Matthew then takes us back to Jesus. "While Jesus
was in Bethany [two miles from Jerusalem] in the home of a man known as 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" (verses
6-7). A whole jar of perfume! The smell would have filled the entire room.
"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.'"
Then Jesus, with special emphasis, then said, "I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her" (verses 8-13).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"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.'"
Then Jesus, with special emphasis, then said, "I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her" (verses 8-13).
Many would state the obvious Mary did this to anoint the
King for his upcoming death at the cross and his burial.
And while I totally agree with the real meaning of this
story, something else jumped off the page at me in a different way today. The
disciples said in the middle of this story, “Why waste such expensive perfume.”
Mary anointed Jesus with a luxurious fragerance. It was
probably one of the most expensive items she had in her house. In their time
this bottle of anointment costs roughly 300 denarii so in modern terms we’re
talking $30000.
Grasp this.
God gave us His most expensive offering even when other
people said or thought, “what a waste.” He gave us his son Jesus.
Aside from his son - God readily and willing gives us blessings and
treasures from heaven. Not because we have earned it, not because we think we
deserve it but rather just because He loves us and because He can.
It’s hard for me to understand why He would do such a
thing. The human me says, “I’m just some person in this big storybook called life
and God wants to just bless me just because? No way am I worth that much.” The
saved me says, “Don’t try to understand His blessings or his plans for you.
Just go with it. You are precious in his eyes and He wants to bless you.”
When Mary broke the neck of the perfume flask the fragrance
infused the entire house and the oil wasn’t even poured out yet!
When Jesus died on the cross for me and you that was our flask
being broken for us. When we accepted Christ in our heart that was the beginning
of us being infused with God’s goodness!
It wasn’t a waste. You are not a waste.
Psalm
139:14 says “14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your
workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”
Embrace
the fact that God wants to lavish you with awesome heavenly treasures.
Just.
Because.
-Humbly Mrs. Z
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