Mark 14:3-9 While He was in Bethany, (Appropriately, the meaning of the village name of Bethany is a house of affliction, fittingly describing the affliction that lies ahead of Jesus on our behalf only a few, short days from this dinner with His friends. Bethany also pictures the state of God's people who are living in pain just outside the royal city of God where His presence dwells and is available to them. For us today, Bethany is a reminder to us that, when we live in the house of pain, we are not alone because Jesus' Presence dwells with us. He Himself has chosen to reside with us and to deliver us from the pain.)
reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head. (Even as the seal on the bottle was broken to pour out the expensive ointment and to release the pure and unadulterated perfume that had been prepared with faithfulness and devotion, so the seal on Jesus' life was being broken to pour out the costly gift of His Own pure and sinless life. Like the preparation of the ointment itself, Jesus had prepared Himself for the challenge that lay ahead with faithfulness and devotion to His Father and to all of us for whom He had determined to become our sacrifice for sin.) Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly. (The people who made up this woman's community harshly judged and criticized her tender act of pure devotion and worship. How easy it is for us, how eager we are, to be judgmental of others. How careful we should be that we do not look down on others' actions and criticize and judge them out of our own misguided, skewed, unseeing, and sinful perspectives) "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to Me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have Me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on My Body beforehand to prepare for My burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." (Bathed in the perfume of His atonement and sacrifice, Jesus uses even the lowliest among us, even the lowliest act of service, to draw a picture of the wonder and beauty of His ability to redeem and change a life. This woman had determined to give the Lord what she could to show her love and devotion to Him and to thank Him for His ability to redeem and to change her life. She is a testament to the Lord we serve and to His ability to redeem our lives today. Today, may we be as committed as she to acting out our love and devotion to this Lord we serve Who has redeemed and changed us by giving Him whatever we have at hand, whatever our day may hold, even our most costly treasure!)
