Day Thirty-Seven

Day Thirty–Seven // March 31 // The Selfless Heart of Christ

“Time is the brush of God, as he paints his masterpiece on the heart of humanity.” – Ravi Zacharias –

Three momentous days have passed. Sunday brought the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. On Monday, there was the cleansing of the Temple and the laments over Jerusalem’s lack of faith. Tuesday was an exhausting day of teachings by Jesus and trick questions by His opponents.

And then, Wednesday seemed to be a quieter day. It seems that Jesus and His followers would spend the day in Bethany. According to Matthew’s Gospel, the day began with an ominous warning: “When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,

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‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified’” (Matthew 26:1-2).

Jesus and the twelve likely spent a leisurely sort of day. Matthew reports it is at the home of Simon the Leper (Matthew 26:6-7). As the afternoon moved on, though, a fascinating moment occurs:

“A woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her’” (Matthew 26:7-13).

The act of anointing Jesus may have happened more than once; in the four Gospel accounts of this moment, there are differences in both the details and the timeframes. But the meaning of her actions makes a powerful point that we should notice. Jesus sees this woman’s actions as symbolizing the anointing of his body for burial. Jesus is clearly moved by her act of devotion and insight.

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His response to the disciples’ indignation seems, on the surface, very un-Jesus-like. In His answer, He calls out their hypocrisy. He is not slighting the poor; instead, He’s reminding us that the worship of God and obedience to love are higher goods than even the care of the poor. Serving the poor is not to be set in opposition to serving God. They are related, but God always comes first. The worship of God comes first and is meant to fuel our charitable and just works. Further, set in the light of the looming passion, the dying One takes precedence over the poor ones.

This woman’s act of love lives throughout time. We get so busy practicing our faith by going and doing. Sometimes, we simply need to pause and lavish love on Jesus. Sometimes, we simply need to worship and adore the One who saves us. Sometimes, we simply need to linger in deep appreciation for what we have been given.

This is Wednesday of Holy Week. It was a calmer day, a day spent among friends. Yet, over in Jerusalem, Satan is entering into one of the twelve, setting a betrayal in motion. And the storm clouds gather.