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The Legacy of Mary of Bethany

9:00 AM

 

Good morning, Girls!

There are two, perhaps three key points that could be her legacy, and as I've been studying Mary's life this week, I haven't been able to make up my mind as to which rises above the others! Therefore, I'm hoping you'll be able to settle this for me.  

The story of Mary of Bethany’s extravagant act of anointing Jesus for burial found in three of the Gospels, Matthew 26:1-13, Mark 14:1-8 and John 12:1-8 has most likely been her single greatest, and most memorable act.

BUT it was Judas' question or protest that struck me the most. “Why this waste?” 

When Judas saw Mary’s worshipful act, his first thought was to criticize, “Why are you being so wasteful? You could have helped the poor with this small fortune!” And Judas was not alone in his criticism of her! 

I had to wonder if I would have dared to be so bold, but Mary stepped out in faith. Her act of extravagant love was selfless, and risked both embarrassment and the jeers of harsh criticism.

But it was her love that compelled her, and Jesus defended and commended Mary and lets us all know that she will forever be remembered for what she did.

Mary’s loving act of anointing Jesus with the most expensive item she owned is one incident found in the Bible where a woman got it right while the men were left scratching their heads!

I believe we all have much we can learn from Mary:

1.) Mary of Bethany was absolutely devoted to Jesus and His teaching.

I found it interesting that Luke referenced Mary's act when he tells the story about her and her sister in Luke 10:38–42, "This Mary … was the same one who later poured perfume on the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair."

"Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (emphasis mine)


Mary, actions convey that what she wanted most of all was to follow the Lord Jesus in such a way as to be able to hear his teachings. And Jesus lets everyone know that Mary chose "the good part, or portion"

I had to ask myself, am I as wholly devoted to Jesus as Mary was? Do I treasure His word as much as she did? And if so, is that fact evident to others around me?


2.) Mary of Bethany was willing to pay an extravagant cost to convey her love for Jesus.

John tells us in John 12:3 - "Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume." 

Mark records it in Mark 14:1-8, but let's begin in Mark 14:3, "While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head."

This particular vial which Mary had was made of a costly material called "alabaster", filled with an even costlier perfume from the orient (most likely India) called "nard".


To release this perfume inside the vial, she would have had to "snap" the slender neck of the alabaster vessel and pour out its contents; Once broken open, it couldn't have been saved for later; thus all of the contents was poured out onto Jesus. What Mary did cost the equivalency of a year's wages, probably something she was saving for her dowry, and I believe in this one act Mary was dramatizing her life's desire to pour out her love for Jesus, no matter the cost.

I again had to wonder, would I do the same? Have I? Have I given my very best to Jesus? My all to Jesus?  Has my devotion been costly? 


3.) Mary of Bethany created a powerful testimony for others to follow. 

The words of Jesus found in Matthew 26:13 "Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.” keep running through my head. I believe if Mary was still here today she would tell us that when it comes to following Jesus, it's not about you. Whenever anyone chooses by faith to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, their life ought to be such that others will be influenced to do the same. 

Thousands of years later Mary's example is still influencing others and I had to wonder, has my life's example had a positive influence on others? Will my life encourage others to follow Jesus? Will others still remember my example of extravagant faith long after I've gone home to be with Jesus? 

O, I pray I can be more like Mary for the rest of my days here. 

Blessings,

sue

 

2 Peter

A Choice and Precious Stone {1 Peter 2}

1:46 AM




When people of old built their houses, they chose for themselves only the finest of stones. The rest they cast aside as junk, good for nothing. This is how Peter describes Jesus. He was rejected, seen as no more than a useless piece of rock. But where men saw rubble, God saw His “choice and precious stone”, and the cornerstone of His spiritual house. “The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone” (vs. 7) Why is the cornerstone important? The cornerstone is the first stone set in the foundation of a home. And all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, determining the position of the entire structure. 

Messiah Jesus is the Living Stone, and He calls us to become living stones ourselves, valuable parts of the foundation of God’s house. No matter who rejects us, who calls us worthless, He will not. He is our “precious value”, and sacrificed all to make us His. Knowing full well the agony He would endure, the Lord willingly and lovingly left His glorious place at the Father’s side to pay a debt He did not owe, to give us a gift we do not deserve. Jesus, “who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth, He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.” (vs. 22,24) And it is only through His great love and sacrifice that we can have eternal life. I love the quote by D.A. Carson which says, “It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was His unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father’s will—and it was His love for sinners like me.”

Jesus suffered for us. He suffered for you, for me, and for all who receive Him as their Savior. He was beaten, flogged, spit upon, ridiculed, and nailed to a Cross to die an excruciating death. It is by those wounds, that shed precious blood, in which we are healed. (vs. 24) And in those times when we feel rejected, unwanted, or useless, we need to remember who we are in Jesus. We are royalty, chosen by God to be His very own; part of a holy nation, paid for with the blood of His only begotten Son. And while the world may see us as rubble, God who has, “called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (vs. 9) sees us as the bright, shining, choice and precious stones we are.