Mark 14:1-9
Jesus was at the home of Simon the leper. During supper, a woman came in with a beautiful flask of expensive perfume. Then she broke the seal and poured it over his head.
“That’s wasteful,” some of them said. “She shouldn’t have done that,” others joined in. “Why that expensive perfume could have been sold for a fortune and the money given to the poor,” they snarled. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing a good thing? You always have the poor among you, and they badly need your help, and you can help them whenever you want to; but I won’t be here much longer. She has done what she could, and has anointed my body ahead of time for burial.”
The woman in this story is an example for all of us. Jesus paid her a great compliment when he said, “She has done what she could.” We need to ask ourselves if we are doing what we can?
Unfortunately, some of us have inferiority complexes that make us think to ourselves, “I can’t do anything. I can’t teach, preach, witness, or sing.” As a young boy in a church, I sat behind an older man who couldn’t carry a tune, but he didn’t let that stop him. He sang unto the Lord. He made a joyful noise. His singing was a blessing to me and to all who heard him. Can’t sing? Then make a joyful noise.
Some of us don’t give as we should. We think we’re not rich, my little bit won’t make a difference. The woman that Jesus praised wasn’t rich either. The perfume she poured over Jesus’s head was the most valuable thing she owned. True love is like that. It doesn’t count the cost – it is extravagant. She gave what she could. She gave it willingly, and gave it when needed most. What she did was one of the last acts of kindness done for Jesus before His crucifixion, and it was a great blessing to Him.
The message here is let’s not think about what we can’t do – let’s do what we can.
Dr. Robert Wilkerson is a minister, writer, and founder of People for the Christian Way, an organization whose mission is to encourage all people to practice Christian principles in business, politics, and every area of life. drbobwilkerson@bellsouth.net, www.peopleforthechristianway.com
