Reckless Love

Mark 14: 3-9.  Read it. (here's a link if you are too lazy to pull out your Bible).

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2014:3-9&version=NIV

Its the story of the woman who anointed Jesus with expensive perfume. (Interesting note: Jesus was eating with Simon the leper, not Simon Peter). She came in and poured the perfume over Jesus' head. "Some" were bothered by this, because it was worth a lot of money... a year's wages. They're mad at her, because that money could be used for something else - like - helping the poor, a very good cause for the money to go to. (a year's wages! Holy moley! I think about how much money that'd mean in today's world and for me... I could do a lot with that money. Like... give it to the poor... or give some of it to the poor and buy a nice car! or some guitars... or invest it...)

But Jesus stops them. He says that she had done a beautiful thing to him. The greek word used in the original text is "kalos" - which means more than just morally good, but a "lovely" thing to do.  Jesus is feeling the love here!  Obviously, when we look at it that way, it makes more sense than giving it to the poor, which may have been the morally good thing to do. But Jesus' point here is that she is doing a serious act of love here! and for the Lord.

Some of my favorite commentaries are William Barclay's. I'm going to quote a paragraph that he wrote on the passage.

"There is a recklessness in love which refuses to count the cost. Love can see that there are things the chance to do which only comes once. It is one of the tragedies of life that often we are moved to do something fine, and we do not do it. It may be that we are too shy to do it and that we feel awkward about it. It may be that second thoughts suggest a more prudent and commonsense course. It comes in the simplest things - the impulse to send a letter to someone to thank them for something that they have done, the impulse to tell someone how much we love them and how grateful we are to them, the impulse to give some special gift or speak some special word. And the tragedy is that the impulse is  so often strangled at birth. This would be a so much lovelier world if there were more people like this woman, who acted on her impulse of love, because she knew in her heart of hearts that if she did not do it then she would never do it at all. How that last extravagant, impulsive kindness must have uplifted Jesus' heart." 

A recklessness in love which refuses to count the cost...  I can't imagine giving a whole year's wages on one act of love. That would be incredibly difficult. But why do we make it so difficult on ourselves to do the simple acts of love for people?  Is my love for Christ and people greater than my insecurities, fears, and worries? It needs to be.

That was done for us. Christ's love was reckless for me.