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Steering is published monthly by Overseas Evangelical Mission, Copyright 1999

The Biggest Waste

When Mary of Bethany broke the alabaster jar and poured the expensive perfume on Jesus, Judas and some disciples said indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor."

They were right and practical. What was the use of a jar of perfume? It only made the house smell good for a little while, and even the alabaster jar was broken.

Jesus, however, said, "Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth; wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Suddenly, the 'waste' had become a worthwhile and memorable thing. The perfume has made the whole world smell good and its scent lasts forever.

The truth is, anything you have done with the Lord is not a waste, because God has wasted so much on us, for example, look at all the flowers in deep valleys and deserted places. How often do people go there and appreciate them, yet they bloom as usual. Look at the stars in the sky. Do we need those one can only see through a telescope? Furthermore, there are still many more out there in different galaxies. What a waste!

The biggest waste, however, is that God gave His only begotten Son to the world. He did this in spite of the fact that the human race was so evil that it is not worthy to save it. Humans don't want to be saved. They ignore the salvation.

Jesus' death on the cross was truly a waste, even though some people are saved. You may try to figure out how many human lives should be enough to exchange for God' life. Never enough! But, because of love, God just wasted His Son on us.

Now you understand why Mary was willing to waste her precious perfume on Jesus. Oh, how I wish that could waste more of myself on Him to remember His birthday!