Mark 14:3-9

3 While he was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard—very costly. She broke the jar, and poured it over his head.

4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, saying, “Why has this ointment been wasted?

5 For this might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor.” They grumbled against her.

6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for me.

7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want to, you can do them good; but you will not always have me.

8 She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying.

9 Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News may be preached throughout the whole world, that which this woman has done will also be spoken of for a memorial of her.”

World English Bible, public domain

An alabaster jar snaps at the neck, and the smell of costly ointment fills a crowded room. That is the picture at the center of Mark 14:3-9. A woman gives something precious all at once, and the people at the table think she has thrown it away.

The scene is a dinner in Bethany, at the house of a man called Simon the leper. The woman does not pour out a careful drop. She breaks the jar and pours the whole thing over Jesus’ head. Some of the guests are angry. They do the math out loud: the ointment could have been sold for a large sum and the money given to the poor. Jesus answers them plainly. He tells them to leave her alone, calls what she did a good work, and says it will be remembered wherever the good news is told. His simplest line may be the one that stays with you: “She has done what she could.” (Mark 14:8)

There are two kinds of people in this room, and most of us have been both. One gives without measuring. The others stand back and wonder if it was worth it. In this story, worship is less about finding the right words and more about not holding back. Whatever you believe, you probably know the feeling of keeping your best self sealed up while you wait for a safer moment.

Picture a good bottle of perfume, a gift, still in its box at the back of a drawer. You are saving it for a special occasion. Years go by, and that occasion never quite arrives. The bottle stays full, and the scent fades a little each year. Many of us treat our hearts the same way. We put away the honest prayer, the thank-you we never said and the hope we are afraid to name. We keep them for later, for when we feel more ready or more sure.

The woman in Bethany did not wait until she felt ready. She gave what was in her hands, and Jesus called it a good work. You do not need a full jar to write today. A few honest lines count.

Before you write

Think of one thing you have been keeping in that drawer: a word, a feeling or a question. Let the first prompt you choose open it a little. Write plainly, as if no one at the table were watching to judge the cost. If you would like more to write about afterward, the worship prompts are a good next stop.

Journal prompts

  1. The woman broke the jar so it could not be saved for later. What are you keeping sealed up in your own life, and what are you waiting for before you open it?

  2. Think of a time someone gave you something generously, without measuring. What did it feel like to receive it?

  3. The guests at the table called her gift a waste. When have you held back because you worried what others would think of the cost?

  4. Jesus said she did what she could. Write about one small offering that is honestly within your reach this week.

  5. Write a short, honest prayer that pours out one thing you usually keep to yourself: a thank you, a fear or a longing.

  6. If worship feels dry or far away right now, what is one thing you still find beautiful or worth giving yourself to? Describe it plainly.

  7. Find one thing you have been saving for a special occasion, such as a candle, a good pen or a nice shirt, and use it today. What do you notice?