Extravagant Worship of the Servant | Mark 14:1-9
Sermon Summary
As we continue our journey through this Gospel, we’re entering the Passion Week—those final, climactic days of Jesus' earthly life. This particular moment, though, doesn't happen in a crowded temple or a public confrontation. It happens in a quiet home in Bethany, during a meal, when one woman pours out a fragrance—and a legacy—that still fills the air of Christian worship to this day.
This is the story of Mary of Bethany, and it’s a picture of something I believe we desperately need to recover in our hearts: extravagant worship. It’s a costly love. A bold love. A misunderstood love. But it is the kind of love that heaven remembers.
Let’s walk through this together.
Extravagant Worship Is Bold
The scene opens in the house of Simon the leper—a man who had likely been healed by Jesus and now opens his home for a meal. Around the table are disciples, friends, and miracles. Lazarus is there, a living testimony to Jesus’ power over death. The room is likely full of laughter, gratitude, and story-swapping. It’s a place of warmth and remembrance. And in walks Mary.
But Mary isn’t holding a dish. She’s not delivering bread or clearing plates. She’s holding a flask—an alabaster jar full of perfume so rare and costly that its worth could be measured in a year’s wages. This wasn’t Bath & Body Works. This was Spikenard, imported from India, likely a family heirloom, potentially even something saved for a burial.
And what does she do with it? She breaks it. Not a drop, not a dab, not a teaspoon on His wrist. No, she breaks the whole thing and pours it over His head, and down to His feet—so much that she has to use her hair to wipe Him clean. The room fills with fragrance—and with silence.
This is bold worship. And what makes it bold is that it’s unrestrained. No thought to what others might say. No holding back what was most precious. Mary knew exactly what she was doing—this was Jesus, her Redeemer, her Friend, her Life—and nothing less than everything would do.
Church, we need to ask ourselves: When was the last time our worship looked like that? When was the last time we did something for Jesus that didn’t make sense on paper but made perfect sense in heaven? Bold worship may not always be loud, but it is always costly. It’s the breaking of something precious because Jesus is worth it.
Maybe for you, that’s a sacrificial gift. Maybe it’s serving when no one else will. Maybe it’s forgiving when the world says you shouldn’t. But whatever it is—true worship is never cheap. It’s an act of the will that says, “I hold nothing back. Jesus, You are worth it all.”
Extravagant Worship May Be Criticized
And yet, not everyone in the room applauded Mary’s act. In fact, some responded with indignation. Mark tells us they began to murmur against her, saying, “Why was this ointment wasted?” And John fills in the blank for us: it was Judas who spoke up first. The same Judas who held the money bag and had sticky fingers.
He cloaks his criticism in virtue—“It could’ve been given to the poor!” But the heart behind his words was not compassion. It was greed. He saw Mary’s gift not as worship but as waste. And sadly, he wasn’t alone. The murmuring spread. Her act of devotion became the subject of gossip in a room full of disciples.
You see, extravagant worship offends moderate religion. When someone gives beyond what’s considered sensible, when someone obeys God without compromise, when someone prays, sings, gives, or serves with total abandon—it convicts the comfortable. And too often, it’s not just the world that pushes back. It’s those within the church.
Some of you know what that’s like. You’ve taken a bold step of faith—maybe a career shift, a generous offering, a call to missions—and others questioned your wisdom. You’ve been told, “You’re going too far.” But church, hear me: faith always looks foolish to those who don’t walk by it.
We must not let the criticisms of others dilute our worship. Judas called it waste—Jesus called it beautiful. And that’s the only voice that matters.
Extravagant Worship Will Be Honoured
Jesus steps in and silences the critics. “Leave her alone,” He says. “She has done a good work for Me.” That word good in the Greek means noble, honorable, even beautiful. He defends her, not because He’s insecure, but because He recognizes the worth of what she gave.
And then He says something astonishing: “Wherever the gospel is preached throughout the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.” Think about that. Jesus ties her act of worship to the gospel itself.
Why?
Because her act of sacrifice foreshadowed His. Mary’s broken flask pointed to a broken body. Her pouring out of treasure mirrored His pouring out of blood. She did what she could in response to grace. He would do what only He could to bring grace.
Her name is remembered. Her worship is honored. And your worship—however hidden, however costly—will not be forgotten. Hebrews 6:10 says, “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him.” Maybe nobody else saw what you gave, how you served, what you let go of, but Jesus did. And He remembers.
Reflection
So here’s the question we all need to answer: What does your worship say about the worth of Jesus in your life? If someone watched your life—your giving, your serving, your praying, your singing, your schedule—what value would they see placed on Christ?
Because your children are watching. Your spouse is watching. The next generation is watching. And most importantly—Jesus is watching. The goal of the Christian life is not to play it safe or to be well-liked by those who don’t understand faith. The goal is to pour out our lives in a fragrance that pleases Christ.
Men, especially on this Father’s Day, let me say this to you: your children may not remember every toy you bought or every trip you took—but they will remember whether you led your home with a heart of worship. They will remember if church was just a box to check or a Savior to cherish.
Mary reminds us what true worship looks like. It’s bold. It’s often misunderstood. But it is always remembered by heaven. And one day, when we stand before Jesus, I believe He’ll say again, with joy in His voice, “You did what you could.”
So let’s ask ourselves today: Where in my life is God calling me to be bold? What alabaster jar do I need to break? What costly obedience have I been hesitating on?
Break it. Pour it out. Let the house be filled with the fragrance of your love for Christ. Because only one life will soon be past, and only what’s done for Christ will last.
