A Gift for Jesus
And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. - (Matthew 26:6)
Things were clearly coming to a head in the ministry of Jesus. There had been a number of confrontations with the religious leaders, and it was evident they wanted Him dead. But Jerusalem was swarming with visitors for Passover, so they couldn’t risk an arrest.
Meanwhile, Jesus decided to spend some time with friends at the home of a man known as Simon, whom Jesus had healed of leprosy. There was a lot to talk about. Jesus had just delivered what we know as the Olivet Discourse (see Matthew 24), essentially an overview of end times events. The newly resurrected Lazarus was there, along with his sister Mary.
In the midst of all the animated discussion, Mary saw something that no one else saw. It dawned on her that Jesus was about to die, and this unique understanding produced a response. Mary took an alabaster flask of fragrant oil and poured it on Jesus’ head. The oil was worth a lot of money and may have been a family heirloom. But Mary didn’t care about that. She wanted to show her love and devotion to Jesus, and it made a significant impression on the Lord.
Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Matthew 26:13).
Did Mary deliver a great sermon? No. Did she pray an incredible prayer of faith? No. Mary simply gave the most precious thing she owned to Jesus. The value was in the cost to her. Nothing is ever wasted when it is done from a right motive for the glory of God. And the more we know of what God has done for us, the more we will want to do for Him.
Copyright © 2015 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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