Matthew
26:6-13 (NIV)
“While Jesus was in Bethany in the
home of a nab known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster
jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured over His head as He was
reclining at the table.
When the disciples saw this, they were
indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ‘This perfume could have been sold at
a high price and the money given to the poor.’
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. When she
poured out this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell
you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she
has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
This story
from Matthew was shared the other night and I was touched by it. Granted I have
heard this story before, but it struck me differently this time, for many
reasons. I thought of another woman in Scripture in Mark 12:41
“Jesus
sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd
putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people came threw in
large amounts. But a poor woman came and put in two small coins, worth only a
fraction of a penny.
Calling His
disciples to Him, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor woman has put in
more into the treasury than all the others. They gave out of their wealth; but
she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all that she had to live on.'”
There are a few things to note in both
stories. One is that in the first story the woman pours out a “very
expensive perfume,” and was ridiculed for it. The second woman out of her
faith gave all that she had, showing a great deal of trust in the Lord that He
would take care of her. I wonder, would one of us be willing to do the same as
these two women from the Scriptures?
Are we willing to give all that we have
for the One who gave His life for us, despite what others may think, knowing
that we may be ridiculed for it? Do we really consider ourselves followers of
Christ? What does that look like?
When Jesus called the disciples they left “at once” and
“immediately” (Matthew
4:21 and 9:9; Mark 1:18 and 2:14; Luke 5:11, 27). When Jesus sent them out telling
them to take “nothing” with them (Mark 6:8-13; Luke 9:1-6; Matthew 10:5-42).
Jesus then tells us about what it will cost us, (Luke 14:25-33). It isn’t easy
and it will cost us everything.
How
much do we really appreciate what God has done for us? Are we willing to leave
everything behind? Are we willing to give all that we have? And if we want to
follow Him, are we willing to do it despite what others may think?
I
have asked a lot of questions here, but they are ones we all need to think
about both before and after deciding to follow the One who gave His life for
us. I think we need to constantly be asking ourselves these things. Am I
willing to do….or…..or…..? Ultimately I
think the question becomes, do we trust Him enough to totally surrender and
submit to Him and let go?
