The Beautiful Deed

"But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me."

Mark 14:6-7

Two days before the Passover, Jesus is reclining at a host's table when a woman comes to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume. She breaks the vial and anoints the Lord with the aromatic oil. It is worth almost a year's wages, and she extravagantly pours all of it over His head. Some in the room complained to one another, asking why the perfume had been "wasted" and saying it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. And they scolded her. But Jesus comes to her defense and calls what she has done a "good deed". In the original Greek "good" deed is translated as "beautiful" or "excellent". She has boldly and beautifully demonstrated her love for Jesus. She has chosen "the better thing" (Luke 10:42). We know from other scriptures that Jesus does care about the poor, and He calls us to help them. But never is our service to others more important than the beautiful deed of loving and worshiping Christ.