If you ever have the privilege to travel to the Holy Land you may notice a plaque outside the church of St Lazarus in Bethany. It contains this reflection of Mary of Bethany from Luke 10:42, 

                                          Friday February 12^th-Mary of Bethany-Lazarus’ sister

Mary knew she was loved by Jesus.  She knew she could trust Him no matter what happened.   She gave the best of the best to Jesus and was very humble before Him.  She washed His feet in humility and reverence for Him.  She was content to sit at His feet.  She knew how to wait for Him and trust Him.

Lord, when my brother died I was so heartbroken.  I just knew if You had been here, You would have healed him.  We sent word to You but it took so long for you to get here.  I was discouraged and saddened.  While I was mourning for my brother, You came and wept with us.  And then You did a miraculous thing, You brought Lazarus back to life.  Oh what joy filled my heart.  You are the giver of life.  I cannot thank You enough. I wanted to do something to thank You for what You had done.  That day that You came to our home for dinner I wanted to do something for You.  I anointed Your feet with the finest of perfumes, as if I could even come close to showing You my thankfulness.  Since I have known You, I know that I am deeply loved and treasured.  My soul finds rest in You alone, my hope is in You.  You are my rock and my salvation, my fortress, I will not be shaken.  You are my refuge.  I trust in You at all times, I pour out my heart to You because You alone are my refuge.  I will praise You all the days of my life.  Amen! 

Do you know who you are in Christ? 

Eph. 1: 3-14

Chosen- He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

Adopted as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself,

Redeemed through His blood,

Forgiven of our trespasses

Sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,

through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

I encourage you today to take some time and sit at Jesus’ feet.  Read through Ephesians 1 and see who our God is and who you are in Him. 

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Lyn

Mary had something valuable in her possession. She had a vial of expensive perfume worth about one year’s wages. This perfume was something one would typically save for a special person and a special occasion. 

And Mary brought that vial to Jesus and broke it....meaning she fully committed to using it. She lavished it’s contents upon the Savior. She used her own hair( her personal glory) to humbly serve Him as she wiped the perfume upon His body. And the Bible says the aroma filled the room.

Why did she do this? I believe it was because Mary actually comprehended many of the teachings of Jesus about his coming death. The Bible tells us she would sit at his feet to learn from Him. She also witnessed the miracle of Jesus raising her brother from the dead. She connected that her value, her significance, her very life was all about Him and she was grateful. She willingly, whole heartedly, and unreservedly wanted to honor Jesus because she valued Him more than anything the world had to offer. 

I think about that broken vial of perfume and I think about how God uses broken things, especially our hearts. Only the love of Christ can truly break our hearts and penetrate through the selfishness, the fears, the uncertainties, the sinful desires, the focus on this world and on our own fierce fight for self preservation. Our broken vessels release the fragrance of Christ...our willingness to sacrifice, our cheerful giving of our resources, our wholehearted willingness to serve Him.

Mary believed the promises of God and surrendered what she had for his glory. She trusted the words and teachings of Jesus. God promises to use our selfless dedication and service...to use our broken vessels ...to use the aroma of our offerings to enrich our lives and the lives of others.

“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:2‬ ‭

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2:14-15‬ ‭

Do you feel broken? Well, take heart, for God uses broken things...

“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever- Vance Howard

Whatever difficult experience you are going through is opportunity to learn from God and depend on him. I’m sure Mary learned much from the death of her brother and his resurrection. One thing she learned is how much he cared about her sorrow:

“Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.” John‬ ‭11:32-33‬ ‭

And we know that Jesus wept too. But as Jesus pointed out to her, the difficult circumstance was ultimately for God’s glory. Jesus doesn’t leave us broken. Our brokenness serves great purposes even though we may not fully comprehend it all in this life. But he promises to comfort us and restore us. 

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭147:3‬ ‭

My hope is that you will trust God and wholeheartedly commit your resources to Him. May your life be a fragrant and pleasing witness of His love to all you meet.

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".

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. 

As Mary weaved in and out of the crowded street, she felt a wave of excitement in the air. Passover was in six days, and the city was abuzz with preparations being made and celebrations planned. But this day was especially exciting for Mary. Because her beloved Master and Friend, Jesus of Nazareth, was coming for dinner.

Oh how Mary loved when Jesus came. She could think of nothing better than sitting before the Lord and listening to Him teach. Even though she’d been scolded before by her sister Martha for not helping, and frowned upon by daring to sit with the men surrounding Jesus, she didn’t care. For Mary felt deep in her heart that her place was there at the feet of her Savior, drinking in His every word.

When Jesus arrived, Mary’s heart overflowed with glee as she ran to meet her Lord. Leading Him to the table, she helped Jesus get comfortable while her sister Martha began to serve the meal. And as dinner progressed, Mary got caught up in the laughter, happiness, and fellowship of the evening. It was always like that when Jesus was around. Just being in His presence brought an abundance of joy, love, and unshakable peace. 

As Mary looked around the table her heart was full. There surrounding it, were all of the people she loved most in the world. Her eyes settled on her brother Lazarus, who was smiling as he enjoyed another helping of Martha’s famous vegetable stew. And for a moment, Mary’s heart grew heavy as she thought back to a time not so long ago when her brother lay dead in a tomb.

Lazarus had come down with an incurable illness. Right away Mary and Martha send word to Jesus, begging Him to come quickly and heal their brother. Confident the Lord would hurry along, Mary told Lazarus to hold on, and comforted him with affirmations of the healing Christ was sure to perform. 

But Jesus didn’t come, and Lazarus got sicker. And as the days passed, Mary was filled with agony as she watched her brother get weaker and weaker until he finally breathed no more. Devastated, Mary stayed in her room, her grief and disappointment beyond measuring. She couldn’t understand how this could be. How could the One she loved so dearly and followed so devoutly let this happen? Was she wrong in her trust of this Messiah and His promises? 

When news came that Jesus had finally arrived, her sister Martha ran out to meet Him. But not Mary. In her grief, she couldn’t bring herself to look upon His face. It was only when her Teacher asked for her by name, that she finally came to Him. And again she fell at His feet. But this time it was in pain, torment, and great anguish. Sobbing uncontrollably, and barely able get the words out, she wailed, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 

Moved by her pain, Jesus asked to be taken to the tomb of Lazarus, and Mary followed behind. She watched as the Lord, through tears of compassion commanded the stone in front of the tomb be rolled away. A gasp came from the crowd that had gathered. Lazarus had already been dead four days. What was this man thinking? As the stone was moved, Jesus prayed to His Father in heaven and said, “Lazarus, come forth.” To everyone’s shock and joy, out walked Lazarus, alive and healthy! And many who saw, believed in Jesus that day while a small few ran off to report to the Pharisees about the miracle Jesus performed.

Mary felt her heart would burst with love when she remembered how Jesus hadn’t abandoned her at all, but instead used her family mightily that day. And she couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt knowing the miracle He granted would be used to incite hate against Him. Suddenly Mary was jolted from her memories. And jumping up from the table she ran to her room. There she grabbed her most precious possession, an alabaster jar filled with a pound of pure nard; a very costly perfume valued at a years worth of wages. 

Running back to the table, for the last time, Mary fell once more at the feet of Jesus. Breaking open the jar, she used her greatest treasure to anoint her Savior. And taking down her hair, in humility and love, wiped the oil from His feet. She didn’t care that Jewish women weren’t supposed to let their hair down in public. And she drowned out the cries of criticism for the “so called” waste of money.

All that mattered to Mary was that she showed her Lord how thankful she was for His sacrifices, His blessings, His miracles, and above all else, His love. Even if no one else understood her actions, Jesus did. He knew she treasured Him above all others, and how her love for Him ran deep in her heart. And as Mary looked up into the eyes of her Master, she knew once again that  there was no better place to be, than at the feet of Jesus. 

Our verse for this week is Matthew 26:10,

"Aware of this, Jesus said to them, 'Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.'"

Hi Girls! 

This week were going to be studying what I consider to be my favorite woman in all the New Testament! After these past four weeks of our study on the women of the New Testament, and all we've discovered about each one, I cannot wait to dive into Mary of Bethany's life! 

Mary of Bethany is also referred to at times as "the sister of Lazarus" along with her sister Martha. Lazarus was the one Jesus raised from the dead just before the beginning of holy week. They were all good friends of Jesus as we'll learn more about this week. 

Mary's story can be found in:

Luke 10:37-42

John 11:1-45

John 12:1-9

Matthew 26:1-13

Mark 14:1-8

As always our themes for the week will be:

• Monday: Her story--a portrait of her life
• Tuesday: Her life and times--background information about the culture of her day
• Wednesday: Her legacy in Scripture
• Thursday: Her promise--the Bible promises that apply to her life and yours
• Friday: Her legacy of prayer--and praying in light of her story

We want to also encourage you to be thinking along these lines as you study Mary throughout the week. Ask yourself: