by Justin Woyak
I was recently rereading a chapter from a book that God used to get me through a very tough semester when I was a freshman in college. In the last chapter of The Normal Christian Life, Watchman Nee reflects on the story in the Gospels (only a few days before Jesus dies on the cross) when Mary comes to a dinner uninvited, breaks an alabaster jar of ointment—worth a staggering amount—and anoints Jesus with the jar’s entire contents (Mark 14:3–9). Even the disciples were indignant and cried out, “Why this waste!” Judas’s voice may have been the loudest among the disciples (John 12:4–6), but he was not alone (Matt 26:8–9). Nee remarks, “Human reasoning said this was really too much; it was giving the Lord more than His due.”
I can remember feeling the weight of the sacrifices I was making in those early college days—living away from family and childhood friends, long hours studying, difficult assignments, lost sleep, the great expense of tuition and books—and wondering, “Are my hopes and dreams really worth all this?”
Watchman Nee helped me see what Mary saw only days before Jesus died—and what so many others were blind to. Nee helped me see the incredible worth of Jesus! “Waste means that you give something too much for something too little. If someone is receiving more than he is considered to be worth, then that is waste.” But under this definition, it is impossible to waste anything on Jesus! Nay, the more something is worth—whether it be a possession, a relationship, our future, or whatever—the more obvious it should become to us that Jesus is the only one worthy of it. The only way not to waste whatever we have is to pour it out on Jesus!
We would love for you to join with us in praying for students at the schools where Christian Union serves—Christian and non-Christians alike—that each one of them would see Jesus for his true worth and would pour out all their worth on him as Mary did!
Justin Woyak
Ministry Fellow at Christian Union Caritas
Justin grew up in Pensacola, Florida, where he came to know Christ at age eleven. In 2009, he graduated from Princeton magna cum laude with a degree in Classics. While at Princeton he served as Christian Union's student president and then as a ministry intern for a year. In 2014, he earned a masters of divinity from Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis, where he also taught college students as an instructor in Bible and theology until 2016.Before serving as a Christian Union ministry fellow, Justin was the digital content editor for Christian Union Day and Night. He is blessed with a wonderful wife, Kate, and their two young daughters, Keira and Joy. Justin enjoys tennis and golf, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, Settlers of Catan, good food and root beer, time with friends and family—and seeking God!
