Monday: The Witness of Mary

Daily Lesson for Monday 11th of November 2024

Six days before Passover, Jesus came to visit Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised to life. Simon, who had been healed of leprosy, hosted a feast in appreciation for what Jesus had done for him. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was sitting at the table with the guests (John 12:1-8).

What was the significance of Mary’s actions here? How was this a witness to who Jesus really was? (See John 12:1-3.)

Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com

The perfume was very expensive, worth about a year’s wages for the common laborer. Mary probably brought this gift as an expression of gratitude to the Savior for the forgiveness of her sins and for the resurrection of her brother. She intended it to be used someday for the burial of Jesus. But then she heard that He would soon be anointed King. In that case, she would be the first to bring Him honor.

Mary probably did not intend for her gesture to be noticed, but John notes, “The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (John 12:3, ESV). Judas responded with a quick rebuke, stating that the perfume should have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. Jesus immediately put Mary at ease by stating, “ ‘Let her alone; . . . The poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always’ ” (John 12:7-8, NKJV).

A recurring theme runs through the Gospel. Jesus knows what is in people (John 2:24-25; John 6:70-71; John 13:11; John 16:19). In this instance at Simon’s feast, Jesus knows what is in Judas. John is careful to point out who Judas is—a self-serving thief (John 12:6).

“The fragrant gift which Mary had thought to lavish upon the dead body of the Saviour she poured upon His living form. At the burial its sweetness could only have pervaded the tomb; now it gladdened His heart with the assurance of her faith and love. . . . And as He went down into the darkness of His great trial, He carried with Him the memory of that deed, an earnest of the love that would be His from His redeemed ones forever.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 560.

Jesus knew what was in the heart of Mary and the heart of Judas. He knows what’s in your heart, as well. What should this truth tell us about the need of Christ as our righteousness, transforming us and covering us, as well?

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One of the issues with studying two of the Gospels in quick succession is that we visit some of the same themes in relatively quick succession. I started to write my comment for this morning and then I thought I better check what I wrote last time. I found that I was repeating myself. So, after failing to think up something new, I am copying the comment here. Maybe it is important to repeat things sometimes:

Can you imagine the furore if a woman splashed Roja Haute Delux ($4500 per 100ml) perfume over a man at a church potluck lunch in our modern world? There would be a big stink and no doubt the church board would meet, followed by a business meeting, followed by a sermon or two about financial responsibility and what constitutes good Seventh-day Adventist behaviour in public places.

Undoubtedly, the event described in this little tableaux was shocking even in Jesus' time. And if you read the other accounts and put all the pieces in place, the participants were all known to one another. Simon the leper was father to Judas Iscariot (John 12:4). The woman who anointed Jesus feet was Mary, sister to Lazarus. Mary's reputation was that she was a sinner (Luke 7).

The conversation that followed had some hard lessons for the participants in this event. Simon, clearly had an ulterior motive for the feast and was more interested in what he could get out of it than being a good host. Judas made a show of indignation about the waste of money but in reality, was thinking of what he had missed out on if the money had come into his keeping. And the onlookers were shocked at the inappropriateness of the woman's behaviour and Christ's tolerance and understanding of her.

While there are layers of understanding about the lead up to the crucifixion, it should not go unnoticed that Jesus took what many of us would regard as an inappropriate display of affection and turned it into a moment of salvation.

I am reminded of the story that Adrian Plass, the Christian Humorist tells of a church where he preached by invitation. He noticed a really ugly looking wooden cross that occupied a central place in the church. At the potluck after the service, he asked about it. He was told of how this old derelict man started turning up at their pot-luck meals and ultimately started attending the services. One day he turned up at church with this ugly wooden cross in a wheelbarrow and asked if he could speak to the church before the service. He told of how the church had just simply accepted him and made him feel welcome and part of the church faminly, even though he was old and decrepit and a bit antisocial. He had decided to give something to the church and presented them with this artwork which he had created himself - the ugly wooden cross. Not long after he had done that, he died. And as the story was recounted to Adrian Plass, the church board decided to keep the cross in a central place as a reminder of why the church exists.

The perfume of Mary's spikenard has wafted down through the centuries as a reminder of why the church is here. We are to give value to people in Jesus' name. That is the sweetest perfume ever and is priceless.

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Comments

Monday: The Witness of Mary — 14 Comments

Maurice Ashton on November 10, 2024 at 4:51 pm said:

One of the issues with studying two of the Gospels in quick succession is that we visit some of the same themes in relatively quick succession. I started to write my comment for this morning and then I thought I better check what I wrote last time. I found that I was repeating myself. So, after failing to think up something new, I am copying the comment here. Maybe it is important to repeat things sometimes:

Can you imagine the furore if a woman splashed Roja Haute Delux ($4500 per 100ml) perfume over a man at a church potluck lunch in our modern world? There would be a big stink and no doubt the church board would meet, followed by a business meeting, followed by a sermon or two about financial responsibility and what constitutes good Seventh-day Adventist behaviour in public places.

Undoubtedly, the event described in this little tableaux was shocking even in Jesus' time. And if you read the other accounts and put all the pieces in place, the participants were all known to one another. Simon the leper was father to Judas Iscariot (John 12:4). The woman who anointed Jesus feet was Mary, sister to Lazarus. Mary's reputation was that she was a sinner (Luke 7).

The conversation that followed had some hard lessons for the participants in this event. Simon, clearly had an ulterior motive for the feast and was more interested in what he could get out of it than being a good host. Judas made a show of indignation about the waste of money but in reality, was thinking of what he had missed out on if the money had come into his keeping. And the onlookers were shocked at the inappropriateness of the woman's behaviour and Christ's tolerance and understanding of her.

While there are layers of understanding about the lead up to the crucifixion, it should not go unnoticed that Jesus took what many of us would regard as an inappropriate display of affection and turned it into a moment of salvation.

I am reminded of the story that Adrian Plass, the Christian Humorist tells of a church where he preached by invitation. He noticed a really ugly looking wooden cross that occupied a central place in the church. At the potluck after the service, he asked about it. He was told of how this old derelict man started turning up at their pot-luck meals and ultimately started attending the services. One day he turned up at church with this ugly wooden cross in a wheelbarrow and asked if he could speak to the church before the service. He told of how the church had just simply accepted him and made him feel welcome and part of the church faminly, even though he was old and decrepit and a bit antisocial. He had decided to give something to the church and presented them with this artwork which he had created himself - the ugly wooden cross. Not long after he had done that, he died. And as the story was recounted to Adrian Plass, the church board decided to keep the cross in a central place as a reminder of why the church exists.

The perfume of Mary's spikenard has wafted down through the centuries as a reminder of why the church is here. We are to give value to people in Jesus' name. That is the sweetest perfume ever and is priceless.

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- Earl [surname?] on November 11, 2024 at 9:27 am said:
  
  Thank you Dr. Maurice for your continued enlightenment and for being an excellent spiritual teacher each day. Your words continue to enlightenment my soul.
  
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- Cindy Manwarren on November 13, 2024 at 5:02 am said:
  
  Love this Maurice. It goes to the heart of why we need Jesus. Each one of us are like someone in this story! We Need HIM!
  
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JC Zielak on November 11, 2024 at 12:50 am said:

Getting to know the Maker can reveal facets of His works. Developing a relationship with Jesus, Who knows me better than I know myself, may free me even from unconscious blocks.

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Karen Williams on November 11, 2024 at 3:54 am said:

Thanks Maurice for sharing your comment again for those like me who may not have seen it before. It adds a new dimension to the discussion and a new perspective as we see those present at the feast through the eyes of Jesus. Jesus reads our hearts and cannot be fooled by our regular church attendance, faithful returning of tithe and offerings, or actively participating in the church’s programmes etc. No, Jesus sees through all this to our hearts. Here, Mary’s action was an outward expression of her deep
love, gratitude and devotion for Jesus who had forgiven her and set her free from a life of sin. Recognising the gift of salvation through Jesus is priceless, she gave her all in return not caring who was around or the culture for Jesus was the object of her affection. Jesus, knowing the hearts of those present (as they were already condemning her) jumped to Mary’s defence. Mary’s priority was Jesus who was facing death for us. Her action here was significant as Jesus explained that she was anointing him in preparation for his burial. Of those present, Mary was not the only one whose life was transformed by Jesus but she’s the one who demonstrated her faith, gratitude and love openly.
There’s a time and place for everything. May we stop giving lip service and truly serve God from a heart of love and gratitude. As with Mary, giving our all to Jesus even in the face of criticism.

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John Herscher on November 11, 2024 at 4:12 am said:

We have a laymen preacher every other week in our district. He never repeats his sermons.

Many years ago I said to my wife our pastor gave that sermon last year. I said to the same pastor you must have a catalog of sermons, he got a big smile on his face and said, yes I do have a repertoire that fits the season." Yes it was Christmas time. He had the extraordinary ability to preach without notes and bring in Ellen G. White's thought and principles along with the Bible as the authority without quoting. I admired that in him along with many other characteristics. If my memory serves me correct, I remember commenting that jewel of a talent.

The Bible repeats many times sometimes in the same chapter. The Psalms and Paul's writings come to mind. Paul's writing were many times repeated because of different congregations he was preaching or writing to. Yawshua of the Old Testement repeated Himself because the Isrealites often as we, had a short retension span. H.M.S. Richard's Jr. once wrote a booklet about the old old story over and over again. I do believe He had in mind, Tell Me The Old Old Story hymne # 196 of the SDA hymnal. Doug Batchlor has said SDA's often have a retention span of two years. So Maurice you fit right into the crowd of those who contribute to the Love of God.

I do believe many times the Holy Spirit brings to mind the repetition of things that need to be said.

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Tammy Danitz on November 11, 2024 at 6:45 am said:

What Mary did was like a benediction. Psalm 141:2 says: "Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!" Here was Jesus about to sacrifice His life for Mary's sins,as well as the sins of the whole world, the fragrance of her gratefulness was carried with Him all through his trial and crucifixion. When his disciples failed to lift their prayers as incense, Mary's gift, the prayer of thanksgiving and love it represented, may have carried Him through.

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Elsie _Rongo on November 11, 2024 at 11:19 am said:

Amen,thank you all for the comments

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Brigitte Humphery on November 11, 2024 at 1:14 pm said:

“..., He carried with Him the memory of that deed, an earnest of the love that would be His from His redeemed ones forever.” - Ellen G. White. Those who purchase a house know what an ‘earnest’ payment is. It is the ‘promise-payment’ made to assure the seller that one is serious about the purchase of his house.

When we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, confessing our transgressions – ‘being born again’ - , we put down the ‘earnest’ of our love for Him; the 'promise' to give our love and devotion to Him alone. We will not hold back anything, but commit to love our Lord without wavering - Matt.22:37; Luke9:62; Heb.10:23; James 1:12; Rom.12:1.

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William Earnhardt on November 11, 2024 at 8:32 pm said:

Judas pretended to care about the poor but only cared about himself. Through the years I’ve heard many people in the church say that they wish they were very rich so that they could help the poor. But they don’t help the poor with what they already have. It just got me to thinking, when we say, we wish we were very rich so that we could help the poor, is what we actually mean is that we wish we were very rich so that we could help the poor without having to sacrifice? Because we can help the poor now if we are willing to sacrifice.

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Beverley Joseph on November 12, 2024 at 6:14 am said:

It is often said that Jesus would have sacrificed Himself even if only one person had accepted Him. I can imagine that while He hung on the cross, forsaken and rejected, He might have remembered the kindness of Mary. Her compassion could have served as a source of encouragement, strengthening His resolve to complete His mission of dying to save humanity, even if it means just a few.

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Inge Anderson on November 12, 2024 at 4:13 pm said:

Yes, indeed. Jesus died as a human, even though He could have saved Himself from the cross because of His divine nature. He suffered as a human, and as a human, the love of Mary, as well as the faith of the repentant thief, helped Jesus to believe that His sacrifice would be worth it.

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Beverley Joseph on November 13, 2024 at 4:01 am said:

Mary's life testified to the fact that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, not only through her act of anointing His body but also through the transformation in her own life. Jesus delivered her from demon possession and a life of prostitution. These changes served as evidence that Jesus was fulfilling what the prophets of old foretold about His mission on earth: not only to offer forgiveness for the penalty of sin but also to give us the power to overcome sin in our lives.

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james semajchill on November 13, 2024 at 5:48 am said:

I was surprised by the idea that Mary did not, indeed, do this act for his burial but as an honor due to a king. She may have purchased it for his burial but it appears she may have been wrapped in the excitement of his triumphal entry and the talk of his possible soon coming kingship. The lesson author and EGW allude to this.

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