The Fragrance of Love or the Price of Betrayal?

Let's imagine this, Lazarus had just walked out of the tomb.
Death had lost its grip, and hope had a heartbeat again.

His sister Mary then does something bold—something unforgettable. She takes a jar of perfume worth a year’s wages, breaks it open, and pours it out on Jesus’ feet. The room fills with fragrance. People gasp. Whispers rise. But Mary doesn’t flinch.

This wasn’t just an act of affection. It was a declaration.
She was preparing him for burial, yes—but more than that, she was proclaiming her belief in resurrection. She knew who he was. She knew that death wouldn't have the final word. That perfume wasn’t for a corpse—it was for a King.

And that scent? It lingered.
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, as he overturned tables, as he knelt to wash feet, as he prayed in Gethsemane, as he was arrested and beaten and led to the cross—he may still have carried the scent of Mary’s offering. The scent of love, worship, sacrifice.
The scent of someone who knew.

In the Old Testament, kings were anointed with perfumed oil. Priests were set apart with it. Sacred objects were consecrated with it in the temple. And here is Jesus, anointed not by a prophet or a priest—but by a woman with nothing to prove and everything to give.

Then comes Judas.

He watches the same scene and sees waste. He sees money slipping through fingers. And soon, he slips away too—to sell Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
Four months’ wages. That was the price he settled on.
For Mary, Jesus was worth everything.
For Judas, Jesus had a price tag.

One gave, the other gained—and yet, only one found life.

Mary gave extravagantly and walked away with joy, favour, and a legacy that echoes through history.
Judas took what he thought he wanted, and it cost him everything: peace, purpose, and ultimately, his life.

The question hangs in the air like the fragrance in that room:

What is Jesus worth to you?

Will you pour out your love, or will you hold back for the sake of comfort, pride, or gain?
Will you be remembered as someone who gave out of love—or someone who traded the eternal for the temporary?

Only one path leads to life.
And the scent of that offering… still lingers.