Is It Worth It?
Luke 7:44-46 (NLT)
‘Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, ‘Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.’
Is it worth it? is a question I find myself asking a lot.
I read reviews before I buy things. I think about how much use I will get out of something. I try to only buy clothes that I’ll get lots of wear out of. I look at the price per kg that’s in tiny letters on price tags in the supermarket.
And ‘is it worth it?’ is a sensible question to ask in lots of contexts. But when it comes to Jesus, the answer is always ‘yes’! The world would tell this woman this Jesus isn’t worth the public embarrassment or judgement from Simon or the expensive perfume. And yet she’s seen something in the presence and the person of Jesus that means she knows he’s worth gatecrashing a meal at which she’s not welcome. She knows he’s worth going all out for. She knows he’s worth the tears. She knows he’s worth wasting perfume.
Maybe today you’re facing something tough, and you’re starting to ask if it’s worth it. Maybe you’re desperately praying prayers that don’t seem to be answered. Maybe you’ve sacrificed so much and it hurts. Maybe you’re trying to chase after kindness and compassion and it’s hard work. Maybe you feel rejected because of choices you made in obedience. Maybe you’re just trying to put one foot in front of the other in the valley of the shadow of death.
This woman wants you to know ‘he’s worth it’. So do Abraham and Sarah, Noah, Rahab, Daniel, John the Baptist and Peter, and thousands of other people in the Bible who pressed on. They knew the cost of obedience and they knew the pain of sacrifice, but they also knew the goodness and the kindness of God. They are shouting, ‘He’s worth it!’
Prayer – Jesus, you’re worth it! I’m so thankful for all you are, and for all you’ve done. Where I might be doubting that today, remind me of your goodness in my past.
