MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK

Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil . . . and anointed the feet of Jesus. 

We’re so accustomed to hearing this story of Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus’ feet that we might miss some of the context. But an act of such extravagant love and devotion didn’t just come out of nowhere! Mary must have somehow understood that Jesus was worth even her most valuable possession. So where did her understanding and her deep faith come from?

We can find some answers in the two other times that we see Mary in the Gospels. In the first (Luke 10:38-42), we see her sitting peacefully at Jesus’ feet and listening closely to his words while her sister, Martha, kept bustling about the house. And when Martha finally gave voice to her frustration, Jesus replied that Mary had “chosen the better part” (10:42). By placing such a high priority on her relationship with Jesus, Mary made sure that she was keeping her heart open to learning more about him. She gave him the opportunity to keep teaching her, and everything she learned filled her with even greater love for him.

The second story centers around Jesus’ miracle of raising Mary’s brother, Lazarus, from the dead (John 11:1-45). When Jesus sent word to Mary that he had arrived and wanted to see her, she hurried to greet him. Falling at his feet, she proclaimed, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (11:32). Mary believed that Jesus could have healed her brother. But she was also willing to accept that Jesus might have had a different plan. So she surrendered her plans and her desires in favor of Jesus’ plans and desires.

This week before Easter can be very busy. But it’s still Holy Week! Try to imitate Mary over the next few days. Even if you can spare just an extra five or ten minutes in prayer each day, do it. Choose the “better part” by sitting before the Lord in quiet, listening to his word. Surrender your plans to him. Pour yourself out to him in love and worship, and let him fill you with his love and his grace.

“Jesus, help me to slow down this week so that I can hear your voice and surrender to you.”

Isaiah 42:1-7
Psalm 27:1-3, 13-14
John 12:1-11