Your Love Ministers to Jesus

“She has done a beautiful thing to me” (Mark 14:6, NIV).

Jesus was profoundly moved by Mary’s overflowing expression of devotion. So extreme was His heart’s response, He proclaimed that everyone all over the world and throughout history should hear about her – wherever the gospel is preached. If anyone had reached the depths of His soul during His thirty-three years on earth, this woman had.

Why? What was it about her actions that moved Him so? A dear friend of mine recently had a poignant revelation about this from Holy Spirit as she was meditating on the story. He pointed out to her that everyone else in Jesus’ life always came to Him either for something they needed, or even to battle Him, hoping for His demise. He was ceaselessly in the giver’s position. Usually the only receiving that happened was in His place of prayer with the Father, where His Abba would pour back into Him everything He was giving out.

But this was different. Mary didn’t come because she had a request of Him. She didn’t pull on Him at all. Instead, she did the opposite. She gave to Him. She poured out her love on Him in unabashed adoration. In that moment, she was giving, and He was receiving. She was not only touching His feet, but reaching His inner being. She was ministering to the very core of her Lord.

Her lavish expression of gratitude and tenderness allowed Him to experience profound belovedness. This is why He uttered, “She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial” (v. 8). Not only had she helped prepare His body, but she had helped prepare His soul. The offering of her tangible love had bolstered His inner wherewithal for what He was about to face. He took the fragrance of her kindness with Him through the most painful hours any person has ever faced in all of human history.

Do you know that when you and I pour out selfless love on Jesus, it ministers to Him in a way that is similarly profound? When we come to Him with no agenda, no prayer list, no petitions or requests – but just to pour out our everything on Him – this steals His heart in indescribable ways.

His words for His disciples are telling: “Why are you bothering her? …The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me” (vv. 6,7).

I understand that He was saying to them, There will always be things pulling on you. There will always be urgent needs around you. There will always be prayer lists and reasons to petition Me. There will always be to-do line items to check off, always be good deeds to run off and attend to. But you will not always have spaces of time to just be with Me, to just linger with Me, to just lavish your love on Me. This precious woman has chosen the better part. Be like her!

We could spend our whole lives putting out the fires that will always be there, and never really hear this message from His heart. He is self-sufficient, and of course He will keep running the universe just fine without us ministering to Him. But oh! when someone does learn to operate like Mary! When someone does just want to give to Him, to minister their affection to the depths of His heart!

The fragrance of that worship long lingers with Him. He doesn’t forget it. It is the most priceless thing you could give to Him. Do you hear the longing of His heart for this?

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Do you perceive your worship as personally meaningful to Jesus? Do you perceive Him as receiving it with love and delight?