One woman's gift...

John 12. The woman with the alabaster jar.

Each of the Gospels records a similar story. A woman with a jar of expensive perfume. Lavishing it on Jesus. Rebuked by those around her. The accounts in Matthew, Mark and John are of the same incident but the event that Luke relays is of a different woman, different point in Christ’s ministry, different response from the crowd.

But both convey to us an act of immense love and profound worship.

Let’s look at both events and see what we can see..

One woman (the one in Luke 7:36-50) is a “sinner”, likely a prostitute. The encounter takes place early in Jesus’s ministry and is at the home of a Pharisee. She is silently condemned by the religious leader as being unworthy to perform such an act. He thought his condemnation was private, but Jesus knew! And Jesus rebuked him for a lack of love and praised the woman for her lavish display.

The other three Gospels all tell of Mary, the sister of Lazarus, who also anointed Jesus with “costly perfume of pure nard”. She was rebuked by the disciples (primarily Judas) who condemned her as wasteful. They thought the perfume should have been sold and used to care for the poor. Jesus, however, commends her greatly - her use of nard was evidence of her faith because nard was an ointment used when preparing a body for burial. Mary knew that Jesus was headed to the cross…and why…and Jesus gives her high praise for “getting it”. Even His disciples didn’t demonstrate this level of belief!

The watching world saw one woman as worthless. The other woman as wasteful. But Jesus. Jesus declared both actions as worship.

What can you glean from this? I’d love to hear from you as you process these two acts of love.

Don't Quit

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised” Hebrews 10:36.
We need endurance all the time. We need it in times of pain and difficulty, so as not to give up. We need it in times of temptation, so that we won’t give in. We need it when we are weary of the battle and no sign of victory is in sight. We need endurance in prayer when the answers are not coming…and when the answer comes and it is “no”. We need it when the attacks of the Enemy are so very real and frightening that we feel defeat is inevitable. We need it when we feel that no one notices – or cares – about our battles and our pain. And we need it in times of prosperity so that we won’t give away our faith and find our pleasure in that which will not satisfy truly. We need endurance, that consistent satisfaction in knowing Christ and making Him known, all the time.
How can we endure to the end, how can we persevere throughout the valleys and mountains of life? Probably lots of things are helpful but I want to focus on a couple today -

1. Absolute confidence in the love and sovereignty of God
Knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt, regardless of what goes on all around me, that God is simultaneously 100% love and 100% sovereign is a great faith-builder in my life. Without this confidence, I am tempted to fear or dismay or even bitterness when things seem to not be going “according to plan”. With this certain assurance, I am able to trust that whatever things seem like is not what is important. Instead, I am relying on God’s sovereign love to work all things for His glory and my good. That helps me persevere, waiting to receive what has been promised.
2. Consistent times with the Lord, on a daily basis
I can know all the right things, believe all the right Truth, but without a steady, regular commitment to times of prayer and Bible study, I will inevitably stumble and fall away. Consistent time with the Lord strengthen our souls. Read Romans 15:4 and see what how it exhorts us:

Daily handling of the Sword of the Spirit makes us better warriors. Read Ephesians 5:16-19 and see how this urges us towards perseverance.
Finally, read Romans 10:17 and see what builds our faith.