The Urgency of Now

Scripture: “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” (John 12:7-8)

“Leave her alone,” Jesus says. And then these haunting words: “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” Six days before Passover. Six days before Jesus would begin His journey to the cross. Mary didn’t know the full significance of what she was doing, but somehow her heart knew – this was a moment that wouldn’t come again.

You see, Mary’s act wasn’t just worship – it was prophecy. Jesus said she was anointing Him for burial. While the disciples, who heard Jesus explicitly tell them about His coming death, struggled to understand, Mary’s heart perceived what her mind might not have fully grasped. How many divine moments do we miss because we’re too busy calculating? How many holy opportunities slip through our fingers because we’re waiting for a “more reasonable” time?

There’s something even more precious than money that Mary poured out that day – her time. Her presence. Her focus. She didn’t just give Jesus the perfume – she gave Him the moment. She gave Him her attention. She gave Him herself. We will run out of time long before we run out of money. She could have simply handed Jesus the jar, left it as part of her estate, or sent it with a servant. But she chose to be present. To be there. To make it personal.

That house in Bethany filled with fragrance that day. Everyone who was there – those who celebrated and those who criticized, those who believed and those who plotted – they all had to breathe it in. The scent of pure worship has a way of penetrating everything. The perfume’s fragrance faded from that house in Bethany long ago. But the fragrance of her worship? It still fills the church today. Every time someone chooses costly worship over careful calculation… Every time someone breaks their alabaster jar… Every time someone draws near despite the cost… Mary’s act is repeated, and Jesus’s words are fulfilled again.

The perfume’s value wasn’t in its preservation – it was in its pouring out. Its fragrance couldn’t fill the room while it stayed sealed in the jar. If Mary had waited one more week, Jesus would have been in the tomb. If Martha had postponed her transformation, she would have missed her moment of ministry. If Lazarus had stayed silent, countless souls would have missed witnessing God’s power. Every day we hesitate, a testimony remains unspoken, a ministry stays in dreams, a gift remains wrapped, a life remains unchanged. Remember: delayed obedience is disobedience.

Today’s Heart Check: What’s your alabaster jar? Maybe it’s your reputation – that carefully crafted image you’ve built. Maybe it’s your security – that safety net you’ve always relied on. Maybe it’s your plans – that future you’ve mapped out so carefully. Maybe it’s your time – that precious resource you guard so closely. Remember: Less is loss. Partial surrender is still distance. Calculated worship is still holding back. What story of surrender is God writing in your life right now – and how many pages are still blank from your hesitation?