Dear Explorer,
We are continuing our discussion of Mary's act of anointing Jesus with expensive perfume.
So, the minute the vial was broken, the smell just overwhelmed everyone. This was no secret act of worship. This was very visible and odiferous (intensely smelly)! What do you think was the crowd's reaction to this beautiful act of worship by Mary?
Read Matthew 26:8-9
And
Read Mark 14:4-5
And
Read John 12:4-6
Is that what you expected? How do you think Mary felt when the crowd began to fuss at her?
How would you have felt?
Read Matthew 26:10-13
And
Read Mark 14:6-9
And
Read John 12:7-8
What did Jesus say about Mary's act of worship?
Do you believe that God provided her with the perfume just for this purpose? In other words, do you believe that God is interested in these details in our lives?
I do!
I remember one time when David got an unexpected bonus from work. We were excited about getting it, but we kept feeling that God wanted us to do something special with it and not just spend it on ordinary needs. So, we set it aside and didn't use it for a couple of weeks. One Sunday, a dear friend arrived at church crying because her mother had been diagnosed with cancer and she didn't have the money to travel to see her. We knew immediately what that money was for. We were so glad that we had “listened” to God's prompting to watch and see what He wanted instead of just spending it on our own needs.
God will use you to bless others if you are faithful to listen to Him and give Him all the praise and glory. And it's fun to be able to give away what God gives to us!
Mary could have chosen to keep her perfume for her own use, but she gave lavishly, and Jesus promised her that 2000 years later – we would still be talking about her gift and we are!
Read John 12:9-11
I don't know of any record of Lazarus after this statement. I don't know if the Chief Priest killed him or if he continued to serve in the early church. That's another thing we'll have to wait until we get to heaven to know!
In His service, dale
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