Matthew 26:6-13 (NIVUK)
6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 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.
8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. 9 ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’
10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’
It’s the middle of Easter week. The tone has changed. Gone are the jubilant cheers of the crowd. They’re now replaced by talk of Jesus betrayal and death, and the bickering of the disciples. In the middle of it all, however, is this moment of beauty, an act of extravagant worship. What does Jesus think of the expense of using the perfume in this way? We don’t know. What we do know is that he sees beyond it to the woman’s motive, a heart that longs to express what he means to her, and that’s all he looks for in us, not fluent words or a beautiful voice.
What does Jesus mean to you?…
Photo by Maxim Lozyanko on Unsplash
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