When someone misses the big idea of a situation, we say that “they don’t see the forest for the trees.” That seems to have happened at the home of Simon the Leper. Jesus was with his disciples at the home of a man who we assume had been healed of leprosy. While they were there, a woman poured very expensive perfume on Jesus’ head. This perfume would have been worth a year’s salary and was probably a family treasure. The disciples, who had clearly been observing Jesus’ passion for the poor, criticized her action as extravagant. I relate to this story because I sometimes hear, “Why don’t we use that money for missions?” I understand the question, but I don’t think the Kingdom is an “either/or” way of living.
Jesus’ words, “The poor you will always have with you,” have sadly been used over the years to justify ignoring poverty in our midst. Jesus’ statement is obviously not to be taken as his philosophy of caring for the poor, since so much of his teaching and life were devoted to them. He is instead emphasizing the reality of this particular situation. This woman has engaged in a beautiful and sacrificial act of worship to him, her Messiah. In fact, Jesus indicates that her act is preparing him for his soon-to-come burial. This story reminds us that the extravagant and spontaneous worship of Jesus is not necessarily in conflict with God’s mission. Worship and service are both important elements of the Kingdom of God. He is reminding us that we can see both the forest and the trees.