Good Morning!! “It is now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread”. (Mark 14:1) Jesus marches ever closer to the cross and we continue to follow. We follow, we watch, we listen and we learn. Today’s passage is found in Mark 14:1-11.
Bethany, nearby to Jerusalem, is where Jesus appears to be staying in the evenings. Bethany is the home of Jesus’ dear friends: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. It is believed that it is this is also the home of Simon the leper.
Cryptic words open and close our reading today. Cryptic words of plotting, murder, and betrayal. But sandwiched in between these paragraphs is a beautiful portrait of extravagant love.
Read through the entire passage once and then go back and read just verses 3-9. This account is also recorded in Matthew 26:6-13 and John 12:1-8. It might be helpful for you to read both of these in addition to Mark’s account. Aside from these events being presented in a different order in John, what details do you glean from the other passages? Write them out in your journals.
Why do you think Mary responds so publicly and extravagantly to Jesus? Think back to what you know of Mary from the Scripture (see Luke 10:38-42 & John 11 and the name of her father, Simon (who was a leper) for clues to help with your answer). What do her actions tell you about her? What is the response of those in the house to what she is doing?
In the presence of Jesus we see two contrasting pictures. On the one hand there is Mary. Mary whom we are told Jesus loved along with her sister Martha and brother Lazarus. Mary who loved to sit at the feet of Jesus learning from Him. Mary whose brother Jesus raised from the dead. Mary devoted to Jesus. But she was not just devoted in her emotions. She revealed her devotion in her actions. No price was too high, no cost to great compared to this Jesus who had first loved her. The cost of her offering was small compared to the infinite worth of Her Lord.
But in the same room was Judas. Judas Iscariot. A disciple. A friend. One of the 12. He had been with Jesus for the past three years, morning, noon, and night. He saw Jesus heal the sick, give sight to the blind, make the lame walk again. He heard Him teach over and over about the kingdom of God. He ate of the bread and fish that Jesus had multiplied. He was in the boat when the seas were calmed. He saw Lazarus come out of the tomb as Jesus called his name. And he was the one entrusted with managing the money for this band of disciples. His actions too reveal what is in his heart. His words show us what he truly thinks of Jesus. His harsh accusations of wastefulness toward Mary reveal that he places more value on the worth of this costly perfume than on the worth of Jesus. What a shocking and sobering reality lies in the heart of Judas.
Jesus honors Mary for her love and sacrifice. He receives her extravagant love as a beautiful thing. Why? Because He is worthy. Because He is God. Because He is Lord. Because He is Savior. Because He is of infinite worth.
What do your actions reveal to you about what is of highest value to you? As we finish up our time in this passage, spend some time in prayer and reflection about what is in your heart?
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