Jesus had just shared many truths with and given instructions to his disciples. Everyone is tuned in. The presence of God in a physical body is THERE with them. And Jesus drops a bomb...
"As you know, the Passover celebration begins in two days, and I, the Son of Man, will be betrayed and crucified."
I, your leader, teacher and friend, with whom you have grown so close, in just a few days will be taken away from you and killed in the most horrible way you can imagine...
Matthew goes on to say:
At the same time, the leading priests and other leaders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, to discuss how to capture Jesus secretly-
We want to get this done, but we have to keep it quiet so not too many people notice...
-and put Him to death. "But not during Passover," they agreed, "or there will be a riot."
We just want to take care of this guy who is causing people to rebel against what we want. But a riot, that would be messy, it would be a media circus, news helicopters everywhere, there might be shootings, it I would be messy and we might be found out; we might be blamed...
Matthew continues:
Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had leprosy.
Jesus, out of the love and kindness that was innately HIM, was once more breaking society's rules, and HAVING DINNER WITH A FREAKING LEPER... Someone few others would even give the time of day, but maybe Jesus knew this man needed some kindness, some company from a gentle friend that evening.
(And in walks the piece de resistance...)
Matthew continues:
During supper, a woman came in with a beautiful jar of expensive perfume and poured it over His head.
I know I am supposed to do this... This is the nicest thing I can offer this man, I don't even care what other people might think... This is meant to be, He has such a beautiful soul, this beautiful fragrance is appropriate... So here goes...
Back to Matthew:
The disciples were indignant when they saw this. "What a waste of money," they said. "She could have sold it for a fortune and given the money to the poor."
Get out of your tiny boxes, guys... Open your eyes and see the big picture of what is going on here...
Matthew tells us that Jesus replied,
"Why berate her for doing nothing such a good thing to me?"
Why you gotta hate? This gift, from her very heart, is more precious to Me than you could ever understand. Don't you dare say one more critical word about this beautiful, open-hearted, loving and kind woman...
Jesus continues:
"You will always have the poor among you, but I WILL NOT BE HERE WITH YOU MUCH LONGER. She has poured this perfume on Me to prepare My body for burial."
Because, when the time comes for my burial, all of you will have run away and hidden.
(My insert here... Sometimes it takes a woman to do the things considered "strong" and "bold" and ""manly""... Just sayin'.)
Jesus:
"I assure you, wherever the Good News is preached THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, this woman's deed will be talked about in her memory."
So, let's look at what has happened here and see what we can learn.
1. Sometimes you feel the Spirit calling you into places other people would strongly advise you not to go.
GO ANYWAY.
2. Sometimes you feel the Spirit whispering to you that you ought to do something other people might criticize, or consider improper, or use as a basis for speaking hatefully about you, or for calling you crazy.
DO IT ANYWAY.
3. Jesus knows the true reasons for whatever you do. And, if your motives are pure, He will be delighted with you.
Romans 12:1 - "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."
Ephesians 5:2 - "Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God."
Hebrews 13:15 - "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrificeof praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name."
Be blessed as you live today doing your best to love the Lord with all your heart, mind soul and strength! Even in the midst of the massive cruelties and wrongdoing going on in lately, both in our home cities and around the world.
God will never leave us nor forsake us.
Amen.
