Mark 14:3-5

Passage

Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon, who had been a leper.  While Jesus was eating with him, a woman came into his house with a flask of very expensive oil.  She broke the flask and poured the oil completely over Jesus’ head.  Some of those sitting around eating with Jesus complained and wondered why it was that the oil was wasted in this manner.  They scolded the woman, telling her that this oil could have been sold for almost a year’s worth of wages and given to the poor.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus was eating with a man who had been a leper.  We don’t know whether or not this was a man that Jesus had cured of leprosy.  But we do know that it tells us that Jesus is not afraid of the stigma of a person’s past.  Jesus meets us where we are and encourages us to move beyond our past.  Our past may always be with us, it may even identify us as is the case of Simon.  But it does not have to prevent us from knowing God and moving forward with God.

In what ways does our past often hold us back?  What other power does our past have over us?  How can we move beyond our past?

Second Thought:

The woman comes in to Jesus and breaks the flask.  Many people assumed that she breaks the flask as a sign of intending the oil to be all used and unable to be saved for another purpose.  However, I think there is a deeper meaning.  In ancient Middle Eastern cultures, when a dead body was anointed for burial the flasks of oil would be broken and left with the body in the tomb.  It would be a sign that the burial was done properly.  I believe this woman anoints Jesus for burial – for the work that He is about to do on the cross and beyond.  She breaks the flask as a sign that the work is proper and according to God’s will.

What does it say about this woman if she is truly breaking the flask as a sign of Christ’s burial?  Do you think she fully knew what she was doing?  What can this teach us about God’s ability to use our actions on many different levels – even levels we may or may not intend?

Third Thought:

People griped and complained about this woman’s behavior.  People complained that it was wasteful.  They think that the oil could have been better served being converted to money and given to the poor.  The truth is, most people feel that way about God, too.  People complained that Jesus’ ministry and His death was wasteful.  If He could convert rocks to bread, certainly He could have fed all the poor rather than dying on the cross!  If God can create things of out nothing, God could have created everything the poor need to live and they wouldn’t be a “problem” for the non-poor.  You see, people are always coming up with ways to see God and Jesus as doing the wrong things and not doing enough.  People always want God to solve our problems for them.  People are seldom willing to solve their own problems and be a part of helping others to find solutions.  People are seldom content giving God the glory and praise.

Why do we as human beings gripe when God is glorified?  Why do we as human beings tend to miss God’s hand at work and instead think about our own agendas and how the world should be working according to our own standard?  Why do we as human beings have such a problem understanding that the concept of “poor” and “rich” is not God’s problem but our own problem of economy and work?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 14: 6-9