When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” 

Matthew 26:8

For Meditation

1. Is anything done for Christ a waste?
2. Was it not what Judas implied when he questioned the propriety of Mary anointing Jesus with her expensive perfume (John 12:1-8)? What was his motive?
3. Was is not greed and selfishness? Can you imagine the poor cheering Judas: “What a guy! He cares so much for us; but the rich, they don’t care for anybody?” Can you see Judas’ head swelling?
4. Don’t we sometimes make such comments when the church engages in something special, like dinner on a special occasion? Don’t you hear such comments as: “That money could have been used for evangelism?” But, is caring and nurturing the flock a useless activity? Is the criticism not hypocrisy? Do you see how such attitudes usually pitch the so-called have-nots against the perceived rich, and the ‘spiritual’ against the ‘unspiritual’? Do you see how often those kinds of comments have brought divisions among congregations?
5. But what was Jesus’ response: “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me” (Matthew 26:10-11).
6. Wasn’t Solomon right when he wrote, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven … a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4)?  

I pray that you check your motive before you criticize somebody for something you think could have been used another way. You may not really care about the alternative you’re suggesting. It could simply be self-seeking indulgence.

So, give people the liberty to express their gratitude to God in their own way, and do not impose the unnecessary weight of your preferences on them.

For, there is a time and place for everything!