In Mark 14: 1-11, Jesus received a very generous anointing
from a woman. She came to the table
where He was reclining and anointed His head with very expensive perfume. Others at the table chastised her, claiming
she wasted the perfume. It could have
been sold to feed the poor they explained.
Jesus defended her. He replied
that when the gospel is preached her action will be memorialized. He even began His reply with “I tell you the
truth…”
This woman’s gift demonstrated her devotion to Jesus in the
purest sense. She had no regard for the
expense of the gift. She had no regard
other’s opinion of her gift. The focus
of her gift was Jesus, and only Jesus.
Two other times in the gospel of Mark, Jesus makes a promise
that His witness will be shown through our generosity by beginning His
statement with “I tell you the truth…”
In Mark 9:41 He tells us to give in His Name and in Mark 12:43 He
announces the poor widow gave more than other rich people. The world tries to limit generosity but Jesus
presents just the opposite.
These eleven verses in Mark present Jesus’ generous kingdom
as the opposite of the earthly limited kingdom.
The verses begin with the religious leaders planning war against Jesus
while Jesus peacefully reclines at the dinner table of a leper. Jesus contrasts the woman’s selfless gift
with the selfish attitude of the dinner companions who had disagreed with her
use of expensive perfume. This selfless
woman stands in stark contrast to selfish Judas who resolved to watch for an
opportunity to turn Jesus over to the religious leaders.
Generosity is a lasting quality and it’s about more than
money. I am called to be generous with
my time, my talents, my money, my love, my value of others. It is giving from all we have without concern
for the earthly expense. The focus of
our generosity is love for God, and God alone.
