Daily Devo | Extravagant Giving and Extravagant Living (John 12:1-8)

Martha, Mary, and Lazarus host a dinner to honor Jesus and to express their love and gratitude. Mary's gratitude is almost embarrassing -- she pours a fortune in perfume over Jesus' feet and mops it up with her hair! Judas questions her extravagance but his practicality is actually a cover for his own selfishness. How do we show our gratitude to God? How much is enough? How much is too much?

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For Reflection:

Judas and Mary are presented as two very different ways to respond to the invitation to love God.

- Mary expressed her love for Jesus with incredible extravagance! Judas questioned the practicality but Jesus told him to "Leave her alone!" (v7). Had Judas not been a thief, would his question have been fair? Are there practical limits to expressing gratitude to God?

- Judas tried to appear generous while hiding his own selfishness. Perhaps we don't steal like Judas, but how are we tempted to appear more generous than we truly are?