There’s a common dilemma every child faces when they want to give one of their parents a gift. They may want to give their mother or father something nice, but the resources they have on hand tend to be limited. Children typically don’t have financial resources they can utilize, and even if they did, they don’t have independent access to transportation that would allow them to purchase something from a store. If they want to give their parents a gift, most often they need to create that gift from scratch with the resources they have on hand.
This is why children typically give similar gifts. Most often they draw you a picture, rub your back, volunteer to take care of a chore, make you some form of fake food, or prepare an actual meal which consists of ingredients they find in the kitchen. When compared to the resources you have access to, their options are much more limited, but they do the best they can with what they have in order to let you know they love you.
In the days leading up to the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus, He was blessed by the generous kindness that was shown to Him by Mary the sister of Lazarus. She did what she could with what she had, but her kindness stood out in the midst of those who had purposed in their heart to betray and kill Jesus.
"It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, 'Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.'” - Mark 14:1-2
The Passover was and is an important event for the Jewish people. It commemorates the time when they were set free from their slavery in Egypt. During those days, Moses repeatedly approached Pharaoh and demanded that he set the Israelites free from their bondage. Each time Moses made this request, Pharaoh refused. He hardened his heart against the prophetic words the Lord was speaking through Moses, and as a result, Egypt was subjected to terrible plagues.
Eventually, the children of Israel were told to sprinkle the blood of an unblemished lamb over the doorposts of their homes. The homes that obeyed this instruction were passed over and didn’t experience judgment. The homes in Egypt that did not do so, experienced the punishment of the death of their firstborn sons.
The annual celebration of the Passover was a divinely orchestrated reminder of the Lord’s decision to mercifully spare those who were covered by the blood of the lamb. This is one of many such events in Scripture that foreshadowed the work Jesus, the Lamb of God, would accomplish on our behalf, shedding His blood so that through faith in Him, we too would be passed over and set free from the judgment and condemnation we deserved.
Following the Passover was the seven-day Feast of Unleavened bread. This feast was also a reminder of the fact that the children of Israel needed to escape Egypt quickly, so quickly that they didn’t have time to add yeast to their bread and give it time to rise. They needed to prepare it and eat it quickly as they escaped the oppressive land.
This annual celebration in Jerusalem brought hundreds of thousands of additional people to the city each year. And while the chief priests and scribes wanted to kill Jesus, they were hesitant to do so in front of the crowds because they feared creating an uproar. Their hope was to find a way to arrest and kill Him without being noticed. In short order, Judas would assist them in their attempt, but before that took place, Jesus would be blessed by the kindness of a woman who chose to honor Him at a dinner.
"And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, 'Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.' And they scolded her." - Mark 14:3-5
The town of Bethany was a short distance from Jerusalem, and Scripture reveals to us that Jesus had several good friends who lived there. Three siblings, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary were residents of Bethany, and it was clear that they loved Jesus and He loved them.
The gospel accounts reveal interesting things about the personalities of these siblings that can be instructive to us as we go about our day-to-day lives worshipping and serving the Lord. Lazarus was a man of faith who wasn’t shy about associating with Jesus. In fact, many people came to faith in Jesus because of Lazarus’ testimony since he had died and been raised to life by Jesus. His testimony was so compelling that not only did the chief priests want to kill Jesus, but they wanted to kill Lazarus as well.
“When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.” - John 12:9-11
Mary and Martha had unique and special personalities as well. Martha was the kind of person who was organized and action-oriented. If you were throwing a party, she’s the one you would want to put in charge. Unfortunately, she was also the type of person who would miss the point of the celebration. Instead of taking time to rejoice with those who rejoice, she was the type of person who would continue working without pause and then castigate those who didn’t help her. She was faithful with what she did, but she often missed the greater point of what she was doing.
Have you ever wondered if your spiritual walk with Jesus resembles Martha’s approach to life? Do you mistakenly believe that the only thing the Lord wants of you is more work and additional effort? Do you keep filling your schedule with tasks and additional ways to serve without taking appropriate time to pause and appreciate Christ’s goodness toward you? Have you made the mistake of believing you can earn the love and favor of God through adopting new responsibilities instead of resting in the fact that Jesus already did the most important work for you by living the perfect life and then dying an atoning death on your behalf?
Mary’s personality was different from Martha’s. When Jesus was around, she didn’t care as much about her standard responsibilities. She was more than willing to pause what she was typically expected to do so she could just sit and listen to Jesus teach. She adored Jesus and hung on His every word. This clearly pleased the Lord, and He made that clear to these women in Luke 10.
"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” - Luke 10:38-42
Martha thought she was focused, but she was actually distracted. Martha thought Mary was distracted, but she was actually focused on who Jesus is and what He wants us to hear. Fast forward to the account we’re given in Mark 14, and we see that yet again Mary chose to demonstrate to Jesus that He was the center of her attention. To the dismay of others (particularly Judas), Mary took an alabaster flask of pure nard, broke it open, and poured the contents on the head of Jesus.
At the time, a common practice among the Jews involved anointing the head of guests of honor with oil when they attended a meal at your home. It was also the historical practice of the Jews to anoint the heads of their kings with oil when a new king was being consecrated for his task. In anointing the head of Jesus, Mary was both honoring Him and acknowledging royalty. John 12:3 also tells us that she anointed His feet and then wiped off His feet with her hair. This was an act of worship on her behalf. Jesus indicated that this anointing also foreshadowed His death and burial because the bodies of the dead were also commonly anointed in their culture.
The oil Mary anointed Jesus with was rather extravagantly expensive. We’re told it may have been worth an amount equal to about 300 days of wages. The gospel accounts reveal that Judas was particularly upset with this extravagance.
He suggested that it could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. That sounds good and righteous, but it was later revealed that Judas (who was in charge of the finances for Jesus and the disciples) used to secretly steal their money (John 12:6). After making his self-righteous declaration, Judas and possibly several others actually scolded Mary, but Jesus came to her defense.
"But Jesus said, 'Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.'” - Mark 14:6-9
Mary did what she could. Like a child who is willing to take whatever they have on hand to give a parent a gift, she took the best of what she had and honored Jesus with it. Jesus said this act of faith was beautiful, and He reminded those at the meal that it was uniquely special.
Judas commented that the proceeds from the ointment could have been sold and given to the poor. Jesus certainly valued caring for the poor and He taught His followers to do that very thing. He also reminded those present at this particular meal that they would have many opportunities to care for the poor over the course of the rest of their lives, but Mary took the opportunity to do something that in a few short days she would no longer have the opportunity to do.
Jesus even informed these men that Mary’s act of worship would be spoken of from that point on wherever the message of the gospel was proclaimed throughout the world.
When you read an account like this, does it ever make you wonder if there are some unique opportunities to honor the Lord that He may be blessing you with right now? Opportunities that you should pursue even if others scorn you or don’t understand? Opportunities to demonstrate that adoring Jesus and honoring His word matters more to you than anything critics or those of low character might say about you?
From observing this Scripture and the complimentary accounts in the other gospel narratives, I get the impression that Judas was reaching a boiling point regarding the ministry of Jesus. Judas was a duplicitous man who lacked spiritual and relational integrity. When it started to become clear that Jesus was more interested in leading a spiritual kingdom, not a political kingdom where Judas would likewise be influential, Judas purposed in his heart to betray Jesus and align himself with those he believed could offer him the influence he craved.
"Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him." - Mark 14:10-11
This chapter demonstrates such a contrast. We’re shown a woman who was willing to share the most valuable thing she owned in order to honor Jesus and a man who was willing to betray the best friend he ever had for a handful of silver. But what value is that oil or silver to Mary or Judas right now? From the scope of eternity, do they even care about these things? If they could have those moments back, what would they do the same, and what would they change?
There’s a good lesson for us in these accounts, and as I meditate on these words, I can’t help but wonder what I’m choosing to focus and worry about in the present that has absolutely zero value from an eternal perspective. In fact, I would contend that the majority of what most people consume themselves with on a daily basis has absolutely no eternal value.
When Christ redeems us, the Holy Spirit transforms the way we think (Romans 12:2). Jesus is inviting us to realize that He is better than anything this world can offer. Don’t waste your life chasing after things you can’t keep. You can’t keep money. You can’t keep influence. You can’t keep power. But you can be kept by Jesus, and He has promised to hold you in His grip regardless of which direction this fallen world attempts to pull you.
“My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.” - John 10:29-30
© John Stange, 2024 Originally published on Bible Study Headquarters. Used with permission.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Olezzo
John Stange is the Lead Pastor at Core Creek Community Church and a professor at Cairn University where he leads the Digital Media and Communication program. He also leads an online community called Platform Launchers where he helps people build message-based online platforms.
John has authored over 30 books and presently hosts several podcasts on the LifeAudio podcast network. His shows have been downloaded millions of times by listeners throughout the world.
You can learn more about John’s ministry, books, and podcasts at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com.
