Time & Sacrifice
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Friends and Family
Friends and Family
Jesus is entering his last week of his life. The Bible says that he gathered with his friends and family six days before the passover. It would be during this passover that He would be arrested and crucified. Jesus knew this because he had told his disciples that He was about to be crucified. Mark 9:30-32
From there they went out and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it.
For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.”
But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.
Jesus chose to spend his final days with family and friends. We see here that Jesus is with Simon, Martha, Mary, Lazarus, and his twelve disciples. They are enjoying fellowship with one another around the dinner table. Jesus knew that time with family and friends was important. Especially with what was about to happen. He wanted them to know that all would be well in spite of the tragic events that were about to take place.
Time with family and friends
Time with family and friends
Time with family and friends are very important. Family and friends are the most precious gift God has given us. We are to make time to spend with them and foster these relationships. There is no better appropriation of our time, aside from our time with our Lord, than to spend with family and friends.
Though it is important, the rat race of life that we live makes it difficult. The pressures of our jobs, demands and obligations we have towards others, and personal chores often make it difficult to spend that time with family and friends. This is where we lose opportunity to do what is most important. It leads to the thoughts of I wish I would have…
I encourage you to spend more time with family and friends this year! I have never visited someone on their deathbed that has ever said, “ I wish I would have worked more.” I have heard people say, “ I wish I would have taken more time with my family.”
Mary’s Sacrifice
Mary’s Sacrifice
While Jesus was reclining at the table, Mary did something very profound. She busted a very expensive jar of perfume, anointed Jesus with it, and wiped His feet with her hair. Though this seems a bit odd to us in the western culture, it was even odder in the eastern culture.
Courageous Sacrifice
Courageous Sacrifice
Mary’s act of anointing Jesus could have gotten her in trouble with the Pharisees and Sadducee. They had already determined that anyone who professed Jesus as Christ would be thrown out of the temple and could no longer worship God. They had also commanded that anyone who knew where Jesus was should notify them immediately so they could arrest Him.
Mary didn’t care about the danger that she was in. All she wanted to do was let Jesus know how much she loved Him and how much He meant to her. Her courageous sacrifice demonstrated her devotion to the Lord.
We too must be courageous in our devotion to the Lord. We will face persecution for doing what the Lord calls us to do. It can come in forms of rejection of others, litigation, or even physical harm. These forms of persecution may deter us from exhibiting the bold sacrifice Mary demonstrated, however when we do suffer for the sake of Christ we are blessed. Matthew 5:11-12
“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Let’s be courageous for Christ this year!
Costly Sacrifice
Costly Sacrifice
The perfume that Mary anointed Jesus with was worth 300 denari. This was about a years wages for a working man. We do not know if Mary was wealthy and could afford to do this or if she had saved for a long time to get the perfume. This is inconsequential. The fact is that she spared no expense for the anointing of her Savior. She gave the very best she had to express her devotion to Jesus.
We too should give our very best to the Lord. This should be in our time, treasure, and talent. Time is the most important and valuable resource we have. Our time should be devoted to the Lord. We should allocate daily time for Bible study and meditation, prayer, and worship. These should be a priority in our lives. These must not be secondary to the other facets of our life. Our devotion to Christ and time spent with Christ is the single most important thing we can give to enhance our relationship to Christ.
Secondly, we should give our resources to kingdom advancement. Many of us have been blessed financially. We are to give back to the Lord that which He has blessed us with. You can do this in a myriad of different ways. You can give to your tithe to the church, you can give your offering to other ministries that carry the gospel to others, you can help a person in need, and many other ways the Lord affords you opportunity. When giving to the Lord, never consider the cost, but always consider the blessing!
Finally, we should give our talents in serving others. God has gifted all of us with a special talent that we can use in serving others. 1 Corinthians 14:12
So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church.
Use your giftedness to bless others!
Humble Sacrifice
Humble Sacrifice
Mary let her hair down and wiped Jesus feet. These two actions in the east were considered very low socially. A woman in the east had to wear her hair up and was only to let it down in the presence of her husband. John Philips explains it this way:
John, Volumes 1 & 2 Devotion Modeled
If the disciples who looked on were amazed when she anointed Jesus’ feet, they were shocked when she “wiped his feet with her hair.” It was scandalous for a woman to unbind her hair in public. A married woman could be divorced by her husband for this, and a single woman could be stoned. For a woman to let down her hair expressed intimacy, openness, and fervent love, and it was done only in the privacy of the home amid close family members. So by not only unbinding her hair but using it to wipe Jesus’ feet, Mary expressed a completely surrendered devotion in which nothing was held back. She knew she was completely safe in his holy presence, and seeing him as her divine Lord, she desired that nothing stand between her devotion and him.
Let us not be ashamed of being vulnerable for the cause of Christ. Metaphorically let us let our hair down of our souls so others can see our devotion to Christ. Let’s share our stories of our past shame so we can tell others of the redeeming quality of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Mary also wiped Jesus feet. Not even a slave was required to wipe someone’s dirty feet. But Mary chose to stoop low enough to wipe Jesus feet. She emptied any sense of pride to do what was necessary to express her devotion.
Opposition to Sacrifice
Opposition to Sacrifice
Judas Iscariot chastised Mary for anointing Jesus with the expensive perfume. He pretended to be Holy by stating that this was a waste of precious perfume. He said that it should of instead be sold and the money given to the poor. He cared nothing about the poor, but instead he cared about what he could have done with the money. The Bible says he was in charge of the money bag and would steal from it.
Selfish people will oppose the expressions of your devotion to the Lord. They will tell you that you are wasting your time, resources, and talent by giving to the Lord. What they would rather have is all three of these things so that they could benefit.
Stay focused on the call when facing opposition. The Lord will give you discernment, endurance, and encouragement to give what is necessary to fulfill what He has called you to do.
Sweet Aroma
Sweet Aroma
The Bible says when Mary anointed Jesus that the house was filled with the sweet aroma. When Mary expressed her devotion with her tremendous devotion, everyone in the house recieved the blessing of the sweet aroma.
This should be the testimony of our lives! When we demonstrate our devotion to the Lord, others receive the blessing of the sweet aroma.
Others will see your devotion and enjoy the witness. It could possibly move them to be equally as devoted to the Lord.
What kind of aroma do you put off? Is it the sweet aroma of a relationship with Christ? Or is it the stench of sin that is attached to your soul? You can have the sweet aroma of Christ today if you are washed in the blood. The soul cleansing blood of the Lamb!