Act of Love

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

ACT OF LOVE

Mark 14:1-9

14:1 Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. 2 "But not during the Feast," they said, "or the people may riot." 3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as 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. 4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 5 It 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. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." 

NIV

Although we could dwell on the fact the chief priests and the teachers of the law, those who were supposed to represent God to the people were plotting to kill God. Just the sound of that is ridiculous. Then again, there are people, movements today that are trying to kill the idea of God. However, we just should focus our attention on the act of love this lady did in pouring this expensive perfume over Jesus’s head. Matthew and John record this event, but only John indicates that it was Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who also lived in Bethany. It is a question by our scholars regarding the breaking of the jar and we wonder why they would bother to focus any attention on whether she simply broke the seal on the jar, or actually broke the jar that most likely was made of some clay, a pottery jar. The point of this narrative is the act of love Mary did toward Jesus. Sure, some people were more concerned about the financial situation of wasting such an expensive perfume on Jesus. Hold on a minute, wasting money on Jesus, is that what following Jesus is all about? We're supposed to be concerned about the poor, and not about Jesus? Sure, some would say, as these people who were reclining around the table with Jesus, that money spent on the poor is an act of Christian love, and they believe that is what Jesus would want. Of course, this situation about Mary and the perfume was more or less a prophetic act as Jesus pointed out in that she was preparing his body for burial. Still, her act of love was about Jesus, and he made sure to tell the other guests that wherever the gospel is preached, what she did will also be told, in memory of her. It is her act of love that Jesus is talking about, not her preparing his body for burial, although in a sense she was. His body would undergo a far greater smell as he is tortured, whipped, almost to the point of death, His body would reek of the odor of blood and sweat, and any of that aroma of perfume would have long gone by then. No, it is about her act of love that is the main point here. How are we doing in our act of love toward Jesus? We do not think it has anything to do with “Good works” or how much we are involved in church. It may well be our personal act of love within our very being that is what is important. If we come to what Paul says in his letter to those in Rome and think about offering our bodies, that is all of our self, as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, that is setting ourselves apart for God, conforming to him rather than the world, then it is a spiritual act of worship or our act of love. We know Mary loved Jesus with her whole heart, He loved her as well, and He raised her brother from the dead. She spent it all on Jesus, gave her all, and that is the point here. Again, it is not about how much we give at church, but how much of ourselves do we give to Jesus, how much is our worship? Let us give Jesus all our act of love.