His grace to me was not wasted.
—1 Corinthians 15:10
Dinner guests sat in stunned silence when Mary uncorked a bottle of expensive perfume and poured its contents on Jesus’ feet.
The silence was broken by Judas’s howl, “Why this waste?”
“Leave her alone,” Jesus said.
Judas bristled at the rebuke, slithered out the door, and cut a deal to deliver Jesus to the enemy.
The question Judas asked about Mary’s deed is the question that should have been asked of his: “Why this waste?” His was the waste of a life.
Mary’s act of love filled the house and the world with a fragrance that has lasted to this day. Judas’s act of betrayal left a stench that has also lasted to this day.
Mary’s devotion inspires us to live up to our best. Judas’s disloyalty warns us of living down to our worst.
It’s your life. You can spend it however you choose.
But you can spend it only once.