So Mary, having laid hold of a pound of ointment of very valuable genuine nard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped dry his feet with her hair. In fact the house was filled full from the fragrance of the ointment.
Mary, sister of Lazarus, considers with all her heart that Jesus is worth it.
In fact Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, the one being about to give him over, states, “Through what was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” In fact he said this not in that he was caring concerning the poor but in that he was a thief and, having the wallet, he used to lift those things being put in.
Judas, does not think that Jesus is worth it. He could re-cycle money.
So Jesus said, “Leave her in order that she may keep it into the day of my preparation for burial. Because the poor you always have with yourselves: in fact, me you do not always have.”
Jesus’ words are very, very strange. He refers to his burial. Can he possibly mean that she is to “keep” “the ointment” into the day of his death? And keep it to give then all she had in thankfulness?
But how could Mary “keep it” when it was all gone? The house “was filled full out of the fragrance of the ointment.” The answer seems to be that Jesus knew that Mary did love him and would love him – the Lord her God – with all her being when she saw him give his life for her on the cross.
Nothing – not even the poor - should get in the way of that love of God, of the Son of Man who gave himself for his enemies.
So a large crowd from the Judeans knew that he is there, and came, not only through Jesus, but in order that they may also see Lazarus, whom he raised up from dead ones.
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