Is there a time when you have accepted a difficult reality for a loved one or yourself? We will reflect on this today.
She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. (Mark 14:8)
If you don’t know the whole story, I encourage you to read the accounts of what led to this statement for yourself from either Mark 14:3-9 or John 12:1-8. In both accounts, we know Jesus was anointed with an expensive perfume valued at 300 denarii ($30,000 assuming 300 days of work, assuming you are day laborer making $100 per day). People who were there, in the room, did not know why somebody would do something like pour it on dirty feet– even if it were the feet of God, it could have been better leveraged and spent. But regardless of they felt, that deed was done. Let me put this in perspective, most us do not even own cars that cost that much! Imagine taking the same money it would have cost to buy a car and pour it out in a few short minutes. I’ve been doing research on Google and the most expensive perfume in the world, according to Google, is a Clive Christian #1 Imperial Majesty which is $13,000 per ounce; moreover, the most expensive you may have heard of is Chanel #5 and is valued at something like $120 per ounce. Now imagine pouring 2 gallons (250 ounces) of Chanel #5 on somebody! My goodness, perfume comes in bottles of 1-1.5 ounce bottles! Why am I telling you this? Because when you face a difficult reality, like the one Jesus was facing with his disciples and close friends, the lengths you need to go with them should be outrageous and ridiculous because that’s all you have left to hold on to at the end of it all. We should not shy away from accepting difficult situations. Neither should we back down when difficult seasons come upon us. Rather, just like we learn here, we need to do ALL that we could. This week, we remember how Jesus did all that He could to save us from our difficult reality–condemnation of death by sin– by dying on the cross on our behalf. As His followers, we must go into all difficult realities with the same attitude.
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