Jesus Anointed At Bethany - Matthew 26:6-13
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Reflection:
Notice Jesus reclines at the table of Simon the Leper. Though healed he will be remembered by this name, not so much as a stigma, but as a reminder of what Jesus did for him in making him clean. And while they were there, a woman who had lived a sinful life (Luke's version of the story), anoints his head with expensive perfume. This story is included in all 4 gospels as Jesus says. In John the only difference is the woman anoints his feet. This could have been a different incidence. Note too John's story says six days before the Passover, whereas this one says two days before the Passover feast. (Mt 26:2)
But at the heart of this story is Jesus' acceptance of this act of devotion by presumably Mary Magdalene, the prostitute whom Jesus forgave. Not only was this act symbolically anointing Jesus for his subsequent burial according to Jewish custom, but this woman showed whoever is forgiven much loves much. (LK 7:47). The disciples are caught in worrying about the money being given to the poor, but they are completely missing the point. This woman is seizing the moment and showing her unabashed and unadulterated worship of the man who set her free from her past.
When he says you will always have the poor with you, he is not suggesting that we not reach out to and help poor people. He is simply acknowledging that you will always have this aspect of obedience to help the needy, just like we will always honor the Sabbath Day, and always honor our mother and father. But in this moment the fulfillment of the Law was in their midst, and her act of worship was not only accepted by Jesus, but memorialized for all time.
For me this points to the fact that worship will look differently for each of us because it is a matter of the heart. Jesus recognizes true worship, because it is centered on Him, the Son of God. Sometimes it is easy to go through the motions in our worship, or do it out of a sense of duty and obligation. Jesus honors the worship which comes in response to experiencing His love and forgiveness. And this doesn't happen just on Sunday but every day. Everything we offer back to God in view of His mercy is our spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1) Amen.
6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Reflection:
Notice Jesus reclines at the table of Simon the Leper. Though healed he will be remembered by this name, not so much as a stigma, but as a reminder of what Jesus did for him in making him clean. And while they were there, a woman who had lived a sinful life (Luke's version of the story), anoints his head with expensive perfume. This story is included in all 4 gospels as Jesus says. In John the only difference is the woman anoints his feet. This could have been a different incidence. Note too John's story says six days before the Passover, whereas this one says two days before the Passover feast. (Mt 26:2)
But at the heart of this story is Jesus' acceptance of this act of devotion by presumably Mary Magdalene, the prostitute whom Jesus forgave. Not only was this act symbolically anointing Jesus for his subsequent burial according to Jewish custom, but this woman showed whoever is forgiven much loves much. (LK 7:47). The disciples are caught in worrying about the money being given to the poor, but they are completely missing the point. This woman is seizing the moment and showing her unabashed and unadulterated worship of the man who set her free from her past.
When he says you will always have the poor with you, he is not suggesting that we not reach out to and help poor people. He is simply acknowledging that you will always have this aspect of obedience to help the needy, just like we will always honor the Sabbath Day, and always honor our mother and father. But in this moment the fulfillment of the Law was in their midst, and her act of worship was not only accepted by Jesus, but memorialized for all time.
For me this points to the fact that worship will look differently for each of us because it is a matter of the heart. Jesus recognizes true worship, because it is centered on Him, the Son of God. Sometimes it is easy to go through the motions in our worship, or do it out of a sense of duty and obligation. Jesus honors the worship which comes in response to experiencing His love and forgiveness. And this doesn't happen just on Sunday but every day. Everything we offer back to God in view of His mercy is our spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1) Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment