02/06/2026
EPITOME OF SERVICE
Can you give up all your money in the bank, all your property, or even your influence for the sake of your life?
What is the value of everything you possess if, in the end, your body returns to the ground and all that you have accumulated vanishes? Yet when life itself is at stake, people are willing to give everything without hesitation, no longer fearing loss or bankruptcy because what they are fighting for is considered the most important of all.
In the same way, the narrative of the woman who poured expensive perfume upon Christ reveals an epitome of service.
The Gospel records how she broke an alabaster jar, a sealed container made from stone used to store very expensive perfume or ointment, often designed to be broken open so its contents would be fully released. What she poured out was not ordinary, it was costly, precious, and likely reserved for significant future use.
To some in the room, her act appeared reckless, impractical, even wasteful. They saw a woman who was unwise, someone who misused something valuable. Yet in her act, Christ saw something entirely different.
A Heart That Sees Christ as Worthy
In Scripture, oil and perfume often symbolize honor and consecration. Kings and priests were anointed with oil as a sign of being set apart. David himself was anointed by Samuel, marking him as chosen by God.
In pouring out her perfume upon Jesus, the woman was expressing deep honor, reverence, and devotion. She was not merely performing an emotional gesture. She was declaring through action that Christ is worthy of her very best.
This stands in contrast to Martha, who was rebuked not for serving, but for being distracted and anxious, missing the priority of Christ Himself. Jesus was not condemning service, but correcting service that has lost sight of devotion. True service is never merely activity, it is worship anchored in love for the King.
Here however, the woman’s service is commended. Christ does not criticize her for being impractical or wasteful. Instead, He honors her because her act flows from a heart fully devoted to Him. It was not the monetary value of the perfume that mattered most, but the value she placed on Christ.
The Logic of Kingdom Service
In the old covenant, offerings signified honor, surrender, and worship. In the new covenant, Christ Himself becomes the ultimate offering, pointing forward to His death, burial, and resurrection for the redemption of sinners.
This woman’s act becomes a prophetic picture, a costly devotion before the even greater cost of Christ’s own sacrifice.
Every act of service for Christ is meant to reflect this reality. Especially in the service of His church, whom He purchased with His own blood, our devotion should not be measured by minimum effort or convenience. There is a balance in stewardship and wisdom, but never at the expense of wholehearted worship.
If Christ commended the woman for giving what was most valuable to her, then it is a contradiction for those who claim to follow Him to criticize wholehearted devotion simply because it seems excessive or impractical.
Because of Christ’s death, we have received the free gift of eternal life. Once enemies, we are now children of God and heirs of His kingdom. If God has given us heaven itself, how then can we respond with only a minimum standard of service?
A Question of the Heart
Are we offering Christ our best, or merely the convenient and minimal?
Is our service shaped by love for Him, or by the desire to simply fulfill requirements?
Do we see time and effort for God as sacrifice, or as worship?
John Calvin once said:
“We do not present sacrifices to earn favor, but because we already belong to God in Christ.”
Christ sees the heart behind every act of service. Whether in leadership or in the simplest role within the body, the question remains, does our service reflect our love for Christ, or merely our obligation?
The woman who poured out the perfume reveals an enduring truth. True service is never measured by efficiency or practicality, but by the worthiness of Christ Himself. In that, she becomes an example of devotion that mirrors the greater love of Christ, who poured out not perfume, but His very life for us.
