7/26/2026: A beautiful thing for God

Matthew sets this moment right after Jesus has finished all these things, right after all the hard words about being ready, being faithful, counting the cost, and not pretending. Jesus has been clear that discipleship has duty, responsibility, and expectation. Jesus does not give a watered down gospel where a person stays the same and calls that following him. Jesus says the cost is high. But Matthew places this woman with the alabaster jar right here, before the cross, so love can cut through the religious calculation and show what it looks like to do “a beautiful thing” for the Lord.

Jesus is in Bethany, in the home of Simon the leper, and an unnamed woman comes with very expensive perfume. Matthew leaves her unnamed because the point is not status, position, or fame. The point is the act. She sees something beautiful that can be done for Jesus, and she just does it. The perfume pours over his head, down his hair and beard, and the fragrance fills the room. This is not duty. This is not a checkbox. This is love poured out.

The disciples see waste where Jesus sees beauty. Their question sounds practical: the perfume could have been sold and given to the poor. But Jesus says, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.” Love is not the language of calculation. Economics calculates. Politics calculates. Math calculates. Love responds to the Lord, to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and to the need right in front of it.

Jesus says the poor will always be present, but he will not always be physically present. Matthew has already shown that Jesus identifies himself with the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the prisoner. When a beautiful thing is done for the least of these, Jesus receives it as done to him. So when Jesus is no longer physically there to receive perfume on his head, the neighbor in need becomes the place where love for Jesus becomes tangible.

A beautiful thing for the Lord does not require anything special. It does require eyes to see what Jesus would want done. It will cost something, whether money, time, energy, comfort, or pride. It demands a pouring out, because a person full of self cannot be full of love. And it may carry far reaching implications never seen on earth. The woman could not have known that her act would be remembered wherever the gospel is preached. She simply loved Jesus, poured out what she had, and left the fragrance in the room.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Love moves beyond bare duty Duty has its place, and Jesus does not lower the call of discipleship. But love does not ask for the minimum requirement or search for the smallest acceptable obedience. Love sees the worth of Christ and wants to give something thoughtful, costly, and real, simply because he is worthy. [23:56]
• 2. Jesus receives love through neighbors Jesus’ physical presence was only on earth for a short time, but his identification with the needy continues. The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the spouse, the coworker, and the person on the side of the street become places where love for Christ takes shape. A beautiful thing for a neighbor can be, in Jesus’ own words, a beautiful thing done to him. [35:58]
• 3. Beautiful things require open eyes Position, money, authority, and platform are not required for love to act. What is required is a heart in tune with Jesus and eyes that can see what he would want done. A follower can ask for the hands, feet, eyes, ears, heart, and mind of Christ so that ordinary moments become places of kingdom obedience. [40:28]
• 4. Love refuses cold calculation The disciples called the poured perfume waste because they measured the act by usefulness alone. But love is not controlled by the language of calculation, efficiency, or return on investment. The Spirit may lead love to lavish deeply on one person, and obedience may look foolish to those who only count outcomes. [46:28]
• 5. Hidden obedience reaches farther The woman did not know her act would be remembered until the end of time. Small acts of love can begin generations of change, shift the spiritual atmosphere, or meet needs hidden from the one who obeys. A beautiful thing done for the Lord may carry fruit that only eternity can fully reveal. [52:06]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [19:40] - Love Is Not A Checkbox
• [22:19] - The High Cost Of Discipleship
• [26:47] - The Woman With The Alabaster Jar
• [29:13] - Matthew Places Love Before The Cross
• [32:38] - Perfume Poured Out For Jesus
• [35:21] - Loving Neighbors As Loving Christ
• [38:54] - Nothing Special Required
• [41:20] - Beautiful Things Cost Something
• [43:50] - Pouring Out The Self
• [45:47] - Love Is Not Calculation
• [48:49] - Far Reaching Implications
• [53:23] - The Fragrance Changes The Room
• [55:12] - Asking What Jesus Wants Done
• [72:25] - Do A Beautiful Thing For The Lord

Bible Reading

Matthew 26:6-13
“Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, ‘Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.’ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.’” [26:47] [27:10] [27:18]

Matthew 25:35-40
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” [35:21]

2 Samuel 24:24
“But the king said to Araunah, ‘No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.” [43:02]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 26, what details are given about the setting, the woman’s action, the disciples’ reaction, and Jesus’ response?
2. What made the perfume significant in this story, and what did pouring it out communicate? [32:38]
3. In Matthew 25:35-40, what kinds of needs does Jesus mention, and how does he describe acts of care offered to “the least of these”? [35:21]
4. What contrast appears between the disciples’ words, “Why this waste?” and Jesus’ words, “She has done a beautiful thing to me”? [45:47]

Interpretation questions

1. Matthew places this account right before Jesus goes to the cross, after many hard words about readiness and faithful discipleship. Why might this story of costly love be placed there at that moment? [29:47]
2. Jesus says, “You will not always have me,” and yet Matthew 25 says that what is done for the needy is done to him. How should that shape the way believers think about serving Christ now? [35:58]
3. The woman remains unnamed in Matthew’s telling, while her act is remembered forever. What does that suggest about how the kingdom views status, recognition, and obedience? [39:05]
4. The disciples judged the act by usefulness, but Jesus judged it by love. How can a person tell the difference between wise stewardship and a cold kind of calculation that misses what love is doing? [46:28]

Application questions

1. Love does not ask, “What is the bare minimum?” Where is there a relationship or situation right now where the heart has drifted toward duty only, and what might it look like to love in a more thoughtful and personal way? [23:56]
2. Jesus receives love shown to neighbors in need. Who is in front of you right now—a family member, coworker, friend, church member, or stranger—whose need may be an opportunity to love Christ in a tangible way? [37:36]
3. Beautiful things for the Lord do not require status, money, or a platform, but they do require eyes to see. What helps you notice what Jesus would want done, and what usually distracts you from seeing it? [40:28]
4. A beautiful thing for the Lord always costs something. What kind of cost is hardest for you right now—time, money, comfort, convenience, energy, or pride—and how does that affect your willingness to obey? [41:20]
5. A person full of self will struggle to pour out love. Where do pride, self-protection, or self-focus make it harder for you to serve someone humbly? [44:59]
6. Love is not ruled by calculation alone. Can you think of a time when doing the loving thing seemed inefficient or hard to justify on paper, but you sensed it was still the right thing to do? [46:28]
7. Small acts of obedience may carry fruit far beyond what can be seen today. How might that encourage you to do one quiet, beautiful thing this week even if nobody notices? [49:33]