ex trav' a gant - (adjective) - more than is usual, necessary or proper; very expensive and not necessary; exceeding the limits of reason or necessity; lacking in moderation, balance, or restraint; excessively elaborate.
"Why this waste?" they asked.
It seemed wasteful, but more than that, it seemed extravagant and risky. It made them uncomfortable. It was a beautifully uncomfortable act. It was a declaration of love and of trust. It was out of place and down-right odd. That's what love does. It does odd stuff.
Mary of Bethany. Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Mary, who sat at Jesus' feet while her kitchen-working sister complained and tattled on her. That's the same one. She was overcome with love for Jesus and she overcame the circumstances with a trust and a don't-care attitude, and it led her to be famous still to this day. She didn't ask to be famous. Jesus made her that way.
In the midst of a room full of bull-headed and arrogant men, she was extravagant. She took her alabaster jar full of expensive perfume and anointed Jesus' head with it. She didn't care who was watching or who it made antsy. She didn't seem to care that she was ridiculed or that they reprimanded her for her decision.
I honestly can't imagine a jar of perfume that costs a year's wages. Even if you only made $10,000 a year, which is well-below average for most Americans, I can't imagine the modern-day retelling of this story. Ok folks, I consider it a splurge when I grab a $25 bottle of American Eagle perfume these days. Because of this, I would imagine myself being with the mocking majority in this story...
"What are you doing, Mary? Have you lost your mind? I know you love Jesus and all, but this? Aren't you saving that for something really special? Come on, let's be realistic! That seems a little......much."
But Jesus would speak up and say, "Leave her alone...she has done a beautiful thing..."
Whoa.
This is twice He's taken up for her. The first time was when she was sitting at His feet listening to Him while her aforementioned sister was working her fingers to the bone preparing the meal. Martha asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her, but He quickly let her know that Mary was choosing what was best. Martha ended up scolded a bit, because Mary GOT it. While the others tattled and whined, she was living extravagantly. She truly saw Jesus' value. She longed for more of Him and His teaching. Is he playing favorites? Or does Mary of Bethany have it figured out way more than the rest of us?
I always wince a little at both of these stories. I'm a Martha-type at my core. Don't get me wrong, I love bible study....but if folks are gonna be coming over, I want the place in tip-top shape and we need good food on the table, people. And then there's the "waste" of indulgent perfume. I have trouble understanding paying more than forty dollars or so for a purse and some women spend thousands. My practical and chintsy side often looks down the nose at those folks, thinking that it's a good waste of hard-earned money.
"Think of how that could have gone for orphans or widows, the adoption fund, or new auditorium carpet," I piously think.
But the truth is, I'm probably just jealous. Or else, (honesty alert) purses just aren't important to me. I sometimes frivilously spend on different things. But hey, it's not about me.
Mary's extravagant love for the Son of God was unusual and unpopular. It contradicted the way most were living. It caused her to live with recklessness. She lived not following the crowd, but instead trusting the crowd-maker. Others were following Him to see what He could do for them, she was following because of Who He was. She recognized that He was worth it. He wasn't just an ordinary man. He would die in just a few days....in her place. She didn't want to wait until the death that she knew would happen in order to open her alabaster jar. She didn't wait until something horrible happened to say, "I love you." She opened it up, unaffected and unshaken by those in the room or what they would think, and she poured it worshipfully on Him...exceeding the limits of reason or necessity.
And here we are, just as Jesus proclaimed, still telling this story "in memory of her." (Matt 26:13)
This week her extravagant living has stuck out with me. I long to live like that. To live in such a way, that if everyone else in the room thinks me crazy, I still worship Him. And then, in full trust, to be completely and totally dependent upon the Lord to come to my defense.
Two days into the week after studying this in church on Sunday, I found myself completely overtaken with anxiety. (More proof that I'm so a Martha!) I was fretting and worrying over something that I have no control. I texted a friend and asked for prayer. That same friend was in my class when I voiced that I would love to live extravagantly like Mary. Yay for me. Accountability at its finest.
Seriously, she had a great challenge for me. No, she didn't suggest running out for perfume at Macy's. She simply said, "Be extravagant with your trust today."
ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Her words felt like soothing balm to my anxious heart. And I knew she was right.
Really want to live like Mary? Then learn to be extravagant with your trust, Dana. Trust in ways that defy reason. Trust in ways that aren't even necessary. Trust without moderation or restraint. Yes, trust with everything I have. Trust that the Son of God is working in my best interest. Trust when it seems ridiculous to those around me. Trust completely.
Do I really want to live extravagantly? This is where I start.
I'll never be buying $10,000 perfume. Count on it. But we can all learn from Mary. We can learn to live lavishing our best on Jesus....because He's more than worth it. Extravagantly worth it.
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