Tag: Mary of Bethany

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, She, Volume 1

Mary of Bethany, Part 2

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Adapted from She, Volume 1, p 41-42

Read: Mark 14:1-9

 Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of costly aromatic oil from pure nard. … 8After breaking open the jar, she poured it on his head.She did what she could. She anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Mark 14:3, 8-9

For at least the second time, possibly the third (Luke 7:36–50; John 12:1–8), a woman anoints Jesus with perfume. At the home of Simon the Leper, an unidentified woman anoints Jesus’ head on the day the Passover lambs are being anointed (Mark 14:3–9). Jesus praises her gracious act of worship that prepares Him for His burial the next afternoon. (bible ref.com)

Hey friends, if you read the previous post, you may think I’m repeating myself with this one as we continue to focus on a time when Jesus was anointed with perfume shortly before His sacrificial death and burial. While this post, in part, is repetitious as its focus is, again, on a woman anointing Jesus with oil, there are notable differences. The two that stand out to me are 1)the woman is not named (though, with good reason, she is still believed to be Mary of Bethany) and 2)she anoints his head rather than his feet (John 12:1–8). However, today we zero in on the truth and encouragement that she did what she could (v8).

Mary of Bethany considers worldly losses or gains nonsense compared to the spiritual treasure of having Jesus

Bibleref.com/Mark 14:8

As Bibleref.com points out, “Jesus often warns His followers to count the cost of following Him. ” While the disciples “are more interested in what they can gain (Mark 9:33-38; 10;35-41), Mary of Bethany considers worldly losses or gains nonsense compared to the spiritual treasure of having Jesus (Philippians 3:8).” Remember, this is the same Mary, who had upset her sister Martha by choosing to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to Him instead of helping her with the duties of hospitality (Luke 10:38–42).

Jesus tells the disciples who question/criticize her actions to “Leave her alone”. He doesn’t stop there, though. He goes on to teach an important lesson for all of us, saying, “Why are you bothering her? She has done a good service for me. 7 For you will always have the poor with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want. But you will not always have me! 8 She did what she could. She anointed my body beforehand for burial.“

Friends, I don’t know about you, but this one “stepped on my toes”, as I realized this isn’t just a lesson for the disciples of Jesus’ day but for all of His disciples. We are all to have this mindset, putting Him before our desires and above the cultural norm, living for Him, serving Him, sharing Him pleasing Him, loving Him and others as He has loved us … dying to self.

Mary did what she did, not so that others would remember her but to glorify and honor her Lord and master. Yet, to this day, just as Jesus said, she is still remembered for what she did. Which begs us to ask ourselves:

What will you be remembered for?

Mary gave what she had, and Jesus used her and her gift to point others to Him and what is important to His cause. The truth is, we do not glorify God or bring others to Jesus through pious acts or great knowledge and wealth. We bring others to Jesus through our worship of God, humility, humble acts of kindness, love, and obedience. When we honor the true and living God with our lives, others will see Jesus and have the opportunity to know Him.

We all have something to give

Our time
Our talents
Our service

She, Volume 1/p42

I believe that we are wise to remember – God doesn’t desire or need our wealth or wisdom; nor is He looking for outward beauty. His desire is our hearts, given and poured out for Him, our lives a testimony of His love and work on our behalf.

Reflection/Application
  • What is it that you can give?
  • How does Mary of Bethany’s sacrifice and service inspire you?
  • What do you hope to be remembered for?
Response of Worship

1 Living for Jesus a life that is true,
striving to please Him in all that I do,
yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
this is the pathway of blessing for me.

Refrain:
O Jesus, Lord and Savior,
I give myself to Thee;
for Thou, in Thine attonement,
didst give Thyself for me.
I own no other master;
my heart shall be Thy throne.
My life I give, henceforth to live,
O Christ, for Thee alone.

2 Living for Jesus, who died in my place,
bearing on Calv’ry my sin and disgrace-
such love constrains me to answer His call,
follow His leading, and give Him my all. [Refrain]

3 Living for Jesus wherever I am,
doing each duty in His holy name,
willing to suffer affliction or loss,
deeming each trial a part of my cross! [Refrain]

4 Living for Jesus through earth’s little while,
my dearest treasure, the light of His smile,
seeking the lost ones He died to redeem,
bringing the weary to find rest in Him! [Refrain]

Source: Our Great Redeemer’s Praise #595

The More We Know
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, She, Volume 1

Mary of Bethany, Part 1

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Adapted from She, Volume 1, p 39-40

Read: Matthew 26:1-13; Mark 14:1-9; John 12:1-8

I believe it is helpful to start with this bit of commentary from gotquestions.org:

All four gospels present an account of Jesus being anointed by a woman with a costly jar of perfume (Matthew 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9; Luke 7:36–50; John 12:1–8). Matthew and Mark relate the same event but do not give the woman’s name; Luke tells of a different woman, also anonymous, on an earlier occasion; and, in yet another event, the woman in John is identified as Mary of Bethany (John 11:2), sister to Martha and Lazarus. 

gotquestions.org

There are many women named Mary in the Bible, so it should be noted that Mary of Bethany, the woman mentioned in John’s account of the ‘alabaster box’, is also known to us as the sister of Martha and Lazarus (John 11:2). While Matthew and Mark did not identify the woman in their accounts by name, they related similar stories. Each story, though brief, is a beautiful display of an “extravagant act of worship”.1

The three women who anointed Jesus recognized Christ’s unequaled value and expressed their gratitude with unreserved love and devotion.  gotquestions.org

It is also worth noting that at least one of the disciples (if not all) complained about the woman’s act being extravagant and wasteful. In each of these accounts, Jesus corrects the disciples’ criticism/concern for what she had done for Him. My favorite response is found in Matthew 26:10:

“She has done a beautiful thing to me”. Christ explains that the anointing is to prepare His body for burial and that the woman’s act of love will forever be remembered wherever the good news is preached.

(Matthew 26:10)

Friends, to borrow a statement of prayer from the journal: “May we pour out our lives in service to Him.” May we worship Him with such reverence and awe that we hold nothing back ~ that He might say of us, “She has done a beautiful thing to me.”

Reflection and Application

(answers, thoughts, and questions may be left in the comment section below)

  • We may be criticized when we ‘pour it all out for Him’, but we must ask ourselves: Is quitting worth missing out on giving Him the glory He deserves?
The More We Know
Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study
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Reflections of Week 5, Beautifully Surrendered

Beautifully Surrendered, God’s Heart for His Daughters is a Love God Greatly Study

The women we’ve studied this week showed us that joy and praise can be part of our lives when we live surrendered to God through every situation. Actually, praise can be a catalyst for surrendering to God and being filled with His joy as ‘it’ [praise] keeps God at the forefront of our minds and hearts. Miriam led others to praise Him on the other side of the Red Sea and Leah praised Him despite her loveless marriage. Praise can also be the catalyst for others to praise God. This is what happened when the ‘women of Bethlehem’ saw how God had blessed Naomi with a grandson. When we live surrendered and follow God into battle for His people, as in the story of Deborah, praise will flow and joy will follow. When this happens others will see, as we did in the life of Mary of Bethany, who despite cultural norms and heartache chose to sit or fall or give her best in praise and adoration to the Lord – her Savior. There is much that can be learned from these beautiful stories. There is much we would do well to mimic. As with the others that we have read they are certainly worthy of reading and sharing again and again. If for no other reason they will undoubtedly spark praise and joy in our own hearts as they refocus us on the greatness of our God.

Life isn’t always easy so praising God isn’t always easy. Likewise, being joyful in all circumstances, as James suggested, is at best a challenge and at worst seemingly impossible. However, when we realize the key is maintaining a focus fixed on Him – past (what we’ve witnessed in the Scriptures or in our own lives), present (His fingerprints in our own lives and those we know), and future (His promises of His presence with us, constantly new mercies, and eternal life …) – we feed both praise and joy.

My dear brothers and sisters, consider it an opportunity for pure joy when you face trials of many kinds. For you know when your faith is tested your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

James 1:2-4

I have made this statement in previous weeks, but it bears repeating. Consider these stories and their truths often so that you do not grow weary and lose heart. Fix your eyes on Him and not the circumstances of Your life – only then will we truly surrender and say as Leah did, still in the midst of her loveless marriage, “Now I will praise the Lord!” As we saw again and again this week, the choice is ours. May we choose well – so that Jesus may say of us, “they chose the best part”.

“Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:42 NET

If you missed any of this week’s devotions from me you’ll find them at this link

If you missed any of the Love God Greatly Blogs for week 5 you’ll find them at these links:

https://lovegodgreatly.com/sing-to-the-lord/

https://lovegodgreatly.com/held-by-gods-hand/

https://lovegodgreatly.com/wholehearted-worship/

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study
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Mary of Bethany: At Jesus’ Feet

Day 5, Week 5 of Beautifully Surrendered, A Love God Greatly Study

Today’s Reading: Luke 10:38-42, John 11:1-44, John12:1-11; SOAP – John 12:3

Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

John 12:3 NLT
Observation: What’s the Story

Mary was continually found at the feet of Jesus. Read the passage again and watch as she sits at His feet listening to Him talk and teach. Look and listen as she falls at His feet weeping over the death of her brother. Then, take in the beauty of her extravagant act of celebration and worship of Jesus’s resurrection of Lazarus; she poured out the best of what she had onto His feet and and then wiped them with her hair. Her devotion to Jesus was quite clear in both her words and actions, even to the point of defying cultural norms.

Application: How Then Should We live?

Jesus told Martha that Mary had “chosen” the best part. So, since a favorable opinion from Christ is the best of everything we can hope for, we would be wise to choose as Mary did to sit at His feet, soaking up His Words as we listen to Him talk or teach. Likewise, we should not be afraid to fall at His feet in our sorrows weeping and sharing our thoughts or regrets with Him. Mary did this and Jesus was “intensely moved in spirit”, even to the point of weeping and calling Lazarus out of the grave! Lastly, by Mary’s example, we should be willing to pour out the best of ourselves at His feet in grateful adoration of who He is and what He’s done.

Prayer: Response to His Word

Father, thank You for showing us Mary’s heart and passion for Jesus, our Savior. Despite cultural norms and people’s opinions she desired to be “at Jesus’ feet”. Oh that we might choose well, as Christ said Mary did – letting nothing hold us back from being at His feet.

YOUR TURN: Set aside time to read and reflect on each of the passages

What’s your take away from the story about Mary of Bethany?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Her Actions spoke louder than words

Many people praise God with their words, but Mary of Bethany praised God through her actions.

  • Why do you think her actions “spoke” louder than any words she could have said?
  • What can you do to sit at His feet?
  • What sorrows or concerns do you have that would be better laid at His feet?
  • What can you ‘anoint His feet’ with?
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