Nothing is wasted
All four gospels give us an account of a woman who pours an oil perfume on Jesus. Matthew, Mark, and John are likely about the same woman, with Luke’s account telling us about a different occasion. We can reason this because of the timing. Luke’s account happens much earlier and in a different city. Regardless, we can learn from her story as each account tells of a special moment with Jesus.
We’re going to focus on the accounts in Matthew, Mark, and John as this event happened a week before Jesus’ crucifixion. We find her story in Matthew 26:1-16, Mark 14:1-19, and John 12:1-8.
For reference, here is Luke's account of a different woman who pours oil on Jesus. Luke 7:36-50
John’s gospel identifies the woman in Bethany as Mary, Lazarus’ sister. If you remember, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Some Bible scholars suggest that Mary’s act of worship here shows her overwhelming gratitude to Jesus for bringing her brother back.
Each day in the series, I’m going to focus on one thought or aspect. Today, the realization is that nothing we ever do out of love for Jesus is wasted.
If you read the accounts you’ll see that everyone else at the table scolded Mary and thought her act wasteful. This perfume was equivalent to a year's wages! But Jesus didn’t think it was a waste. He called it, “A beautiful thing.”
What do you think?
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