Mark 14- Jesus Anointed at Bethany
I heard a
sermon about Jesus getting anointed by the sinful woman and the pastor pointed
out a nice bit of irony. The expensive perfume that this adulterous woman had
in the alabaster jar was probably what she used to entice men into her bedroom
or what she used afterwards to get rid of the stench of her sin. Either way,
there she was, pouring it out on Jesus’ feet, mixing it with her tears, and
wiping it with her hair.
The people
at the party had the snide, Christian comment of, “If He knew what kind of
woman she was He wouldn’t let her do that.” Hooray for missing the point. Jesus
knew what kind of men they were and He was eating food with them. At least she
was real. At least she came in with a humble heart, the truth of her situation,
and all that she clung to.
What’s in
your alabaster jar? Mine is the desire to be accepted. I need to know people
like me and care about me. I’m really an insecure egomaniac. That’s what I
bring to the Master’s feet. That’s what I use to get what I want or cover up
the stench of my failure. I’m in constant need of “Ataboys.” Whether it is
kudos from my boss, followers on my blog, obedience from my kids, or affection
from my wife: I vainly thrive on affirmation.
This woman
was probably similar to you and me in this respect. Yes, I’ll lump you in too.
I only know you because you’re human and you do stuff to fill voids just like I
do. This lady probably became a floozy because it’s easy to get quick love and
affection from sex. I would even be as bold to say that like the rest of us, the
more she received it, the more she needed next time to get her fix.
So she did
what all us posers and fakers deem unthinkable. She took the very symbol of her
biggest issue, regardless of the cost, and poured it out as an offering to
Jesus. She was admitting that she couldn’t fake it anymore. She was admitting
that it wasn’t working.
I bet she
was the only non-divine being who left that dinner with peace, joy, and
fulfillment. She had an epiphany, a salvation moment; she had a true
interaction with God. She was surrounded by bullshitting hypocrites who were
trying to put her down and she said, “No, I’m going to Jesus!”
Here I am
plowing through all this again. It feels like I’m dealing with it for the
zillionth time. I can’t wait ‘til these distractions go away. I can’t wait ‘til
my doubt because obsolete and my faith becomes sight. I put some much time and
effort into these things that I will one day just lay at the feet of Jesus. I
can’t wait until the day I don’t have to worry about filling my life with stuff
that I know doesn’t work but I do it anyway.
Picture originally found at http://www.jrdkirk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/jesus-feet.jpg
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