“Jesus replied, ‘Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial.’”
John 12:7 (NLT)
Judas watched Mary pour out a year’s worth of wages at Jesus’ feet and called it a waste. He said the money should have gone to the poor. John later reveals the truth—Judas didn’t care about the poor at all. He was a thief. He was upset because he didn’t get what he wanted. And earlier in John 6, Jesus already called him a devil. Judas was under the influence of Satan.
That same lie still shows up today. The enemy hates it when you worship. When you open God’s Word. When you pray. When you sit with Jesus. So he whispers things like, “You should’ve been doing something more productive.” “You should’ve stayed busy.” “You should’ve prioritized something else.” It’s the same voice—just a different moment.
Jesus’ response then is still His response now: “Leave her alone.” He defended Mary. He honored her sacrifice. Her worship had purpose—even when others couldn’t see it. And our worship is no different. The enemy may criticize it, but Jesus defends it.
We often try to figure out how little time we can give God and still feel faithful. Mary flipped that mindset. She gave Jesus everything and let the rest adjust. That’s the invitation for us too. Nothing we miss because we chose Jesus is more important than Jesus.