In what seems like a former life, I was a public school teacher. Teaching strategy was a regular topic of discussion. One particular strategy was referred to as ‘teaching with the end in mind.’ In other words, figure out what you want the students to know and what you want them to do and then teach them to do it. Good idea, huh? Well, what if we lived our lives with the end in mind? When all this is over, what do you want to have accomplished? I titled this ‘I hope I waste my life’ because of Mark 14. This woman definitely was living her life with the end in mind. See what you think:
1 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2“But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”
3While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
4Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
6“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
This passage of Scripture overwhelms me every time I read it. Let me give you a little bit of context and I think it will probably do the same for you. First, Jesus and his disciples were having dinner when suddenly a woman comes in and pours oil on him. Now, the oil part would be shocking enough, but I wonder what my reaction would be if someone broke into my house while I was having dinner? Probably it would start and end with ‘GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! I’M CALLING THE PO-LICE.’ (Note: my southern accent is particularly exaggerated when I am excited. I can only assume that this would be one of those times, hence the emphasis on the first syllable of PO-lice.)
The next part of this problem is the oil. The oil was very expensive. It would have been worth approximately 300 denarii, which translates to approximately $6,000. Wow. But, the passage says this perfume could have been sold for a year’s wages. Imagine if you lost a year’s wages. Commentators believe that this was likely this woman’s wedding dowry. Without a dowry, she would not have been a desirable candidate for marriage. In essence, she wasted her life.
Jesus, however, does not see it that way. He says that this seemingly insignificant woman would be remembered wherever the gospel is told. She did something loving and beautiful for the LORD, but witnesses just saw strange behavior. And, isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be? Aren’t we–believers in Jesus, lover of God–supposed to be a little different anyway?
That’s it. My prayer for you is that you will write your own ‘God Wins, Audacious Faith Bucket List’ and that you will live your life with the end in mind. Because in the end…nothing else matters.
-Sarah
To read other entries in the Sun Stand Still blog, please click here
3While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
4Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
6“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
This passage of Scripture overwhelms me every time I read it. Let me give you a little bit of context and I think it will probably do the same for you. First, Jesus and his disciples were having dinner when suddenly a woman comes in and pours oil on him. Now, the oil part would be shocking enough, but I wonder what my reaction would be if someone broke into my house while I was having dinner? Probably it would start and end with ‘GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! I’M CALLING THE PO-LICE.’ (Note: my southern accent is particularly exaggerated when I am excited. I can only assume that this would be one of those times, hence the emphasis on the first syllable of PO-lice.)
The next part of this problem is the oil. The oil was very expensive. It would have been worth approximately 300 denarii, which translates to approximately $6,000. Wow. But, the passage says this perfume could have been sold for a year’s wages. Imagine if you lost a year’s wages. Commentators believe that this was likely this woman’s wedding dowry. Without a dowry, she would not have been a desirable candidate for marriage. In essence, she wasted her life.
Jesus, however, does not see it that way. He says that this seemingly insignificant woman would be remembered wherever the gospel is told. She did something loving and beautiful for the LORD, but witnesses just saw strange behavior. And, isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be? Aren’t we–believers in Jesus, lover of God–supposed to be a little different anyway?
- Romans 12:2–Do not conform to the pattern of this world…
- John 17:16–”They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”
- 1 John 2:25–Do not love the world or anything in the world.
- Raise children who love God.
- Waste my life on doing God’s will
That’s it. My prayer for you is that you will write your own ‘God Wins, Audacious Faith Bucket List’ and that you will live your life with the end in mind. Because in the end…nothing else matters.
-Sarah
To read other entries in the Sun Stand Still blog, please click here
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