Going for broke
And being in Bethany in the house of
Simon the leper, as Jesus sat to eat, there came a woman having an alabaster
box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she broke the box, and poured
it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and
said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for
more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they
murmured against her. Mark 14:3-5
The woman's act reminded me of the act of the poor widow who gave
all she had, although it was an insignificant amount of money. In Jesus eyes
she gave all that she had to live on. How many of us can go for broke like that?
Marks gospel says that the woman broke the
box and poured the precious ointment on Jesus’s head. Many versions call it
perfume, but King James Version calls it an ointment, which makes it so much more
meaningful. Ointment gives it a medicinal value and Spikenard is known for its
relaxing quality for the nerves. This ointment was possibly imported from India
or Nepal from the Himalayan mountains. It is traditional for Asians even today,
to pour certain kinds of oils on their heads and massage the oil in to relax
the nerves.
Do you think the woman sensed that Jesus was under tremendous
tension knowing that his greatest trial
and temptation were just so close at hand? To think that Jesus was tensed brings out his humanness so exquisitely. In a way the woman was trying to provide
the best ointment that could for a moment bring relief to Jesus.
Here again we see the tension, which develops in the room among Jesus followers. Some felt it was an absolute waste of resources. But
to Jesus it was an act of love. It is not
what other people think of how you use your gifts and resources for God, but
God who sees into our hearts and is happy with our contribution.
It is not the hundreds of people that you can influence, but
the even the precious few you are able to lead to the Lord. There will always
be those who may not agree, but we step up and do our best. We
give of our best to our master.
Did the woman’s act stop Jesus from going to his death on the
cross? No. But I do believe that for a moment in time Jesus sensed relief as he
felt the ointment being poured on his head by a disciple who loved him deeply.
During this time of lent let us surrender all we have to
Jesus without any restrictions. Let us look up to him to break us, melt us and mold
us into the people he wants us to be.
Lord pour your healing balm on our hearts and minds and make us whole.
4 comments:
How do you observe lent? Spend more time with God.
Lent was meant for 40 days, as Jesus after his baptism fasted for 40 days. During that lent he did not eat, but was tempted by Satan. All of us have a lot of temptations in our daily lives.
I was reading about how to observe lent from a book called, "Approaching Easter" by Jane Williams. One of the suggestions author made was, just as you give up some food coffee or alcohol, give up other things in daily life, like anger, pride and other negative qualities that you have. Not just the food but the other negative traits we have in our lives. Use the lent as a time for cleansing yourself. 40 days is long enough to change our deeply rooted habits.
All of us have so many destructive qualities that alienate us from God. Lent can be a time to start that.
Food is also something that tempts us. Because Jesus fasted the usual custom is to fast for 40 days.More difficult to control yourself emotionally. All the negative emotional qualities in ourselves.
Lord thank you for this time, for being with us during our daily lives. Help us to feel you closer to us during these days of passion. Refresh and renew us in your spirit. Help us to get rid of all the negative qualities in our life. The qualities which we cling on to usually for our own selfish reasons. Help us to show your love in all we do. As we meditate on your cross help us to understand your compassion towards us and cleanse us from our sins. Give us the spirit of repentance. As the passion week approaches give us true penitence. So that we can become closer to you being cleansed and redeemed. Make our lives fruitful for your kingdom. Amen
When I get caught in the web of darkness, spiraling away from God’s light, immersing myself in the darkness of grief and bitterness., I find I am at my wits end, I need direction, the word of God encourages me, I turn to God’s light.
To dwell on Gods word requires discipline. It demands my time, my thoughts, my life basking in God’s light on a daily basis. I move from the grasp of darkness into his marvelous light.
The discipline of thanksgiving and praise follow, to help me to store up enough oil to burn through the rest of the day.
In Jesus was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1:4
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