Today is Wednesday of Holy Week. On this day Jesus is in Bethany at the house of Simon the Leper. That is somewhat amazing in itself. Jesus eating in the home of a leper! We may conclude that this man had been healed by Jesus at an earlier time and thus the invitation for dinner.

At dinner a woman comes up and pours  expensive ointment on the head of Jesus as he reclines at table. The disciples react to this extravagance and declare that the ointment could have been sold and the money given to the poor.We often hear such things if we build beautiful places to worship or seek to take care of those places we already have.

Extravagance is usually something that we are told to avoid and refrain from so the reaction of the disciples makes some sense. But I think there are time when we are to be extravagant. As a church we should be extravagant in our generosity, in our love, in our forgiveness, in our joy, in our worship of the living God.

I love this picture that is painted in the gospels. It should propel us to ask how we might be more extravagant in our generosity.