Mark 14:1-9 | Psalm 102:1-2
New week, new chapter, new direction in the story.
Still, the same unrighteousness and mistakenness of the people.
The religious leaders, unable to see the presence of their Christ, wrongly search for a way to kill him. One might think they’d see the error of their ways through their own realization that they had to do it in secret. They knew enough to know their actions would upset many people, but not enough to know why. (Yet, we’ll also soon see that crowds can be unrighteous, too.)
Those closer in proximity to Jesus (the disciples?) fare only a bit better. Believing they too were protecting the right thing, they were wrong.
In the midst of it all is Jesus; trying to do the right thing and teach the faithful conclusions, he must have felt so alone.
…except for this unnamed woman, who so identified with him that she did something radically different and misunderstood by most all, except the one who most counted.
In the end, it might feel futile - how can one truly know what is the right thing? We can easily cast stones toward those religious leaders. And we can see now that Jesus’ glorification should always come out on top, even over our seemingly righteous actions. But we could also assume that each of these was doing what they thought God would want.
For this particular moment and passage, perhaps it’s simply notable that the only righteous action outside of Christ himself was the sole female with daring intentions, scolded by all around her. Avoid the temptation to think her role is yours, but pay close attention to those who might otherwise be ignored.
Mark 14:1-9
It was two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and legal experts through cunning tricks were searching for a way to arrest Jesus and kill him. But they agreed that it shouldn’t happen during the festival; otherwise, there would be an uproar among the people.
Jesus was at Bethany visiting the house of Simon, who had a skin disease. During dinner, a woman came in with a vase made of alabaster and containing very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke open the vase and poured the perfume on his head. Some grew angry. They said to each other, “Why waste the perfume? This perfume could have been sold for almost a year’s pay and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her.
Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you make trouble for her? She has done a good thing for me. You always have the poor with you; and whenever you want, you can do something good for them. But you won’t always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body ahead of time for burial. I tell you the truth that, wherever in the whole world the good news is announced, what she’s done will also be told in memory of her.”
Psalm 102:1-2 & Prayer
Lord, hear my prayer!
Let my cry reach you!
Don’t hide your face from me
in my time of trouble!
Listen to me!
Answer me quickly as I cry out!