Welcome to Day 33 of Journey to the Cross, a forty-day devotional leading to Easter. We have only about a week left. Today we continue in the passage we started yesterday in John 12.

Then Mary took a pound of perfume, pure and expensive nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray him), said, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it. Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of my burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

John 12:3-8

A little flower began its journey high in the mountains of India. One day, someone came and plucked the flower from its place on the mountain and carried it down. It was then processed into a batch of fragrant ointment and sold to traders heading west along an ancient trade route. Months later, it arrived at a market in the Roman Empire. One day a woman came to market, purchased the ointment, and took it home.

One day, the Lord Jesus came to her house and the expensive ointment finally accomplished the best purpose possible. Mary poured it out on the Lord, anointing his feet with it. The ointment was more than just fragrant; it was expensive, nearly priceless. Mary did not think twice about the price as she poured into onto her Lord. Jesus was about to journey into death for her (and also me and you). Mary anointed him for his journey.

Jesus’s life and death made it clear that you are priceless to him. He laid down his own life to purchase forgiveness and life enteral for you.

As you pray today, thank the Lord for knowing everything about you, and still consider us precious. Pray that the Lord will help remove barriers in the way of your devotion to him and lead you into greater commitment to Him.

Thank you for joining me for Day 33. Come back tomorrow Day 34 as we look at God’s perfect timing.