SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/12/2024 10:31 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-1 “The
Preparation of Loving Worship”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
26:6-13
Message of the verses: “6 Now when Jesus
was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him with an
alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He
reclined at the table. 8 But the disciples were indignant when they saw this,
and said, "Why this waste? 9 “For this perfume might have been sold
for a high price and the money given to the poor." 10 But Jesus,
aware of this, said to them, "Why do you bother the woman? For she has
done a good deed to Me. 11 “For you always have the poor with you; but you do
not always have Me. 12 “For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it
to prepare Me for burial. 13 “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is
preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in
memory of her.’”
The first thing that I have to say about this
section of Scripture is that it is a very familiar portion of Scripture and I
have always been fascinated by what Jesus says in verse 13 “Truly I say to you,
wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done
will also be spoken of in memory of her.’”
What we are looking at in Matthew’s gospel is a
flashback to the previous Saturday, when Jesus came into the area of Bethany, and
Bethphage, which is just east of Jerusalem and near the Mount of Olives as seen
in Matthew 21:1; and Mark 11:1. In this
touching account, a third preparation for Jesus’ crucifixion is portrayed. It is in stark contrast to that of what the
Sanhedrin were doing, as this story reflects loving worship rather than hateful
rejection.
This
story is also mentioned in the gospel of John and it happened after Jesus had
raised Lazarus from the dead, as Martha, Marry, Lazarus were all present here
and Martha was serving and helping Simon the leper with the supper.
MacArthur
adds “Since a leper was not allowed to live in towns or cities or to associate with
nonlepers, it is clear that Simon had been cleansed. And because that dread disease was incurable
by medical means, he apparently had been healed miraculously by Jesus. In deep gratitude for that deliverance, he
had asked Jesus and the others to his house for a meal.”
It
was during the supper that a woman, who Matthew does not mention her name
comes, but in fact John does mention her name, and it is Mary. “Mary then took a pound of very costly
perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with
her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (John
12:3). Mark tells us the following in
Mark 14:3-5 “3 While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and
reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of
very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it
over His head. 4 But some were indignantly remarking to one another,
"Why has this perfume been wasted? 5 “For this perfume might have been
sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the
poor." And they were scolding her.”
I will stop now and I want to continue to write
about Mary as I begin the next SD.
4/12/2024 10:50 AM
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