The Price of Worship

Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him” John 12:1,2.

Before us we have a supper; Jesus is there; a resurrected Lazarus is there; there is pictured one who would fall at His feet to worship Him. “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. . .And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not. . .worship God” Rev. 19:9,10. It would appear that a resurrected Lazarus who sat at the table with Jesus will again do so a second time; even with the saints, who as Lazarus, will be resurrected at His coming!

The Price of Worship?

“Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard a thing for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded. God will never let you hold a spiritual thing for yourself, it has to be given back to Him that He may make it a blessing to others.” Oswald Chambers

“Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus” John 12:3. It was valuable monetarily. From the outward appearance it was of great worth. None will contest that! But it was intensely more precious because of its usage. It was given to Jesus, in the anointing of His feet. (Who can place the value upon five loaves and two fishes when given unto our Lord?) Though of much value, the ointment would have become worthless had it been withheld through selfish desire. Had Ananias and Sapphira lived after withholding the promised possession from the Lord - would it not have been as spiritual dry rot in their hands (as quoted from Oswald Chambers)?

What, may we ask, did Jesus find precious? Was it the costly spikenard; or was it Mary, worshipping at His feet? Mary, where did you get such an expensive treasure as the spikenard? We are often challenged to do as Mary, to break our vessel of precious ointment and likewise anoint the feet of our Lord in worship. Must one possess great riches in order to worship the Lord? “Nothing in my hand I bring?” But Mary brought the costly spikenard in her hand! I don’t have such a thing of value - do you? At least, not of myself.

Martha presumed serving Jesus meant providing food for Him; Mary thought serving Jesus was sitting at His feet, receiving from His presence the Sweet-smelling Savour: which is right? It is interesting that at the resurrection of Lazarus our Lord found it necessary to tell Martha that I AM the Resurrection and the Life, that she might have understanding. When Mary came, we do not read that He spoke anything concerning this matter unto her. Can it be that He had already taught her these things, while she sat at His feet?

I think Brother Chambers has the answer: “Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love gift. . .offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship.” Where did Mary obtain such a valuable treasure? Here’s the picture: the spikenard portrays the Blessing, the Sweet-smelling Savour that Mary received all those times that she sat at the feet of Jesus. Is it not fitting that those Blessings received be laid back upon His feet?

“And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. . .She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying” Mark 14:6,8. The Blessing of God was upon Mary; the anointing of His body aforehand: though others had not as yet peceived the truth, Mary understood: Jesus was to die that she might live. The shedding of His Precious Blood was unto her a cleansing flow, a healing ointment; and the price, the value of that blood exceeded many pounds of spikenard, yea, many tons could not have compared! “ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold. . .but with the precious blood of Christ. . .” I Peter 1:18,19.

My dear friend, may we be found as Mary; sitting at the feet of Jesus: for only there will we find the precious ointment, as a Sweet-smelling Savour, purchased at infinite cost; whereby we may as a broken vessel, pour out unto Christ that with which we have been filled and “offer it back to Him in a deliberate act of worship.”