It Takes Sacrifice

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. " It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."
~John 12:1-8

I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.
~Mark 14:9

Mary of Bethany is one person that is remembered ever since the New Testament times as Jesus Himself had said. It was with such willingness and generosity that the woman did as an act of worship to Jesus. A pint of nard is estimated to be about half a litre in quantity. That's about the equivalent of one small bottle of coke in our modern day. It was a very expensive perfume, that even one of the disciples actually could not ignore but asked Jesus of the way the woman had acted.

The one striking lesson that I learnt from the woman is that it takes sacrifice to worship and the sacrifice is costly and is done with such willingness and unreserved generosity.

Her act of worship affected the people around her as it left a sweet aroma of extravagant worship unto her precious Lord.