And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. (3-6)
Why you do something is every bit as important as what you do. We tend to be critical people adept at finding fault and second-guessing the actions of others. Obviously, truth is truth, and the measure of truth is God’s word. However, our judgments often focus more on “why” people do things instead of “what” they do. This tendency is foolish because only God can look inside and judge people’s hearts. Some disciples assumed that this use of the ointment was a waste and that they would have been much wiser if entrusted with the same resource. The assumption was that it was a waste, but the real question was, “Why?” “What are your motives, Mary, for doing such a foolish thing?” The Bible is clear about right and wrong, and we can all agree on that. Yet, in the day-to-day decisions of life, God sometimes leads us to do the “right” thing in a way that appears to be “wrong” to those who don’t have all the facts.
We are not told in the story how Mary got the costly ointment, but it is safe to assume that it was hers to use how she pleased. Equally, we are not told why she did what she did, but Jesus tells us that her motives were pure. “Leave her alone,” He said, “She has done a beautiful thing to me.” Jesus knew what was in her heart and understood the depth of her love and sacrifice. He also understood her motives to lavishly worship Him in the most meaningful way possible. The Spirit prompted her to do something uncomfortable, extraordinary, and easily misunderstood. Her response was quiet obedience. Have you ever had God lead you to do something that others misunderstood? Have you ever had your motives questioned or your actions scrutinized because what you were doing didn’t make sense to others? Take courage; only God knows your heart, and He is pleased when you obey despite the opinions of others.
