"Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me." (Matthew 26:10)
This was the time an unnamed woman came and anointed Jesus' head with the alabaster jar of ointment. She was criticized for spending so much, a waste, to pour it all onto His head so it ran all over the place...what a mess; so wasteful. Better to sell the ointment and buy food for the poor.
Yet Jesus affirmed her actions and said she was preparing Him for burial (Matthew 26:12).
Gracious words.
Words of appreciation.
Often it is the small things, that are done for others, that add up to big things. This may have appeared to be a small, wasteful thing, but the sacrificial devotional offering, spikenard (perhaps mixed with olive oil), which was very costly, spoke volumes of her love for Jesus.
Jesus said what the woman in Bethany had done would be preached and remembered (vs13).
Would that our hearts were full to the brim and overflowing with gratitude, love and worship to the Lord Jesus Christ. Would that there would be outpourings of that appreciation in service for Him. Such gifts given from the heart of one's innermost being will never be forgotten, especially by God.
~ERC 2017~
Originally written March 1996; adapted for blog August 2017
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