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| Thisischurch.com |
This is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. For the next seven weeks, I will bring you a Lenten thought or message.
My name is Mary; I live in Bethany. The Master brought my brother Lazarus back to life. My sister Martha and I were grateful to Him. My brother decided to give a dinner in Jesus’ honor when He came to our town.
My sister Martha is a wonderful cook. She fixed food truly fit for a king. I wanted to honor Jesus myself. All I had was a jar of nard I had received from a suitor.
I opened the container; the scent filled the room. I poured the perfume on His feet with care, not wanting to waste any of it. Then I wiped Jesus’ feet with my hair.
One of His disciples, also a dinner guest objected to what I had done. He muttered something about that perfume could have been sold and the money used for the poor.
Jesus spoke up for me and said something about my saving it to be used on the day of His burial. But you ask, why did I use it at that time? I did it to show my gratitude to Jesus for bringing my brother back to life. In reflecting on that evening, I am thankful that the Master spoke on my behalf.
Do believe that Jesus was grateful to Mary for her deed? What might the other disciples have felt during this confrontation between Jesus and Judas?
Oh yes, Jesus was most grateful to Mary for your sacrificial gift of love. That is why He told us about her. He understood her heart and blessed her for her unselfishness. The other disciples probably knew what Judas was like from previous displays of his greed...and even though they may not have fully understood Mary's gift, they probably were glad that Jesus put Judas in his place. Thank you for lenten message today. Very tender.
ReplyDeletePam: You are welcome. You pointed out some things I hadn't thought of.
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