Tag: Oil

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, LGG Study

The Gospel of Mark: Week 5, Friday – Alabaster

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Read: Mark 14:1-21; SOAP: Mark 14:8-9

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”

3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating,[a] a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.

4 Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. 5 “It could have been sold for a year’s wages[b] and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.

6 But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? 7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard why he had come, and they promised to give him money. So he began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

The Last Supper

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”

13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” 16 So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 As they were at the table[c] eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”

19 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?”

20 He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man[d] must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”

May we love Jesus and honor Him the same way Mary did: with all we have. 

Read the full devotional

Mary poured an alabaster jar of oil on Jesus’ head. What can we learn from this encounter? – 

Read today’s LGG Blog to find out