The party they threw for him
on that Saturday night was a way of saying ‘thank you’, perhaps. Or, ‘we love
you, friend’. Maybe some of each. Martha
served. Lazarus, the one Jesus had raised from the dead, reclined, along with his
best friend, Jesus. Jesus’ disciples were relaxing in the house. Little did they
know.
Mary had been saving her expensive
perfume for a special occasion. Tonight
seemed like the right night, this Saturday night before Jesus headed down for his
last ride into Jerusalem. Of course, no one other than Jesus understood that it
was his last road trip. Just how close the end, and the beginning, were. Maybe Mary
had an intuition that when Jesus left on Sunday morning there would not be
another Saturday night dinner, not on this earth anyway.
So she poured out a pint of pure
nard on his bare feet and wiped away the liquid with her long, jet-black hair. The
smell filled the small house. People’s heads turned toward the dining room,
wondering what the fragrance filling the air could be. When they saw Mary’s shiny hair and Jesus’
drying feet, and the bottle lying nearby they understood what had happened. It irked
Judas Iscariot to no end. “What a waste! That perfume could have been sold and
the money given to the poor (minus my thief’s cut).”
Jesus was having none of that
noise. “Leave her alone.” What Mary did
that Saturday night before Palm Sunday was pure worship of Jesus. She understood
who this man was, that he was the Messiah.
And if all of the rumors of the plots to kill him were true, well, perhaps
he would not return. There was no point
in saving for tomorrow the act of worship she could do tonight.
We all have a little bit of Judas
in us, wanting to save the good stuff for ourselves. We all have a little bit
of Mary in us, wanting to worship our Lord and Savior. Imagine Jesus at the dinner table tonight.
You and your family and friends gathered round, one last time before Jesus
begins the long walk to the tomb.
What could you do tonight to show
Jesus how much he means to you?
(based
on John 12:2-8; cf. Matthew 26:6-13)
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