I read John 12:1-3 for my morning reading. It reads: "Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."
As I thought about this act, it seemed other worldly to me. Servants would provide water for a guest to wash their feet, but this act went way beyond this - it was so extravagant, so personal.
It is clearly meant to be an act of great honor, yet it is also amazingly intimate. The distance between their world and ours is so great, that I had a hard time thinking of a cultural equivalent for it.
What would it look like to serve and honor Jesus in our day?
This story challenges me to think about what it looks like to be so captured by the person of Jesus as to show him esteem, honor,and love in some way with my life. I felt like I needed this story to soak into me more deeply so that I could really understand and learn from it.
Perhaps take a minute and think about in the context of your life.
Grace & Peace
Brad
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