Jesus Annointed at Bethany

Nothing given to Him or for Him is a waste. Our eyes will always betray us in this regard…

Mark 14:1-11
Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

3 While he was in Bethany, 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.

4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages[a] and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you,[b] and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

We remember this woman not because of her waste, which Jesus ckarified that it was not. We remember her for the amazing example of worship and love for our King and Redeemer she displayed on that day. This is the example of how to worship God. Give what you have to God. It does not matter if the gift is expensive or not. It only matters what it means to you. It matters what is in your heart. Jesus knew her heart, as He knows ours. I believe this is where the saying, “It’s the thought that counts.”, comes from.

This Christmas, tonight, as we celebrate the birth of the man that saved us from eternal death and destruction, let us learn from this woman. Let us learn to give to one another from what we have. Learn to give from our hearts. If I sit and relax and think, I can recall the times that I have given from all I had. I need to do that more often. I need to strive to be like Jesus. I need to give like this woman did.

Christmas is a time to put down the troubles of the day and simply bask in the understanding that because Jesus arrived on earth in that manger in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago, today I am saved. Today I walk with my God, my Shepard, my Father, my Redeemer. He walks with us always. Emmanuel…God with us! #JesusSaves

Amen.
DK