“The Wonderful Blessing of Worship"
John 11:45-12:11

“Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.’” [John 12:3]

Mary of Bethany was a worshipper of God. When she is referenced in Scripture, she usually is at the feet of Jesus. And that is exactly what worship is:  Being at the feet of the Jesus. It is there that one finds strength, peace, and insight from God. It is through worship that we are near. And Mary always found opportunity to draw near.

What is interesting is that the ones who appeared near were the furthest. We see this in the religious types like the scribes and pharisees, but we also see this in our Lord’s inner circle. It is easy to identify attack from without; more difficult from within.

In just the next verse, “But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’” [John 12:4-5] John added, however, “This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.” [John 12:6]

Judas was thieving from the moneybag, and who knows how long, probably from the beginning. But it was the anointing of Jesus’ feet [that “waste”] that caused Judas to betray the Lord at the appointed time. Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” must go to the Cross on Passover to fulfill all Scripture. And He must enter Jerusalem on the 10th of Nisan to fulfill Daniel 9.
The timetable of the Cross, and thus the redemption of the world, was God’s alone, yet Mary’s act of worship was the instrument used to set it in motion.

It was because of the anointing that Judas betrayed the Lord for thirty pieces of silver [yet another prophecy fulfilled]. These fulfilled prophesies show that God is in control. He is on the Throne. It is His will, His way, and His timing: Always!

It was Mary of Bethany, however, who was used to institute God’s timing in this greatest work of all time, the Cross.

What a wonderful blessing it is to be a worshipper of God! 

Our part is to draw near; His part is the rest.