Adoration. That word sounds so beautiful to me. What does “adoration” mean? The Cambridge Dictionary defines “adoration” as “a very strong love or worship for someone”. When I hear the word adoration, I want to think of myself as one who adores the Lord with all her heart, but I immediately think of Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Mary is mentioned three times in the Scriptures. 

The first time Mary is mentioned in the Word, it is in Luke 10:38-41 where she is found at Jesus’ feet, listening in and receiving all He is sharing. Her sister Martha on the other hand is “distracted by all the preparations that had to be made” to host Jesus and eventually she comes to Him, frustrated and indignant that He does not even care that Mary is just sitting there and not helping her with all the hosting preparations. Jesus kindly rebukes her and commends Mary for “choosing the better”. Her posture of adoration as she lingers at His feet, attentively listening in to His every word is a beautiful thing in the eyes of the Lord and He adds that: “it will not be taken away from her”. 

The second time Mary is mentioned is in John 11:1-44 and we find her again at the Lord’s feet. This is during a time of bereavement, a time of deep sorrow as she has just lost her brother. When Jesus arrives, she runs to meet Him and when she reaches Him, she falls at His feet and weeps. In verse 32, we read: “When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet” and this is where she pours her heart and says: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” This is a moving scene. She does not know that soon He will resurrect her brother, she simply pours her heart out to Him until even Jesus is moved and weeps, as we read in verse 35.  

The final time Mary is mentioned in the Scriptures is in John 12:1-8. It is six days before the Passover and a dinner is given in honor of Jesus at Lazarus’ house. Martha is serving the guests, Lazarus is reclining at the table with Jesus, and Mary is found once again at Jesus’ feet. It says in verse 3 that: “Mary took about half a liter 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.” This is a beautiful, emotional moment of adoration that the Lord Jesus approves of. When one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, complains that the pint of expensive perfume could have been sold to help the poor, Jesus rebukes him and commends Mary for her act of love and worship, as she prepares His body for burial.  

The way Mary adored the Lord is a beautiful example of how we ought to draw near to the Lord—in humility, adoration and reverence. Mary had been attentive to everything the Lord had been teaching, probably about His imminent death and before His ultimate crucifixion she wanted to give her all, she wanted to give her best gift to Him, she wanted to give Him everything. I want to be one who abides at the Lord’s feet like Mary, gazing at Him in pure adoration through all my circumstances—when He teaches me and fills my cup to overflowing, when I am grieved or disappointed and in pain needing comfort, when He is silent and delights in receiving me at His feet worshiping Him as I lift my voice and sing Him praises or when I joyfully dance before Him to express my love, gratitude and worship. I want to adore Him in this way, wholeheartedly all the days of my life. I pray your thirst for intimacy with the Lord starts with adoration of who He is.