Thursday, February 11, 2016

Mary of Bethany

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Scripture reading: John 12:1-11

Scripture focus: 
                            “Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume me; she poured it                             on Jesus’ feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. The fragrance of the perfume filled                              the house But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who would later betray him,                                      objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was  worth a year’s wages.”

                       “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always  have me.”  John 12: 3-5, 7-8 (NIV)
 
               My name is Mary; I live in Bethany. The Master brought my brother back to life. My brother Lazarus hosted a dinner to honor Jesus as a way to thank him for this miracle. My sister Martha served the meal. I wanted to honor the Teacher in a special way for his wonderful deed to our family.

               I had this alabaster jar of pure nard, a gift from a suitor. As I opened the container, the wonderful scent filled the house. I carefully poured the nard onto Jesus’ feet, not wanting to waste any of it. Then, I wiped his feet with my hair, being certain to cover all of them.

               One of his disciples objected to what I had done. He muttered something about the nard could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus spoke up in my behalf. He told that disciple I had been saving this perfume for when He was buried. What he did not say was that the perfume was the most precious thing I possessed. The Teacher could have chided me for doing this but, instead, he spoke words of kindness on my behalf.
               I never forgot what Jesus did for our family when he brought our brother back to us. I will also remember how He stood for me that night when that disciple ridiculed me for my act of love for the Master.


2 comments:

  1. Hi Cecelia! What an interesting way to enhance the Gospel! I love that. I know that Mary meant to honor the Lord, and some of the Apostles objected to her 'wasting' the precious oils. But He always deserves our best, doesn't He?
    I hope you're having a wonderful Valentine's Day with your husband. You deserve to be loved, not only by God, but by your hubby too :)
    Blessings,
    Ceil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ceil: Thank you, I trust you had a nice Valentine's Day, as well. Due to the weather, we stayed in; he had to get a prescription filled, so he got out for that. He had bought me a lot of snacky things to nibble on for the weekend. I stayed in from church. I couldn't wake up in time to get ready, had I planned to. Our pastor is leading a revival from Wednesday through Saturday at a church in the next county north of us. I hope to go at least one night. Blessings on you and yours.

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