We just celebrated Christmas a few days ago, which reminded us that the Incarnation was for the atonement. The birth of Jesus was for the death of Jesus. This always was the plan from the very beginning. And even though Jesus spoke about it in detail, his disciples missed it.
There was one person, however, who seemed to understand what Jesus had come to do. Her name was Mary.
Now, there are a lot of women in the Bible named Mary, so we sometimes get confused. Of course, there is Mary, the mother of Jesus. There is also Mary Magdalene. Then we have Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. And it’s worth noting that every time we read about this Mary, she is sitting at the feet of Jesus. Maybe that is why she had such great insight.
On one occasion when Jesus visited the home where she lived with Martha and Lazarus, Martha went into the kitchen to make a great feast for Jesus. Meanwhile, Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to what he had to say. This frustrated Martha, because it was a lot of work to prepare a meal.
When Martha demanded that Mary join her in the kitchen, Jesus made an amazing statement: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42 NKJV).
Think about that. Mary chose what was better. And we have that same choice before us in the coming year. In fact, we will have the choice thousands and thousands of times to do the right thing and not do the wrong thing.
Therefore, we can be like manic Martha, flitting here and there, going about our business. Or, we can be like Mary and take the time to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear what he has to say.
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When you choose what is better, like Mary, you’re making the best choice. That is where Mary discovered an essential truth. She realized that Jesus was coming to die on the cross. It may seem obvious to us now, but no one else got it except Mary.
Mary knew where Jesus was going. And she wanted to do something profound for him, something significant to show her gratitude to him.
We pick up the story in Mark’s gospel: “And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as [Jesus] sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head” (14:3 NKJV).
The oil probably was a family heirloom, and it was worth a year’s wages. Just a few drops of from a bottle like that would have been sufficient. But Mary poured an entire bottle on Jesus and then wiped his feet with her hair. The entire room would have been filled with this fragrance.
Judas and some of the others were very critical of this, however. They said it was a waste, which reminds me of a very important point about critical people. Sometimes those who complain the most do the very least. And sometimes those who make the accusations are revealing something about themselves. Sometimes the thing they’re accusing someone else of doing is the thing they’re guilty of themselves.
After all, it was Judas who sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. So, be careful if you’re always harping on the sin in another person’s life. You may be telling people more about yourself than you want to reveal.
Things are not always as they seem. From the outside, Judas looked thrifty and careful and spiritual, while Mary looked frivolous and wasteful and silly. But the very opposite was true.
What Mary did for Jesus was no waste at all. It wasn’t about how much the oil cost; it was about how much it cost her. And it cost her a lot. Mary gave the most precious thing she owned to Jesus. She gave her very best, which was the exact opposite of waste.
The Bible tells us about a wealthy young man who approached Jesus and asked, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16 NKJV). So, Jesus reminded him of some of the commandments. Then the young man replied, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” (verse 20 NKJV).
I wonder if Jesus laughed out loud at this point. The Bible doesn’t say. But no one has kept the commandments from their youth up. And here’s what I find fascinating. Mark’s gospel tells us, “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me'” (Mark 10:21 NKJV).
But the young man walked away sad that day, because he had a lot of possessions. Understand, this was never about his wealth. Jesus didn’t want his wealth. Rather, he saw that in the heart of this person, things were more important to him than everything else, including God. And he missed the one thing.
On the other hand, Mary got the one thing, and she chose it. Mary didn’t have the same privileges as the disciples. They spent pretty much every waking hour in the presence of Jesus for some three years. Mary, on the other hand, was around Jesus sporadically. But when she was, she took advantage of the opportunity.
Mary listened to him, she learned from him, and then she brought a great gift to him, because she understood that he meant what he said: He was going to die on a cross. That broke her heart, so she was determined to bring her tribute to Jesus. She would not wait until he was gone.
We have a new year before us with new opportunities. Seize the moment. Give your best to God.
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