Radical Devotion and Betrayal: The High Cost of Following Jesus

Numbers 4-5; Mark 14; Job 14

Extravagant devotion never elicits applause. To the contrary, true devotion at best makes people uncomfortable, and at worst, elicits pure hatred toward the devotee.

Devotion is an indictment against the status quo, against our blindness and cold hearts. When we see it, we come face to face with our own dullness, and if we won’t repent, we will oppose the light.

A woman came and made just such a display of her affection toward Jesus, and the result was disastrous. She was ridiculed and disdained, not by Jesus’ enemies, but rather by the disciples themselves, his very friends. Her devotion to Jesus highlighted their private scorn.

They knew Jesus was worthy to be followed and listened to, but had they learned that He was worthy of their worship? Not quite.

Mark 14
3 Now Jesus was in Bethany, in the home of Simon, a man Jesus had healed of leprosy. And as He was reclining at the table, a woman came into the house with an alabaster flask filled with the highest quality of fragrant and expensive oil. She came to Jesus, and with a gesture of extreme devotion, she broke the flask and poured out the precious oil over His head. 4 But some were highly indignant when they saw this, and they complained to one another, saying, “What a total waste! 5 It could have been sold for a great sum, and the money could have benefited the poor.” So they scolded her harshly.

6 Jesus said to them, “Leave her alone! Why are you so critical of this woman? She has honored me with this beautiful act of kindness. 7 You will always have the poor, whom you can help whenever you want, but you will not always have me.

8 When she poured the fragrant oil over me, she was preparing my body in advance of my burial. She has done all that she could to honor me. 9 I promise you that as this wonderful gospel spreads all over the world, the story of her lavish devotion to me will be mentioned in memory of her.”

This transition, this call to worship the One we follow, is the issue.

Who is this Man? Who is this Jesus? God in flesh! Incarnate. Divine.

And look at what follows. The very next verse says this:

10 One of the twelve apostles, Judas Iscariot, went to the leading priests to inform them of his willingness to betray Jesus into their hands.

The response to witnessing devotion isn’t applause; it’s betrayal. If we won’t come into the light, we will run back into the dark.

The Gospel is extravagant, and it demands an extravagant response. So, whatever comes, let’s pour it all out. Let’s be the people who hold nothing back.  Without waiting or expecting applause, let’s pour it all out.  

Deepening Faith: Reflective Journal Prompt

Reflect on a time when you expressed your devotion to God in a way that felt deeply personal or costly. How did others react to your act of devotion? How did this experience affect your relationship with God and your understanding of what it means to offer Him your ‘alabaster flask’ of worship? Consider the challenges and rewards of living out a faith that transcends the approval of others.

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