English Standard Version
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
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Here's Jesus at the house of a leper. That's extraordinary right there, the idea that Jesus would spend time visiting a house of a leper. Nobody expected the Messiah to do that -- they figured he'd spend all this time with the rich and powerful people. They assumed that for the Messiah to have influence, he'd have to be with the people considered influential. Instead, Jesus spent time with those often not even thought about by the powerful.
In the house of the leper, there's an extraordinary scene -- this woman comes up and pours out this rich gift of ointment as a way to honor Jesus. It's not about money, it's simply a heartfelt offering, poured out to the King.
When we give from the heart, it's not necessarily about the gift. It's about the act of giving. Gifts aren't meant to be compared, but instead we're called to simply give as we feel compelled to give, with the hope of honoring God through the giving our gifts.
So may we pray for the wisdom to give generously, with the hopes of honoring God through the giving of our gifts, pouring ourselves and our resources out in joy and gratitude.
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