1When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2“As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5“But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
6While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7a 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.
8When 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.”
10Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11The poor you will always have with you,a but you will not always have me.12When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Matthew 26)
Thoughts: Jesus had been meeting with his disciples on the Mount of Olives talking about their future. He spoke of their persecution, of armies surrounding Jerusalem, of the magnificent Temple being destroyed, and of the Gospel being preached in every nation. Now he comes back to his immediate future. Jesus predicted his death- and his death by crucifixion. Perhaps he could feel the opposition, jealousy and hatred. Jesus predicted his own death three times before: Mt. 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19.
Jesus predicted well because the chief priests and elders were making their plot to arrest him privately so there wouldn't be trouble.
Jesus went back to Bethany on the other side of the Mount of Olives. Bethany was the hometown of Lazarus but he went to the home of Simon who used to have leprosy. It could be that he was one of the ones that Jesus healed of leprosy. Who is this woman who came and anointed him with perfume? Some say it is Mary (John 12:3), Lazarus' sister. Others say it is a sinful woman (Luke 7). Some say that there were two anointings and that Mary heard of the sinful woman's anointing, and imitated it.
The disciples thought this was a waste of money. John (12:4) tells us that Judas was the treasurer and thought it was a waste. This was an act of worship. There are many who say that the church's sole mission is to help the poor and needy. Let us not confuse the second greatest commandment with the first. Loving neighbor is important but it is not to take the place of or precedent over the love and worship of God. Worshiping God gives us the energy, motivation, and oxygen to love our neighbor. This woman's extravagant worship was important. The poor will always be around, but Jesus will not.
There is much emphasis in some circles on being missional as a church. It is important to be missional, and care for others. Too many churches are not missional at all. But a missional church that does not prioritize worship tends toward being a secular helping agency like a United Way. There is nothing wrong with a United Way, and it is eligible for government funding. But a church is different. It is not wrong for a church to have a building for people to gather and to attract people to worship God, or lighting or air conditioning. Each culture has to determine what is out of balance for them. But the worship of the living God is a priority. If there is a God, He should be worshiped, loved, honored, glorified. He is worthy of our wealth and even extravagance.
Perhaps in many ways we define ourselves by what we allow to be extravagant. Not too many years ago malls were the extravagant things. People invested in the building of malls- not forseeing the online buying boom that would put Sears and Payless Shoes into Bankruptcy. Some have extravagant houses- with pools, lake/mountain views but think the church should be simple. Today universities and hospitals are extravagant as we value education and healthcare- while churches are in decay. But the universities and medical care systems have been too greedy and we all know it. Student Loan debt has exceeded consumer debt, and many graduates cannot find jobs to help them pay back their loans. The emergency rooms in our country are a mess with long lines and little care. Obamacare is threatening the debtload and economy. Is it right to have huge extravagant universities while next door are shanties? Is it right that the medical care we talk about really does not help the poor? What we allow to be extravagant in our culture shows what we value. In Jesus' day the Temple was one of the seven wonders, and this woman anointed him for death. Judas did not value Jesus as he should. There are many today who think more like Judas and less like Jesus. Mary knew that Jesus had healed Simon of leprosy and healed her brother from death. She also knew his popularity would be seen as a threat and might lead to his death. She valued Jesus as we should.
Jesus predicted well because the chief priests and elders were making their plot to arrest him privately so there wouldn't be trouble.
Jesus went back to Bethany on the other side of the Mount of Olives. Bethany was the hometown of Lazarus but he went to the home of Simon who used to have leprosy. It could be that he was one of the ones that Jesus healed of leprosy. Who is this woman who came and anointed him with perfume? Some say it is Mary (John 12:3), Lazarus' sister. Others say it is a sinful woman (Luke 7). Some say that there were two anointings and that Mary heard of the sinful woman's anointing, and imitated it.
The disciples thought this was a waste of money. John (12:4) tells us that Judas was the treasurer and thought it was a waste. This was an act of worship. There are many who say that the church's sole mission is to help the poor and needy. Let us not confuse the second greatest commandment with the first. Loving neighbor is important but it is not to take the place of or precedent over the love and worship of God. Worshiping God gives us the energy, motivation, and oxygen to love our neighbor. This woman's extravagant worship was important. The poor will always be around, but Jesus will not.
There is much emphasis in some circles on being missional as a church. It is important to be missional, and care for others. Too many churches are not missional at all. But a missional church that does not prioritize worship tends toward being a secular helping agency like a United Way. There is nothing wrong with a United Way, and it is eligible for government funding. But a church is different. It is not wrong for a church to have a building for people to gather and to attract people to worship God, or lighting or air conditioning. Each culture has to determine what is out of balance for them. But the worship of the living God is a priority. If there is a God, He should be worshiped, loved, honored, glorified. He is worthy of our wealth and even extravagance.
Perhaps in many ways we define ourselves by what we allow to be extravagant. Not too many years ago malls were the extravagant things. People invested in the building of malls- not forseeing the online buying boom that would put Sears and Payless Shoes into Bankruptcy. Some have extravagant houses- with pools, lake/mountain views but think the church should be simple. Today universities and hospitals are extravagant as we value education and healthcare- while churches are in decay. But the universities and medical care systems have been too greedy and we all know it. Student Loan debt has exceeded consumer debt, and many graduates cannot find jobs to help them pay back their loans. The emergency rooms in our country are a mess with long lines and little care. Obamacare is threatening the debtload and economy. Is it right to have huge extravagant universities while next door are shanties? Is it right that the medical care we talk about really does not help the poor? What we allow to be extravagant in our culture shows what we value. In Jesus' day the Temple was one of the seven wonders, and this woman anointed him for death. Judas did not value Jesus as he should. There are many today who think more like Judas and less like Jesus. Mary knew that Jesus had healed Simon of leprosy and healed her brother from death. She also knew his popularity would be seen as a threat and might lead to his death. She valued Jesus as we should.
Prayer: Lord, let me value you. You have done so much for me. Help me to be a generous person to you first.
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