to see in these few verses. But the underlying theme is the love that Mary had for Jesus – and what she was willing to forfeit to show that love.

First of all – Mary gave up any sense of her own importance. Washing visitor’s feet was customary in these times. The standard mode of transportation was walking. I can imagine what a person’s feet looked like at the end of the day, whether he was barefoot or in sandals, after walking the dusty roads of that area. The task of washing someone’s feet usually fell on the lowest servant. (Which is what makes Jesus washing the disciples feet a few days later so important.) Yet Mary, sister of Martha the hostess and Lazarus the host, did this for Jesus herself. She didn’t see this job as beneath her – she did it out of love.

Next, we read later that the perfume she used was worth about a year’s wages. That would be like me spending $35,000+ on about a pint of perfume to anoint someone. It’s difficult to think about it in those terms. Even if I were a billionaire, I’m not sure that I would take that kind of money to use on someone’s feet. But Mary didn’t think about the cost – even though she was criticized for “wasting” – she did it out of love.

Finally, she didn’t care about tradition or about propriety. An adult woman in those times was expected to keep her head covered, and those who did not do this were labeled “harlot.” Mary unbound her hair, and wiped Jesus’ feet with it. Let people say what they would – she did it out of love.

So many times, our ideas about love are shaped by what the media tells us. Or what our friends and family and co-workers tell us. Sometimes, we even weave elaborate, romantic fairy tales inside our heads about what we think love is. The truth is, real love doesn’t come from any of those places – real love comes only from God.

I pray that you don’t get hung up on what our society tells you that you NEED this Valentine’s Day. Rather, I wish everyone a Wonderful Valentine’s Day – filled with the love of God – and spilling out of your life to touch the lives of everyone around you.