QT 1/19/2024 Mark 14:1-9, Stepping back and viewing things from a different perspective

Mark 14:1–9 (ESV) —

1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”

3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

 

NOTE: The first two verses show how God is able to change the plans of men into his plan. Jesus, the lamb of God, represents the Passover sacrifice for all people. The sacrifice was essential to occur on the Passover. Yet the leaders did not want it to happen during the feast. God did and they didn't. So, it happened during the feast.

 

The second group of verses are interesting. It is a comparison of how men and women view the world. Men saw the waste of the perfume as a lost opportunity to use the money for other more important things. Jesus saw so much more. Jesus says, "Leave her alone, …. She had done a beautiful thing to me." Jesus, as God-man, understands women much better than men. Beauty and the recognition of beauty is an attribute women possess in more abundance than men. Women can appreciate the soft things of life, a sunset, a flower, a chat, a child, that is often ignored or under-appreciated by men. When God made man and woman, he made them different and with unique skill sets. Satan has done all that he can to try to destroy the differences, but for those who are willing to open their eyes, they can see the beauty of the two sexes and the distinct roles.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I let God manage my schedule? Do I get frustrated when my plans are interrupted?
2. Do I quantify everything? Or can I view things from a different perspective and appreciate things that are not so obvious to me? It takes time and effort.

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for life. It would be so much greater without the rebellion, but for now we will have to wait until the redemption of life is complete.