She had sat under his teaching on the Bethany mountainside and seen his miracles by the roadside. Today, she wanted to show him how much she loved and honoured him. She heard that Jesus was visiting Simon, one of her neighbours, so she made a plan.
Quickly finishing her housework, this Mark 14 girl tipped her savings of over a year onto the mud floor of her humble home. We are not told what she has been saving for, but now she knows what she wants to buy. She ran with her bag of coins to the marketplace and then to Simon's home. Soon, she was by Jesus' side, anointing him. Tears flowed easily as she praised him with her actions. She knew him as her Lord; she remembered her past and her wrong choices, but she felt forgiven, loved, and free now. She heard some murmurs and grumbling from people in the room, but Jesus’s words rang loud and clear! It was just what she needed.
A few weeks back, as I read this account in Mark 14:3-9, Jesus’s words encouraged me so much. "She has done a beautiful thing to me...She did what she could." I was reminded of times when I "did what I could." A time when my quiet time with Jesus was silent prayers between sips of tea. At other times, I wrote out my prayers in my journal or sang a hymn as a prayer. When my mother was sick in the hospital, I just couldn't read the Bible, but I sat with Jesus with my fears and questions. As a young mother, I went through many days without regular time with Jesus; before bedtime, we huddled up, and my boys and I sang a chorus and read from our big children's Bible.
And Jesus saw this as a beautiful thing for him.
Each of us has our unique way of showing our love to Jesus, and he loves it that way. So, if all you can give is a couple of cans for the soup kitchen, do it. If you read the Bible quietly in the university parking lot, do it. If you pray during your walk, do it. If you make bookmarks with Bible verses for friends or carry one encouraging verse on your phone to read and meditate on, do it. If you can get to church only once a month, do it.
After I get ready for work each day, I play a couple of hymns and sing before I leave. These ten minutes have been my special time with Jesus. After my dear father passed away, I spent many days writing down my thank-yous to God as I looked through pictures from the 56 years I had my father to inspire and love me. On our grandson's birthday, I wrote down verses to pray over him and spent time in the park praying the verses. A few weeks back, my husband and I completed 36 years together. As we worship at church and do every ordinary day together, my heart is full of praise and thanks. Memories of walking the beaches of Andaman as newlyweds years back bring a smile to my face. I am very grateful for the trying times we navigated with Jesus. Yes, Jesus knows our hearts, and he understands.
Let us find what we can do for Jesus and do it well, giving him all the glory and honour. So we can hear Jesus say, "You did what you could, and it is beautiful to me."
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
