Sunday 30th November 2025

“Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world,
what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Mark 14:9 (NIV)

What a waste

Some of the men in church have been reading Watchman Nee’s book The Normal Christian Life for ‘Blokes with Books,’ the men’s book group (see below).  Nee was an influential leader in the church in China in the twentieth century, and this book is something of a classic.

In the final chapter he reflects on the story of the woman who anointed Jesus at Bethany with a jar of very expensive perfume.  Her extravagant devotion brought forth immediate criticism from those present: “Why this waste of perfume?  It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor” (Mark 14:4-5).

What is ‘waste’?  Nee explains that “Waste means that you give something too much for something too little.”  Suppose you pay £100 for something worth only £10, that’s a waste of money.  Or you take three weeks to do a job that should only take three days, that’s a waste of time.  Or you make two trips to the recycling centre when one would have been enough, that’s a waste of effort.

In the eyes of the onlookers, what the woman did for Jesus was a waste, and the perfume could have been put to better use.  Are we wasting our lives, our time, our money in giving them in service to Jesus?  A talented doctor leaves his career to become a pastor.  What a waste of a life!  We spend time in Bible study and prayer when we could be sleeping or socialising.  What a waste of time!  We give money to the Lord’s work rather than spending it on holidays or saving it for the grandchildren.  What a waste of money!

Nee gets to the heart of the matter when he says, “When once our eyes have been opened to the real worth of our Lord Jesus, nothing is too good for Him.”  That’s the issue: what value to be place on Jesus?  How much is he worth?

It’s striking that Jesus refused to criticise the woman, and instead commended her, saying, “She has done a beautiful thing to me” (when what others was doing was ugly), and “She did what she could” (when they had done nothing, or worse).  It seems Jesus himself thinks we cannot value him too highly.

Nee says, “Thus, the Lord ordained that the story of Mary anointing Him with that costly ointment should always accompany the story of the gospel; that which Mary has done should always be coupled with what the Lord has done.”  Can there be a higher honour?

Prayer

Lord, I fear that I’m a long way from being recklessly devoted to you; teach me to value you aright, and to love you accordingly.  Amen.

Yours warmly, in Christ,

Chris Hobbs (Senior Minister)