There’s something about Holy Week that feels different, like time slows down and everything gets real. The Cross of Jesus is coming closer. You can almost feel it in the air. Everything in the Bible seems heavier now—every word, every look, every little action.
In today’s story, Jesus is at the house of some friends. It’s not a crowd, it’s not a big event—it’s just a quiet dinner in a small room. Everyone’s comfortable. It’s a safe place. And then, out of nowhere, Mary does something shocking.
She takes a bottle of perfume—expensive perfume. It’s worth a year’s worth of work. That’s a lot of money. And without even thinking about it, she pours it on Jesus’ feet. And then she uses her hair to wipe His feet.
Now, to us, that might seem strange. Why would she do that?
But that’s the point. She didn’t care about how it looked. She didn’t care about the cost. She didn’t care what anyone thought. She just loved Jesus. She gave everything she had because she knew He was worth it.
And then here comes Judas—always the logical one—always with a question. “Why didn’t you sell that perfume and give the money to the poor?”
It sounds good, right? Like he’s being responsible. But Jesus sees through it. Judas didn’t care about the poor. He cared about what he could control. He didn’t want love to be messy. He wanted everything to be neat and tidy.
But Jesus looks at him and says, “Leave her alone.”
Jesus is telling us something here.
He’s telling us that real love doesn’t need to make sense. Real love isn’t neat and controlled. Real love is big. It’s messy. It’s a little wild. It’s pouring out everything you have without asking for anything in return.
Mary didn’t hold back. She gave it all. She didn’t think, “What if I need this later?” She didn’t wait for a “perfect” time. She just gave. And when she did, the room was filled with the sweet smell of that perfume.
That perfume didn’t just fill the room, though. It filled the whole world with its message. The message is: Love is meant to be poured out. It’s meant to fill the room and everyone in it. And when we give love like that, it changes everything.
Now, let’s think for a second—how do we live our lives? Do we hold back our love? Do we give only when it’s convenient? Do we ration it out, trying to save a little bit for later? Or do we give it all?
The Gospel isn’t asking us to be perfect. It’s asking us to love deeply. To love without holding back.
And here’s where it gets important:
When we face challenges, when things aren’t going right, when we’re hurt or scared, we have a choice.
Do we turn inward, like Judas, and think about what we’ll lose? Or do we respond like Mary and pour out our love, even when it’s hard?
The Cross is coming for all of us. We can’t avoid it. But if we’re ready to love like Mary, then when the Cross comes—when life gets tough—we won’t shrink back. We’ll pour out everything we have because we know Jesus is worth it.
So, let me ask you:
What’s the fragrance of your life?
Is it the fragrance of holding back, of saving your love for yourself? Or is it the fragrance of giving everything, of letting your love fill the room?
Because when you love like that, you’ll be changed. The world will be changed.
And that’s the kind of love that lasts.
Leave a comment