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| Pouring a local porridge we enjoy for breakfast |
"What story would Jesus tell? If you were choosing a series of
stories to communicate about the good news, what stories would you
include? Would you talk about Creation, or Abraham, or King
David, or Jesus' death and resurrection? If you had to pick just
one that should always be told, which story would you choose?"
I was sitting in chapel in Dallas, Texas, four years ago, but I
can still remember what my friend shared in great details, because
I was soaking it all in. I hadn't yet caught the storying vision
(though I have now), but I knew the concept of telling a series of
stories from Scripture. I was trying to think which stories I
would tell when my friend continued.
"Jesus had a story that he would put on that short list. I don't
think it would have appeared on mine. Let me tell you that
story."
Which story would he tell?
"It was shortly before the Passover. The religious leaders were
very upset with Jesus and looking for a way to kill him. At this
time, Jesus was invited to eat in the home of a man named Simon.
Simon used to have an infectious skin disease, but he had been
healed. While they were eating, a woman who was known as a sinner
came in with an alabaster jar of a very expensive perfume. She
broke the jar and the scent of the perfume filled the room as she
poured the perfume on Jesus' feet. Those were were present were
indignant. 'Why this waste!?!?' One of the disciples asked.
The words "Why this waste?" seemed to ring out with passion as my
friend told the story. But he didn't stop. He continued.
"This perfume could have been sold at a very high cost and the
money given to the poor!"
Jesus replied, "Why are you troubling this woman? She has done a
beautiful thing for me! The poor you will always have with you,
but you will not always have me! When I entered this house, the
normal customs of receiving me were not even done, yet she has
anointed my body for its burial. I can assure you that wherever
the story of the good news is told, her story will also be told,
and discussed."
And with that we continued with just what Jesus had said would
happen. We discussed the story in our table groups. Someone at my
table saw this as the key moment when Jesus was anointed. We call him, the Messiah meaning "anointed one" and God saw fit
to anoint Jesus by a sinful woman. Others discussed other
things. Then my friend continued with his own answers to the
discussion questions.
"I have been living a foreign country, serving with my family for
the last five years. It hasn't always been easy. In fact, looking
back on five years, though I can identify small things we have
done, we really haven't seen the fruit we hoped for. I began to
ask myself. What if I never was able to return, what if all that
we have invested never turns into tangible result? I like
tangible results, that is why I got into this work in the first
place! Will these ten years have been a waste?"
I thought about this question in my own life. What if the years
of language survey in Nigeria never really meant anything, never
helped anyone to know the story of Jesus? What if I had lived far
away from home and learned the language and culture and it never
became anything? I had certainly felt at times far removed from
the impact I long for.
My friend continued, "That is the same question the disciples
were asking of Jesus. 'Why this waste?' Yet Jesus answer shows
that he didn't consider it a waste. In fact, it has a specific
purpose, to prepare his body for his burial. And when she poured
out her perfume on Jesus, he considered it such an important use,
that whenever the story would be told, her use of that perfume
would be told and discussed as well. Nothing poured out on Jesus
is a waste."
Those last words have lingered with me some time, and they even
popped up in a recent "prayeragraph" e-mail I sent out. I spend
a lot of time talking about strategy and adjusting the way we do
things to ensure that we get the results we want. I firmly
believe in regularly reflecting on what we are doing and making
changes when it isn't working. But there are times when we do
something for Jesus, and we may not see the results. But if I am
really doing all that I do for Jesus, if I am really pouring
myself out for Jesus, I know it is not a waste.
Please pray for me (Zach), for our family, and for all
those we work with in Nigeria and around the world. We don't want
to get distracted. We want each moment to be spent for Jesus.
Pray that whether in the exciting things, such as when we finally
interact with people on the field, or in the mundane, such as
quarterly reports and strategy meetings, our decisions, actions,
and communication will all be for Jesus.
