'''While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” ' Matthew 26:6-13 NIV (emphasis added)
You see, when you expend a lot of money on something is because you are convinced of its value. Isn't it? I mean, that's what apple does, they make sure you understand the value of their products so you don't care anymore about the pricing, you just pay for it. Likewise, the disciples were the closest to Jesus, they saw him making miracles, raising people from the death and rebuking demons. They saw him calming a storm and walking in the waters, that was another level of experiential center, and yet they said "Why this waste?" This doesn't make sense to me.
I think they got confused somehow along the road, but Jesus didn't exhort them for wanting to have recognition trough the poor, instead, He told them that true recognition was only to be found in loving Him as that woman did. And we certainly love more what we value more.
Simon Peter denied Jesus three times, remember that? the rooster crowing, etc, ( John 18). Days after that Jesus appeared to him. But He didn't fired him from the disciples company like "you got three memos, you are fired!!!". Instead Jesus asked Peter if he truly loved him, and his love for Jesus restored every blame Peter was feeling, three times (John 21:15-19).
So, what really set us apart to do the good works Jesus command us to do for His people, is truly loving Him.
' “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” ' John 14:15-21 NIV
Leave that thought for a moment, and let's go back to our first story. Jesus anointed at Betania. God could have sent a prophet, like He did with David (He sent Samuel). He could have sent the chief priest of those days to anoint Jesus. But instead, He chose "a woman", the scripture there doesn't mention her name. But like Jesus said, now-days we all recognize Maria of Betania, and want to replicate her act of love toward our Savior.
What is valuable today at God's eyes, is not necessarily what is valuable for others. And only God can truly recognize those who value an intimate and obedient relationship with Him (Matthew 6).
'But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” ' 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV
When Jesus went to Nazareth, people was seeing the son of Joseph. They couldn't see who He really was as per God's eyes and His word.
'All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ ” “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. ' Luke 4:22-24 NIV
Even their own hometown people could not recognize the value of Jesus. And then Jesus told to them that effectively God chooses the right people as per His own eyes.
'I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” ' Luke 4:25-27 NIV
If Jesus were walking among us nowadays. How do you imagine people would react to him? Would we even recognize him? Do you think His Facebook and Instagram pages would have a lot of followers, trending topics, so He assigned a couple of His disciples to handle it?.
'Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! ' Philippians 2:6-8 NIV (emphasis added)
So, What are our hearts really loving today? What is that we really value?
'Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. ' 1 John 2:6 NIV