April 13, 2022 - Good Morning! It’s Wednesday, April 13.
Wednesday of Holy Week saw Jesus and His disciples back in Bethany, a couple of miles east of Jerusalem, near the Mount of Olives. It would be a day of dramatic contrasts. A day with an inspiring act of worship and a disturbing act of betrayal.
Simon of Bethany was hosting Jesus in his home that evening. It’s thought that Simon was the father of Lazarus, the man that Jesus had raised from the dead. In the midst of this banquet of gratitude came a woman with a special gift. Many believe that this was Mary, the sister of Lazarus. She held in her hands a jar filled with nard, an expensive perfume from India.
This gift was valued at 300 denarii. A denarii, in the first century, was a day’s wages for a working man, and so the nard was equal to a year’s wages. The jar would have been sealed shut and the only way to open it would be to break it. Mary did just that, and poured all of the precious perfume over the head of Jesus, anointing Him with oil. A truly extravagant act of worship.
This beautiful moment was suddenly shattered, as Judas stood and loudly protested what he saw as a waste of money. He left the gathering in a huff, and made his way to a secret gathering with Jewish officials. Again the focus was on money . . . thirty pieces of silver.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
