Doing a Beautiful Thing

"Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”  Do you recall that verse from the Bible?  Do you remember the event occurring when Jesus spoke those words?

The verse comes from Mark's account of the last week of Jesus' earthly life. Passover was nearing and the religious leaders were still involved in their schemes of arresting Jesus and possibly killing him privately. 

Jesus was in Bethany, visiting in the home of Simon the Leper.  While they were eating, a woman came in with a jar of very expensive perfume.  She broke the jar and let the perfume flow from her hands, on to the head of Jesus.

Others in Simon's house began to criticize her. Their tone was probably similar to ours. "What a waste!  Why not sell the expensive perfume and give the money to the poor?"  Then the words of Jesus changed the tone of the other visitors when he said, “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.  The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.  She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial."

The next verse is the one given at the top of the page. Now we remember!   Let's honor her by telling her story everywhere the gospel is preached.  Her actions show her love for the Lord, her insistence on doing what she could as her way of showing who Jesus really is, and possibly giving a glimpse of the things happening to Jesus in just two days.

We who know from the biblical account Jesus is about to die on the cross might find ourselves a little jealous of this woman.  Jesus picked this act of love and let us know her love for the Lord was going to be told throughout the world. 

What if I were to ask Jesus to tell me something I could do to receive the blessing from telling and sharing his story all over the world?  What do you think Jesus would say to me? or to you?   Here's a couple of things that come to mind"

 “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;  and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  Luke 10:27

"He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." Mark 16:15 

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