Mary's Lavish Love!
HAVE YOU EVER GIVEN ANY THOUGHT TO WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO GOD?
What “makes Him Happy”...what “warms His heart”...here are a few suggestions, to think about after contemplating Mary’s Lavish love.
1.
Spiritual Service to God…
a. We are either serving Him, or the enemy. And serving him “our way” is the same as serving the enemy.
b. All service must be wholehearted, worshipful, coming from our transformed lives.
2. Being and living holiness and righteousness. Old time Christians called it “piety”…
a. It’s imputed, in the life and death of Christ
b. Even the desire to live a godly life, exhibiting practical Christian living, having a heart for God, being obedient...all are centered in
Read Matthew 26:6-13
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John tells us the woman here is Mary of Bethany...the same Mary that sat at Jesus feet in |
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Luke 10:38-40, read…distracted: dragging all around...implies Martha was in a tumult, “with much serving”...Martha was evidently fussing with details that were unnecessarily elaborate. Would the Lord have commended Mary as He did if she had done nothing, leaving all the preparations for at least 13 dinner guests to Martha? I hardly think so. What was this “one good thing” Jesus spoke of in Luke, pertaining to Mary? It was the priority Mary had made, of spending time with Him whenever possible. She came to Him with an attitude of worship and meditation, “listening” to Him with an open heart and mind...hanging on every word, if you will. |
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It would appear Simon (referred to as “the leper)...was part of the Bethany group...perhaps Mary and Martha were “doing the dinner” for Simon...there is no mention of a Mrs Simon...The perfume spoken of was expensive, it was imported from India, the only place it was found, and in an equally expensive alabaster container. It may have been part of Mary’s dowry! What she did to Jesus, she did as an act of worship...she gave Him her most prized possession, pouring it on His head, lavishly! John tells us it was worth 12 months wages, or 300 denari, (contrast, 8 months wages would have fed the 5,000). |
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Mark 14:3-9, read |
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Mark adds a few more details, he is the one that tells us that the perfume was imported from India, and refers to it as “pure nard”...not watered down or cut with anything else. Verse 8 gives us three words from Jesus about Mary that are precious… |
1. “She has done what she could”...what a commendation!!!
2. “She has come beforehand to anoint my body for burial”...did she know what she was doing? Probably not, but her love and adoration for her Master and her knowledge of His words gave her boldness to do what she did.
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John 12:2-8, read |
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John tells us she anointed His feet, and dried them with her hair. This was a very intimate thing she did...Jewish women NEVER took down their hair until bedtime, and only in front of their husbands!!!! |
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Again, Jesus words of love toward her were these: “let her alone; she has kept this for the day of my burial.” |
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An interesting sidelight to this is John 11:49-52, read...Caiphas, the current High Priest used unwittingly, sacrificial, substitutionary language and prophesied Christ’s death for sinners...he actually spoke blasphemy against Christ, for which he would be responsible. But God made his statement truth. God actually used Caiphas here as a prophet, a role the High Priest frequently fulfilled to reveal the will of God...see 2 Sam 15:27. |
MORE THOUGHTS!!!!
All three accounts record Judas outrage that Jesus allowed this luxury when the dollars could have been used to help the poor. What a hypocrite! Jesus statement is a reminder to us as well as a word to Judas…”the poor you have with you always”...and we do and we CAN be there to assist them in whatever way we are able. But Jesus, and our worship and time with Him MUST be our priority, and then and only then can we be fit to serve. Service comes from a full heart, a clean and pure heart, one that see/anticipates needs, and does all in ones power to meet that need. We need Martha’s...but Jesus gave the commendation to Mary...not because she was lax and allowed Martha to do all the work, but because she did what was required of her and THEN she went to sit at the Master’s feet and listen, rather than fuss about unnecessary details. God grant us the wisdom to emulate our sister Mary, and arrange or rearrange our priorities to make that time to “sit at the Master’s feet”