Mark 14:1-11
A Beautiful Thing
1 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”
3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
The time is near the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread...Jesus would soon be arrested...The chief priests and teachers of the law were scheming to have Him arrested and to have Him killed...
During this time, a woman came into the house of Simon the Leper with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume...The woman approached Jesus, broke a jar of nard, and poured the perfume on His head...Some of those watching said this was a waste of her perfume...They thought the perfume could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money could have been given to the poor ... And they rebuked her harshly....Someone was there, whom this one woman saw something sacred and holy...She saw something very special in Him...It was a Man in the house of a Leper...And in her way, she was worshiping and honoring Jesus...She had done an act of love, and some were criticizing her love for Jesus...
Jesus says we will always have the poor, and we can help them...But in a few days He must leave...We will not have Him much longer on earth...While we should help the poor, we still can worship Him...These two things are not exclusive of one without the other...
Jesus was very much involved in what she was doing and letting her do this act...He tells us she has not done something wrong or bad, and is not being wasteful, and she did not need to be rebuked...Jesus says she has done a beautiful thing...You see when you recognize that Jesus is LORD, one wants to worship Him and show their love towards Him...She was expressing the love from her heart, and He saw this...He would soon be dying on the cross for us...Doesn't He deserve everything we have, and the jar of perfume seems like the least one could do to express their love for all He has done and does for us...And since her beautiful act of showing her love to Him, this woman who anointed Jesus with perfume -has always been remembered...