In memory

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

IN MEMORY

Matt 26:6-13

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. 9 "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor." 10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." 

NIV

There is some discussion among our scholars as to who this woman was. It has been supposed she could be either Mary the sister of Lazarus or Mary Magdalene but if she were one of them Matthew certainly would have indicated so as well as Mary Magdalene did pour perfume on the feet of Jesus and wipe them with her hair, but not in the house of this man known as Simon the Leper and not just two days before the Passover. So this woman’s name will remain unknown, but that is not the important lesson here for us. It might be that we could say our good deeds or service to our Lord should remain anonymous, as this woman has. Yet Jesus made sure her service to him would be recorded and wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, she would be remembered for what she did. Her actions would be told in her memory. It would seem that throughout the ages many who are laid to rest have someone speak words about them at some point in the proceedings. There are words in memory of them, about their lives, about their person or personality and even about their deeds. Stories will be told of their interactions with people and what type of person they were. This will be done for us one day. What will be said about us? What will be told in memory of us? Will they say we loved the Lord? Will they say we were about doing things for the kingdom? Will they say what we did for the furtherance of the kingdom? Not so much what we did in church, but what we did for Jesus. Will they say we were a kind person, loving and caring for people? Will someone tell of the time we prayed with or for them in their hour of need? Will someone tell of the time we ask Jesus to heal them and he did? Will some tell of the time we shared the gospel with them and they accepted Jesus? Will someone tell of the time we were generous with our funds or time in order that their need was met? What will be told in memory of us? Were we a godly person? Were we a good father or mother? Were we a good brother or sister? Surely in most cases some good words are usually spoken in honor of the one laying there. It would be such a rare case someone would tell of how awful we were and how glad they are were gone. Yet what will they say? Will they say we were a man, or woman, after God’s own heart? At some point all that will be left of us here on this earth will be a memory of us. What will that be? Surely we will live forever in the presence of our Lord. This woman surely has been there already. But what she did here in this life was recorded in memory of her. What will be recorded in memory of us? There will be many images that have been taken of our lives. Some of those will live on for years after our passing. They are reviewed by some in certain proceedings of our being laid to rest. Some close family might keep one image in a frame on the mantel or dresser to remember our face, and be a remembrance of our time together. In some sense we will be remembered by those closest to us. But what of the world? What will they remember about us? Will they remember us at all? It could only be for the way in which we loved them as Jesus does. What will be their memory of us? It is not that we should live so people will say nice things about us at our death. That would be narcissistic in nature. But we live to bring glory to God. Will they say we did it well? Certainly this woman did not do what she did to be remembered, she did it out of her love for Jesus. This should be our life as well. What we do, we do because of love Jesus, not for what people will say about us.  We live not for the praise of men, but of God. Yet in doing so, there will be a memory of us left behind. What will it be? Many of the unsaved people of this world have large legacies, famous people who have volumes written and huge stores of images both still and motion of them. Famous people who have given enormous contributions to society either in the sciences or in some humanitarian way. They certainly will be remembered by many.  Great sports figures will be remembered by fans for years after they are gone. But these are earthly, human based acts. What will be said about how we served our Lord? What will be remembered about our life in Christ? Throughout our life here we are to bring glory to God, and in our death we should bring glory to God. So then people might say, in memory of us, we loved God.