October 23rd~Wasteful or Worshipful?

October 23

Mark 14:3-9

Matthew 26:6-13

John 12:1-11

Mark 11:1-11

Matthew 21:1-11

Luke 19:28-40

John 12:12-19

Luke 19:41-44

John 12:20-36

The people welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem as their king. Just as Zechariah the prophet had predicted, the Messiah entered Jerusalem on a donkey and the people rejoiced (9:9); but, while the masses celebrated His arrival, the Messiah wept. Why? He knew that within a week’s time, the same people who received Him with joy would reject Him, betray Him to the authorities, and crucify Him. He knew that Jerusalem and the Temple, proud symbols of their Jewish heritage, would soon be destroyed by the Romans (70 AD); and, He knew that the people were only celebrating His arrival because they thought He was there to deliver them from their enemies, when He was really there to deliver them from their sins.

Another indication of this misunderstanding came when Jesus mentioned that He was there to die (John 12:32-34). “Die?” asked the crowd. “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. Why are you saying the Son of Man will die? Who is this Son of Man that you are talking about?” Jesus told them, “The truth is, a kernel of wheat must be planted in the soil. Unless it dies it will be alone — a single seed. But its death will produce many new kernels, a plentiful harvest of new lives” (v.24).

Before Jesus entered Jerusalem, He visited His friends in Bethany. While Jesus was reclining, a woman came and washed his feet. Though people often washed their feet in those days, be- cause of the dusty roads, this event was different. She didn’t wash his feet with water but with costly perfume.

The disciples were angered by the wastefulness of this act, for something so valuable could have been sold and the money used for the poor. One of them estimated the cost of the jar to be 300 denarii (Mark 14:5), which was an entire year’s wages. But Jesus told them to leave the woman alone, for what she had done was a great honor to Him, not to mention a symbolic anointment for His burial.

A few days ago, the rich young ruler could not part from his “valuable” possessions to follow Jesus. In contrast, this woman freely sacrificed her most valuable possession and laid it at the feet of Jesus. She recognized that the value of His grace and forgiveness, as well as the new life she had in Him, was worth far more than any earthly possession. Her act was one of genuine worship and gratefulness.

Daily Reflection

Which one best describes you — the young man who chose His possessions over following Christ or the woman who saw her possessions as valuable only as she gave them to the Lord? Explain.

Paul wrote, “I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice, the kind He will accept. When you think of what He has done for you, is this too much to ask?” (Romans 12:1).

What does it mean to be “a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God?” Is this you?

BiAY.org |Day 296 — 69 Days to Go