John 12:7-8
Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.  For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

So, had she saved it, then?  Did Mary keep this precious ointment for a while, knowing she could put it to some good purpose when the time was right?  Mary seemed to understand, perhaps more than the others, that Jesus was going to die, that His time on Earth was short.  And so she had this ointment set aside to give for Jesus, to use for His sake when His death drew nigh.  It was something valuable, something worth a lot of money, but it wasn’t the price of it that made it mean so much to Mary.  It was the purpose she intended for it.

And when Judas decries this waste under the guise of charity for the poor, Jesus stands up for Mary.  Because while it is important to give to the needy and to help those who have nothing, this anointing served a very precious purpose.  It meant something to Jesus to receive this offering from Mary, and it certainly meant something for her to give it.  It was an act of worship, a preparation, a gift of love from her heart, and those things are valuable to the heart of our Lord.

Sometimes it’s not about getting all we can for something, but instead giving what we can to the Lord.  It is about placing a higher value on Jesus that absolutely everything else.  It is about being willing to make a sacrifice for Him, to share with Him something that means a lot to us.  It is about heartfelt worship and honoring our Lord out of a humble and submissive heart.  It is about an understanding and a recognition of how priceless Jesus is and how much He means to us.

What are we willing to reserve for Jesus alone?  We may have some things that can be used for other purposes or given for other people, but will we instead give them to Jesus?  Will we bring before Him the unique odors of our praise and worship and pour them out before Him?  Jesus deserves all we can give Him and more.  He warrants our heartfelt praise and adoration.  He is worthy of our love and sacrifice.  So may there be nothing in our lives that we aren’t willing to set aside for Jesus.