We worry and we complain. We get upset when we are inconvenienced. I know how easy it is to get caught up in it, and before we know it, the moment in time has passed us by. But one day, if we are so lucky to live long enough, we will probably see things differently. The petty arguments, the spilled milk, even the bad grade or that terrible boss, no longer seem to matter. They are long gone. It is in the laughter, the beauty, the living in the present, where we begin to cherish what life is really about. This next story about Jesus is just that. It is one of the few stories that is mentioned in all four gospels of the Bible, except for the accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection. One reason for the significance of this story is told in Jesus’ own words: “I assure you: Wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”
I believe what captures the essence of this story is the pure joy of the moment, epitomizing the true meaning of life, the ultimate show of repentance, and resting in the peaceful presence and forgiveness of Jesus. Jesus came to restore humanity and to be a light and a path out of the darkness of this world. This woman knew that.
Matthew 26:6-13 ~ Anointing at Bethany
While Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon, a man who had a serious skin disease, a woman approached Him with an alabaster jar of very expensive fragrant oil. She poured it on His head as He was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw it, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This might have been sold for a great deal and given to the poor.”
But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a noble thing for Me. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me. By pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she has prepared Me for burial. I assure you: Wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”
