impractical beauty

Yesterday, our pastor taught from Matthew 26… you may know the story.

Not too long before Jesus was to be captured and crucified, He was having dinner with His disciples and a woman came and anointed him with a bottle of very expensive perfume.

This perfume would cost a year’s wage… and even so, I don’t think I really put much thought to it. But, on Sunday I heard it different…

Think about it.

What would YOU do with an extra year’s earnings?

Pay down the mortgage?
Buy a vacation home or new car?
Help the poor?
Disperse amongst various charities?
Go on an extravagant vacation?

This woman?
She chose to honor her King…

^“When Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper,
a woman came up to him as he was eating dinner and
anointed him with a bottle of very expensive perfume.”

[I can certainly relate to how the disciples responded to seeing this… they couldn’t believe that this woman would waste this expensive perfume when it could be sold to help so many!]

“When the disciples saw what was happening, they were
furious. “That’s criminal! This could have been sold for
a lot and the money handed out to the poor.”

When Jesus realized what was going on, he intervened.
“Why are you giving this woman a hard time? She has
just done something wonderfully significant for me.
You will have the poor with you every day for the rest
of your lives, but not me. When she poured this perfume
on my body, what she really did was anoint me for burial.
You can be sure that wherever in the whole world the
Message is preached, what she has just done is going to
be remembered and admired.”
“Matthew 26:6-13MSG

I’ll be honest… I’m still having trouble getting my head around this.

Our pastor called it an “Impractical Beauty”… and it got me thinking.

How many times do I miss the better thing?

How many times have I been completely blind to the impractical beauty?

How many times do I see waste in my own eyes ~ but our King sees beautiful.

I’m still processing through this – would love to hear your thoughts and comments…

What “impractical beauty” have you noticed?
Or missed?

How can we see differently so we can be more aware of this “impractical beauty?

And what does this “impractical beauty” look like in today’s culture?
Or in my own life?