Welcome to Day 32 of our 40 Day challenge! Mark 14:1-10

(Catch up with us, with our reading list March, reading list for April,  and Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24,
Day 25, Day 26, Day 27, Day 28, Day 29, Day 30, Day 31)

Today we are reading Mark 14:1-10

Mark 14:1-10

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

14 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.² “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

³ While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

⁴ Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? ⁵ It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages^[a] and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

⁶ “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷ The poor you will always have with you,^[b] and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. ⁸ She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. ⁹ Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. ¹¹ They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

This morning, what stands out to me, is the grave importance of hearing from God over human reasoning.

I too, without hearing from Jesus, would likely have thought of all the food we could buy for those in need with such a costly perfume. A lot of what we do is looking at what we have and deciding how best to use it for those in need. But God is moving in everyone’s lives, and there are often other things going on in their lives. We need to hear His perspective on what is going on around us. It’s also important to notice that in each case, it’s the motive of their hearts that Jesus notes. We see the beautiful, extravagant gift the woman gives to Jesus with a heart full of gratitude, and we learn that Judas was not actually concerned about the poor. The motives of our hearts always matter.

It also stands out to me how quickly the mass of people turned on Jesus. When it looked like He was “winning,” He had miracles and food to give people followed Him in droves. But when He’s arrested and offered up for release, they shout against Him. We can’t follow the hearts of people to see what God’s perspective is, or where He is working. We need Him to give us this.

Much of it is in His Word. But for details for our specific lives in our specific time, we must hear from Him directly. Is the perfume too extravagant or is it exactly the perfect gift to Jesus? Are those around us following God or their own agendas?

God is so extravagantly generous with us. Even one look at creation shows His love of excess. The colors and variety, the outstanding beauty even in places no one will notice. And as I reflect, I’m thinking, is there an extravagant gift of love my heart is crying out to give Him?

Options for further  journaling or discussion throughout the challenge:

• Choose a part of the passage to write out by hand. Writing by hand helps us slow down and focus on what the Lord might highlight for us in the passage. Our brains can focus and remember better by writing than just reading alone.
• Journal about what the passage brings to mind. Does the passage tell us anything about God? Does it tell us anything about our response to Him?
• Does your heart respond in gratitude to any part of the passage? Write or pray your gratitude to the Lord.

We’ll see you next time, for Day 33 and Luke 22:7-27

♥ Samantha