Have you ever been consumed with dread of impending doom? Maybe it is a court date or a doctor’s appointment that will likely bring some bad news. Perhaps it is the dreaded confrontation with someone that you don’t expect to go very well. Maybe you will have to give up something you love, and it breaks your heart.

Tapping into this feeling may just give you a taste of what Jesus was beginning to feel to an exponentially greater degree as His time was drawing close. He had begun preparing His disciples for what was to come, but they were just not getting it.

There was someone, however, who did get it…

We have watched as Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and absorbed every word, every syllable, every morsel of His teaching. She gazed at Him with such focus and such devotion. It was as if there was no one and nothing else in the room. What love and humility she demonstrated to her master and her friend!

She gazed at Him with such focus and such devotion. It was as if there was no one and nothing else in the room.

Later, we see her at the feet of Jesus yet again. This seems to be the “common posture” for Mary in the presence of her Lord. She fell to his feet and wept at the loss of her brother, Lazarus. We then see the beautiful moment when Jesus was so touched by her grief and wept right along with her.

Then suddenly, what a glorious moment when Lazarus victoriously walked through the opening of the cave and blew everyone’s mind with the wonder of God’s healing power! Jesus had triumphed over death and the grave!

She doesn’t care about anyone else in the room, or about anything else that is going on, but only to lavish her love and deepest worship onto her Lord.

But now, we approach the pinnacle of Christ’s purpose for coming to this earth. While the others are still oblivious to what He had been trying to explain to them, Mary is right there on it, and back to the feet of Jesus. She doesn’t care about anyone else in the room, or about anything else that is going on, but only to lavish her love and deepest worship onto her Lord. That is all that matters! She was also preparing His body for burial head of time, but we’ll talk about that in a moment.

We have all heard this story numerous times, but may her example never grow old to us. She took her most valuable treasure, an alabaster jar filled with costly perfume, and she broke it before Jesus. She began pouring the fragrant oil over Him and massaging it into His feet. She wiped it with her hair and wept before Him. This was the most extravagant yet humble act of worship ever recorded in Scripture toward Jesus, and what an illustration for us!

This was the most extravagant yet humble act of worship ever recorded in Scripture toward Jesus, and what an illustration for us!

Of course, crooked Judas was the first one to speak out against it. He was the treasurer, and Scripture says that He had frequently dipped into their funds for his own selfish benefit. Naturally he would be more concerned about the money than this sacred act of worship. Doesn’t it seem that there is always someone who will buck against our worship and criticize anything we do for Christ? We cannot let such sour antagonists come between us and our Lord! Who cares what they think?

Doesn’t it seem that there is always someone who will buck against our worship and criticize anything we do for Christ?

It has been estimated that the cost of this perfume in today’s economy would have been roughly $30,000. That would be a year’s salary for an average blue collar worker. That brings to question for me: Would I ever be willing to pour out such an extravagant gift at the feet of Jesus? Would I be willing to take the most precious thing to me, the only thing I have of real value, and break it before the feet of Jesus? Am I willing to be broken myself before my Lord and offer Him all that I am?

Mary wasn’t just pouring out her treasure, but she was pouring out all that she is before Him. Would we be willing to offer all that we are as a sacrifice of worship toward the Christ who is worthy of all the glory and honor and love we have to give?

Am I willing to be broken myself before my Lord and offer Him all that I am?

I don’t want to hold anything back! Lord, may I learn from Mary’s act of worship! May my own worship continue to go deeper and more extravagant toward my King and Lord! May I disregard what anyone else may think or say!

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering… Romans 12:1 MSG

What no one else seemed to understand, but what Jesus understood perfectly was that Mary had begun preparing His body for burial. That must have shocked everyone else in the room, but His time was near.

We catch one more glimpse of lavish praise before we close this week.

As Passover approached, the perfect time for our final Passover lamb to lay down His life for us once and for all, it was time for Jesus to ride triumphantly into Jerusalem to face the music. This would be the final week of Jesus’ life on this earth.

He entered as a king would enter a city, riding on the back of a donkey in a processional of praise. Solomon had ridden into the city in exactly the same way when David had anointed him as king. There were thousands of people who had traveled from all over Israel to be in Jerusalem for the Passover, the most holy holiday of the Jewish calendar.

They waved palm branches and laid their cloaks and branches on the ground before Him as if rolling out the red carpet for a VIP.

I can imagine the excitement as huge masses of people began shouting and cheering, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” They waved palm branches and laid their cloaks and branches on the ground before Him as if rolling out the red carpet for a VIP.

Of course, the Pharisees demanded that Jesus rebuke them, but I love Jesus’ response here:

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:40 NIV

We’ll talk about the rest of the story in our small groups, but I wanted to strongly emphasize here the power of praise and worship. May our hearts bow in humility and deep worship like Mary. May we be broken and completely poured out before Him. May we lift our voices in praise and glory before Him, and may the rocks never feel the need to take our place!

May we be broken and completely poured out before Him.

Week 2 Discussion Questions

Here is a sneak peek of this week’s discussion questions:

ICE BREAKER: What is one dessert that you just can’t seem to resist?

As Jesus neared the time to enter Jerusalem and begin the agonizing events that would define His final week on earth, He and His disciples waited for a while in Ephraim. Can you imagine what it must have been like to wait when He knew that He was about to experience atrocious suffering?

Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” NASB

QUESTION 1: If you are going through a difficult time of waiting, how can you take courage and strengthen your heart? Or, if you know someone else who is in a season of waiting, how can we encourage them? Do you need someone to encourage you today?

We read of three different incidents when Mary bowed at the feet of Jesus. First to listen intently to His teaching, second to weep for her lost brother, Lazarus, and thirdly, to pour out her love for Him in extravagant worship. We see that our posture of worship has significance. Scripture has many examples of physical expressions of worship, although true worship occurs within our hearts. We may kneel, sing, dance, lay prostrate on the floor, raise our hands, look up, bow our head, fold our hands, weep before Him, play an instrument, clap, and more. Here are some examples:

Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. Psalm 95:6 NASB

Come, everyone! Clap your hands!
Shout to God with joyful praise! Psalm 47:1 NLT

Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to him with timbrel and harp. Psalm 149:3 NIV

So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name. Psalm 63:4 NASB

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1 NASB

QUESTION 2: Which physical expressions of worship are most meaningful to you, and which ones are not as comfortable for you? If you were to lavish your worship on Jesus as extravagantly as Mary did, what would that look like for you? What can you do to turn your worship up a few notches?

There are also different types of worship to God. One is to extol His worth, to praise Him for who He is. The second is to declare His mighty works, to praise Him for all He has done. Another is to stand in awe of Him and be astounded by His holiness and be consumed by the wonder of His presence. Yet another is to give Him thanks and be grateful for all He has done for you.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” Psalm 103:1 NASB

QUESTION 3: Sometimes we might get stuck and not know how to worship Him. What are some reasons for us to worship the Lord? Why is He worthy? What has He done personally for you that compels your praise? How can you recharge your worship and prayer life?

“…The whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting:

‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord;
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’” Luke 19:37b-38 NASB

QUESTION 4: Next Sunday, we will be observing Palm Sunday, commemorating Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem the week before Passover and His crucifixion and resurrection. Does your church do anything special to celebrate Palm Sunday? If not, what can you do personally to remember this day? Would you dare lift up your voice in praise to the Lord?

The first event that is described upon Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem is an almost violent rampage through the temple as Jesus begins turning over the tables of the moneychangers and of those selling sacrifices for the out-of-towners who had come to town for the Passover. Jesus was livid that they would disrespect His Father’s house so!

He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” Luke 19:46 NLT

QUESTION 5: Why do you think Jesus was so offended? We often see disrespect for the Lord’s house in many forms. What are some ways we can show reverence in the House of the Lord?

Almost immediately after Jesus rebukes the moneychangers, we see Him compassionately healing the blind and lame again. We see two distinct side of Jesus.

QUESTION 6: Imagine you are sitting with a friend who has not accepted Christ as her Lord yet, and she asks you how God can be a God of wrath and a God of love at the same time. How would you answer her?

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Purchase a study book and follow the reading and group schedule. I also recommend also having a journal or a spiral notebook handy for notes.
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Reading Schedule

March 20-26, Week 1:Read chapters 1 and 2, “Lost in His Love,” and “Mary Went to Meet the Lord.”
- Small groups: Introduction. No need to ready anything ahead of time.
March 27 – April 2, Week 2:Read chapters 3 and 4, “I Still Would Choose the Better Part,” and “With Palms Before Thee”
- Small groups: Discuss Week 1, chapters 1 and 2
April 3-9, Week 3:Read chapters 5 and 6, “O Most Afflicted!” and “Thorns Thine Only Crown”
- Small groups: Discuss Week 2, chapters 3 and 4
April 10-16, Week 4:Read chapters 7 and 8
- Small groups: Discuss Week 3, chapters 5 and 6
April 17-23, Week 5:
- Small groups: Discuss Week 4, chapters 7 and 8