Are You Listening to Your Calling?
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
John 12:3 NIV
From Nearness to Extravagant Worship
At the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry, Mary and Martha invited Jesus into their home.
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12:1–3)
One of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief.
When we first see Mary at Jesus’s feet, it’s revolutionary, but the next time, it’s scandalous. I imagine her love for her Savior had grown, and it appears she alone grasped the weight of a prophetic point in time that no one else quite understood. Jesus tried to explain it to His disciples, but most of them couldn’t grasp what He was saying until after the resurrection.
Transformed from the Inside Out
This is significant, because over the previous two or three years, Mary had been learning, gleaning, listening, and treasuring Jesus’s words, allowing them to transform her from the inside out.
Mary went from a posture of listening to one of loving response. And that’s the hope for all of us. That we not only sit at the feet of Jesus but that our proximity to Him transforms us into a people who respond with loving devotion.
Mary’s anointing wasn’t random; it was prophetic. As we read, she was preparing Jesus for His burial, but where did that insight come from? From being near, listening closely, and responding faithfully as the Holy Spirit led.
Maybe you’re in a season where you’re desperate to discern what God is doing. It could be that He is asking you to do something costly, and the weight of it feels heavy. Perhaps that is exactly where God needs you in this hour.
Run, don’t walk, toward whatever the Lord is leading you to do. Respond with passion, not hesitation. Choose to pour yourself out like Mary did, even if others misunderstand. Because nothing poured out at His feet is ever wasted.
In His Word
Read John 14. Pay attention to verse 15 and journal your thoughts on how you’re feeling around fully listening and giving God your life.
In Your Life
We can read all the devotions we want, but they won’t make much difference without fully listening to God’s calling. In what areas of your life is Jesus inviting you to respond with a yes that may not make sense to others?
We Recommend
We recommend the book One Thing by Andi Andrew. We love how she helps gently lead you into a sacred rhythm of life anchored in the presence of Christ right where your everyday moments unfold.
Let’s Connect
Andi Andrew is the author of She Is Free, Fake or Follower, Friendship–It’s Complicated, and Braving Change, as well as the host of the Coffee with Andi podcast. Her heart is to see the gospel bring lasting transformation to the everyday lives of people around the world. Andi and her family live in Charleston, South Carolina, where they are planted at Seacoast Church.