3 October 2026 | Ps. Matthew Wong | Matt 26:6-13 I "Why Are You Bothering This Woman?

Oct 03, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Breaking the Jar: Extravagant Love Beyond Calculation

A woman shatters an alabaster jar, filling the room with the scent of costly perfume. The disciples see waste; Jesus sees worship. Her act defies logic, bypasses committees, and ignores practicality. It is love poured out recklessly, without reservation, for Christ alone. Jesus defends her, not because the poor don’t matter, but because love for him is the starting point of all true service. This moment reveals that devotion to Jesus is measured not by efficiency but by surrender. [01:14]

“While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.’”
(Matthew 26:6-10, NIV)

Reflection: What costly act of love have you hesitated to offer Jesus because others might call it “wasteful”? How might his defense of the woman free you to give recklessly?

Day 2: “Why Are You Bothering Her?”: Correcting Misplaced Priorities

The disciples’ indignation masks their discomfort with unscripted devotion. They critique the woman’s methods, timing, and financial stewardship—all while missing the heart behind her act. Jesus interrupts their calculations with a question that exposes their priorities: defending systems over celebrating love. His rebuke reminds us that even good intentions can become barriers to worship when they prioritize control over compassion. True ministry begins not with critique but with awe at another’s costly gift to Christ. [01:13]

“The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
(Matthew 26:11-13, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you prioritized “good stewardship” or efficiency over affirming someone’s heartfelt offering to Jesus? How might you shift from critic to celebrant today?

Day 3: Dancing Like David: Worship That Defies Dignity

David dances half-naked before the ark; Michal watches from the window, seething with propriety. Centuries later, a woman anoints Jesus while disciples whisper about decorum. Both stories ask: Who gets to decide what worship looks like? Extravagant love often breaks cultural scripts and religious expectations. Jesus and David defend raw, undignified devotion—not as spectacle, but as the overflow of hearts undone by God’s presence. True worship risks embarrassment to honor its object. [01:21]

“Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.”
(2 Samuel 6:14-16, NIV)

Reflection: What expressions of worship do you withhold because you fear being seen as “too much”? How might God be inviting you to abandon dignity for devotion?

Day 4: Love, Not Duty: The Heartbeat of True Ministry

The church at Ephesus worked tirelessly but forgot their first love. The disciples served the poor but scorned the woman’s offering. Jesus redirects both: ministry flows from love, not duty. When service becomes obligation, it drains; when it springs from adoration, it sustains. The woman’s perfume and David’s dance remind us that God treasures not the size of our output but the depth of our affection. Love alone fuels endurance when applause fades. [01:25]

“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”
(Revelation 2:4-5, NIV)

Reflection: When has your service for Christ felt more like obligation than love? What one step could rekindle your first-love passion for him?

Day 5: Your Alabaster Jar: Legacy in Gospel Memory

The woman’s name fades, but her act echoes wherever the gospel is preached. Jesus immortalizes not her resume but her reckless gift. Our culture obsesses over visibility; God honors hidden offerings given purely for him. That jar, once broken, became an eternal monument. What we pour out in secret, Christ proclaims in eternity. Your “alabaster jar” might be time, resources, or pride—but breaking it unleashes a fragrance that outlives you. [01:28]

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”
(John 12:3, NIV)

Reflection: What “jar” are you clinging to that, if broken for Jesus, could leave a legacy of love? How might eternity reshape your view of what’s worth sacrificing?

Sermon Summary

Jesus’ question, “Why are you bothering this woman?” exposes the disciples’ indignant hearts. The woman enters Simon the leper’s house carrying an alabaster jar of extremely expensive perfume, breaks it open, and pours it on Jesus’ head. The disciples see waste, bad stewardship, and a missed opportunity to give to the poor. Jesus sees “a beautiful thing” done for Him.

The contrast between the disciples and the woman reveals how easily religious logic can miss wholehearted devotion. The disciples count the cost, protect their place at the center, and question an act that does not fit their style. The woman says nothing, yet her action proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One, and the One worthy of everything. Her broken jar points toward Christ, whose body would be broken and poured out for sinners at the cross.

Love does not always make logical sense to those standing outside it. Love sacrifices. Love does crazy things. Love gives what is precious without needing applause, recognition, or a name at the center of the painting. Jesus promises that her costly act will be remembered wherever the gospel is preached, because her devotion was for Jesus and Jesus alone.

David’s dancing before the ark carries the same kind of worship. Michal sees embarrassment and shame, but David sees the presence of God returning to dwell with His people. The woman’s perfume and David’s dancing confront cold, controlled religion that knows how to calculate but has forgotten how to love. Jesus’ words to Ephesus also stand as a warning: good works can remain while first love disappears.

Love for Christ must become the motive for ministry. Ministry done from duty, guilt, pressure, or the desire to look good falls short of wholehearted devotion. Christ’s love touches sinners and changes them into people who want to give back to Him. Love also becomes the foundation of mission, because those called to give, pray, or go may look crazy in the eyes of the world.

The alabaster jar confronts every heart with a question: what treasured thing is being held too tightly for security and comfort? Christ calls His people to break open what they treasure and offer it to Him in a glorious, extravagant, heartfelt devotion. Christ, who broke Himself on the cross for sinners, calls His people to break themselves for the sake of others.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus receives costly love as beautiful. Jesus does not measure the woman’s gift by efficiency, public usefulness, or financial return. Jesus receives her broken jar as a beautiful thing because it comes from a heart that treasures Him above the gift itself. Love for Christ is never wasted when Christ is truly the reason for the offering. [78:13]
2. First love must fuel all ministry. Ministry can become duty, guilt, habit, or a way of proving spiritual worth. Christ calls service back to its deepest source: a heart touched by His grace and devoted to Him. Works may look impressive while love has grown cold, but Christ desires the heart before the activity. [85:03]
3. Mission grows from Christ-centered devotion. Mission often looks foolish when it disrupts comfort, retirement plans, reputation, or family expectations. Love for Christ gives believers courage to give, pray, and go because Christ is worth more than the security the world offers. Christ’s love becomes the reason ordinary people make costly decisions for those who have not heard. [86:55]
4. Hidden generosity belongs to Jesus alone. Selflessness resists the flesh’s desire to document every good deed and receive credit. Christ sees the secret gift, the quiet sacrifice, and the help that carries no name attached to it. Devotion becomes pure when the blessing is offered for Jesus rather than for personal glory. [90:16]
5. Break open what is held too tightly. The alabaster jar represents the things that can become idols of comfort, security, and control. Christ invites His people to place even precious things at His feet, trusting that He remains more faithful than what they are afraid to release. A broken offering becomes worship when it is given wholly to Christ.

## [96:30]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[72:39] - Why Are You Bothering This Woman?
[74:22] - The Woman and the Alabaster Jar
[75:10] - Why the Disciples Were Indignant
[77:55] - A Beautiful Thing for Jesus
[79:34] - Love Sacrifices Beyond Logic
[80:40] - David Dancing Before the Ark
[82:53] - Wholehearted Devotion to Christ
[85:26] - Love as the Motive for Ministry
[86:16] - Love as the Foundation of Mission
[89:15] - A Hidden Gift and God’s Provision
[95:15] - What Alabaster Jar Will You Bring?
[96:30] - Searching the Heart for Idols
[99:55] - Broken for the Sake of Others

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 26:6-13
“While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. 'Why this waste?' they asked. 'This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.' Aware of this, Jesus said to them, 'Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” [01:12:48]

2 Samuel 6:12-23
“So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets. As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart. They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes. When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, 'How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!' David said to Michal, 'It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.' And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.” [01:20:40]

Revelation 2:4-5
“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” [01:25:03]

Observation questions

In Matthew 26, what details show the contrast between the woman’s action, the disciples’ response, and Jesus’ response to the perfume being poured out? [01:13:02]
What reasons did the disciples give for calling the woman’s act a waste, and what concerns seemed to be behind their words? [01:16:12]
What does Jesus say the woman’s act means in relation to His burial and the preaching of the gospel? [01:13:22]
In 2 Samuel 6, how do David and Michal see David’s worship differently when the ark returns to Jerusalem? [01:21:07]

Interpretation questions

Jesus calls the woman’s costly act “a beautiful thing.” Why is an act that appeared wasteful to the disciples beautiful to Jesus? [01:18:13]
The woman speaks no words, yet her action points to Jesus as the Messiah and toward His coming death. What does this show about the way worship can proclaim who Jesus is? [01:18:40]
The disciples’ concern for the poor sounds reasonable, but Jesus corrects them. How can a good concern become a way of missing what Jesus values in a particular moment?
Revelation 2 describes believers whose works remained strong while their first love had faded. What might service, generosity, or ministry look like when it is driven mainly by duty, guilt, or the desire to be noticed rather than love for Christ? [01:25:21]

Application questions

What might be an “alabaster jar” in your own life—a possession, plan, comfort, reputation, security, or relationship that you may be holding too tightly? What makes it difficult to place it fully before Christ? [01:36:30]
Think about the ways you currently serve at church, at home, or in the community. What motives most often drive your service: love for Christ, duty, guilt, pressure, habit, or a desire for appreciation? How might Christ renew your first love? [01:25:26]
Have you ever held back from obeying God because you feared that others would see your choice as foolish, excessive, or irresponsible? What would wholehearted devotion look like in that situation? [01:24:29]
What is one practical way you could bless someone this week without receiving recognition, credit, or an opportunity to tell others about it? [01:30:16]
How do comfort, financial security, career plans, or family expectations affect the way you respond when someone senses a call to give, pray, or go for mission? How can the group better encourage costly obedience rooted in love for Christ? [01:26:20]
Christ gave Himself completely for sinners. Where might He be inviting you to “break yourself for the sake of others” through a costly act of time, generosity, forgiveness, care, or service? [01:28:08]

Sermon Clips

52s

#LoveSacrifice

“Because it's love. Love is a beautiful thing without fully understanding what it is doing. The disciples wanted to make logical sense of the waste. It's such a waste. They probably calculated in their brain how much their perfume cost and what it could do. But sometimes love sacrifices and causes us to do crazy things. Love does something out of the ordinary for someone else. And when she anointed Jesus and broke open the jar, she probably did not comprehend the full implication. But all she knew was that she loved Jesus to the point that she was willing to sacrifice all that she has for him.”

89s

#PureHeart

“we may bless others for the wrong reasons, for the wrong motivation. Could it be because I just want to glorify myself? I want others to see how good I am. I want the world to know what I have done for Jesus Christ. Or maybe because of the troubles of this world and the baggages that we carry, our heart has grown lukewarm. Maybe because of the conflict that we have, our heart has grown cold. Today, I just want you to come into the presence of Christ and ask Him to search your heart and to examine your thoughts. Ask Him for forgiveness and ask Him to give us a pure heart, A heart that desires to serve Christ and Christ alone. A heart that desires to give our entire devotion to Christ and Christ alone.”

45s

#BreakForOthers

“And just as Christ broke his body on the cross as an atonement for our sins, We too are called to break ourselves for the sake of others. And this story is telling us that you don't have to be someone of royalty, of high statin, of certain position in this world to do something for Christ. This story shows to us that anyone, even if you are insignificant, nameless, and unknown in this world like this woman, Your wholehearted devotion to the Lord will be remembered and told wherever the gospel is preached.”

40s

#ExtravagantWorship

“What David did was worship because the love of God has touched him. What the woman did was worship because the love of Jesus has touched her. Do you know something about this love for Jesus that simply does costly extravagant things and you just don't care what others think about you. You simply want to love and devote yourself to the Lord. You just want to offer him your heart, and love is the main essence of our Christian life.”

56s

#GiveItAllToJesus

“A heart that desires to break open an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, things that we treasure. We want to give it all to Jesus Christ. And know that everything that we do, as long as we do it for Jesus Christ, we'll be remembered. So what alabaster, jaw, perfume do you want to bring to Jesus today? I want you to break it open in a glorious, wasteful, extravagant way that will glorify the name of Christ.”

45s

#WholeheartedDevotion

“Not for your selfish purpose, not for the benefit of others, but only for Jesus and Jesus himself. So, brothers and sisters, what alabaster jar of perfume do you want to carry to Jesus now? I just want you to break it open in an extravagant, wasteful, heartfelt act of devotion to the Lord. And what you have done will surely be remembered and be told wherever the gospel is preached in memory of you.”

66s

#LoveInMissions

“Brothers and sisters, the work of missions can continue in this world because there are brothers and sisters who have been touched by the love of Christ, and they have been caught. And they desire to share that love to people who have not heard about Christ. What pastor Michael did to abro his family for missions is crazy in the eyes of the world. What the pastors of PCC do to obey God's call, leaving the comfort of this world to shepherd the people is unthinkable. It is crazy. And what the church members of pPCC would do that is in contrast the values of this world can be seen as weird in the eyes of the world. But we do all this because love is the foundation of missions.”

66s

#TrustGod

“And I just want to encourage you right now to ask the Lord to seek and search and examine your heart. The Lord has blessed us with so much. sometimes have we turned the blessings, the gifts into an idol that we cling on for security and comfort. The Lord has blessed us so much, but sometimes are we holding too tightly to eat because we place our faith and trust on the things of the world and not on God himself.”

30s

#ForJesus

“Firstly, it is for Jesus. Jesus is simply saying that what the woman did was a beautiful thing for me. It was done with a desire to please me. Giving to the poor is a good thing to do, but this was unique. It would not come again, and what she was doing was one off. And she has done a beautiful thing for me, for Jesus Christ.”

45s

#SacrificialService

“We pray, oh, Lord, that you'll help us to also break our serves for the sake of others. Help us to sacrifice sacrifice something that is most precious to us at the feet of the cross. And as we serve you, help us serve out of the wholehearted devotion for the Lord. And we know a lot that everything we do, as long as we do it for Jesus Christ, will be remembered. it will be told wherever this gospel is preached.”

55s

#CalledToMissions

“Everything that we do must be out of love for Christ. And thirdly, love is the foundation of mission. What would your respond be when someone close to you shared that she or he has a burden for missions, particularly if the person is your spouse or maybe your children? You see our, are you crazy? Hey, did you hear God correctly? Have you thought about your future? What about your retirement plans? What are you doing? And Jesus may probably say to you, Why are you bothering this man or woman?”

51s

#GodProvides

“So I obeyed God even though my flesh cry out, are you crazy? This is your money that you stay for your wedding. How are you gonna get married right now? How are going to survive? Are going to live? I'm like, oh, okay. I need to obey God. I need to obey God. So the next day I went to bed, withdrew everything. And then I put it in the envelope. And then the next morning, during class, while the class was on break, she walked out to go to the washroom. I just put that envelope of cash on the table, and I just... And I walked towards the back, and I sat down and I kept quiet. She came back, she saw the envelope on the table, she opened it up, she saw the amount, she went, Hallelujah. She praised a lot. Okay? That year we went, we went, Oh, we went to the mission trip. I still survive. Okay? I'm still alive right now preaching to you, the Lord provided.”

47s

#ServeWithLove

“This story should also examine our motive for ministry. Why do we serve? Is it out of duty? Because the pastor said so, because I'm forced to, because that's my job, out of guilt? I hope that this story will remind us that the motivation of our ministry is because of our love and devotion for Christ. Jesus has died for us. The love of Christ has touched us. He has changed us that we want to give back to Jesus from a whole hearted devotion for what Jesus has done for me. Any other motive for ministry is less than the best.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Penang Christian Centre This sermon · AI assistant

What makes extravagant devotion beautiful rather than wasteful?

How can ministry motivations become rooted in love?

What does wholehearted worship require us to surrender?