Radical Devotion: Lavishing the Lord with Love
There are two accounts of women anointing Jesus's feet with expensive perfume, wiping them with their hair. These separate yet similar accounts are found in Luke 7:36-50 and John 12:1-8. What these accounts depict are radical demonstrations of lavish love for the Lord Jesus Christ. The two women show the Lord their love by offering the most precious thing they could think of. In both instances, Jesus receives their devotion with approval and affirmation.
It is entirely appropriate and to be expected for disciples of Jesus to show this kind of lavish devotion to Him. Jesus did not hold back any of His love for us and gave Himself over to torture and humiliation to save us from hell (Gal. 2:20). Why should we hold back any of our love for Him who died that we may live?
Going above and beyond on certain occasions to show affection for our loved ones comes naturally to us because such practices are common in our culture. People often go all-out for marriage proposals, milestone birthdays and anniversaries, graduation celebrations, and more recently, even gender-reveal parties. Most people would agree that if you truly love someone, you show your love on occasion in extravagant ways. And yet, the vast majority of church-going, professing Christians have never done a single, radical thing to show their love to Jesus.
What Radical Devotion Looks Like
Attending church on Sundays and celebrating Christmas and Easter can be expressions of deep love for Christ, and they ought to be. But these weekly or annual events are a regular part of the Christian life. What the two women did for Jesus went beyond the ordinary, which is precisely why we call it extraordinary. They went beyond the routine and even what some would consider reasonable. Why else would their actions elicit such incredulous responses from those who witnessed them?
The Pharisee in Luke 7:39 was offended that Jesus allowed Himself to be touched by a sinful woman. Judas Iscariot, in John 12:5, showed disdain for Mary's act of devotion, calling it a waste. One sure way to tell if an act of devotion goes beyond the ordinary is if it causes a commotion among people.
“One sure way to tell if an act of devotion goes beyond the ordinary is if it causes a commotion among people.”
There is a true-life story of a Christian couple who decided to donate a large portion of their savings to the poor. When the people in their Bible-belt church heard about what they did, instead of celebrating with them, they accused them of acting in an unreasonable, cult-like manner and making them uncomfortable. The situation became so bad they eventually had to leave the church. The reaction of those church members shows that the couple's radical act of devotion to the Lord went beyond their standard of ordinary, comfortable Christianity. That alone is a good sign that their act was pleasing to God.
Whether the act takes the form of a substantial financial offering, a long-term mission trip, a Nazirite vow, or even the bold decision to "come out" as a Christian to unapproving family and friends at the great risk of losing social status and employment, if it is done with radical love for Christ, it will grab people's attention, even though the focus is on God and not man.
Radical Devotion as an Outflow of the Heart
Proverbs 4:23 says, "Guard your heart above all else, for from it flow the springs of life." The same can be said about love and devotion. Radical acts of devotion flow from a heart that is passionately in love with God. A lack of radical devotion is actually a symptom of tepid love. When a pot is boiling over, its contents spill out uncontrollably, making a great mess. But a lukewarm pot sits still, the water within it as calm as glass.
“A lack of radical devotion is actually a symptom of tepid love.”
The thought of rendering unto Christ acts of lavish love ought to be desirable for believers. If such a thought feels more like a burden or a chore, again, that points to a lack of love for the Lord, which stems from a lack of understanding or appreciation of the gospel. Belief and understanding in the Christian life can only be measured in terms of action. Just as one cannot say they believe in forgiveness if they choose not to forgive, one cannot say they truly understand the gospel if they are not moved by it to love God with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Luke 10:27).
Conclusion
If it is expected for husbands and wives to demonstrate their love for each other in spectacular or extraordinary ways on occasion, the same expectation should hold true for Christians. If a husband never shows his love for his wife in any special way after years of marriage, or a wife never shows her love for her husband after countless birthdays, anniversaries, and Valentine's Days, most people would say something is amiss in that marriage. But why such a low standard is seen as acceptable or normative in the Christian life is an overlooked and mysterious tragedy.
Let us see to it that our hearts are not tepid, but that we are seeking renewed zeal and fervor for the Lord day by day (Romans 12:11). And with that zeal, let us make sure to show our Lord at least one radical act of love and devotion, as Mary and the sinful woman did. God honors those who show radical devotion to Him, and what they do will never be forgotten (Matt. 26:13).