Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, “Why this waste? For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum and the money given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.” (Matthew 26:6-13, NRSVue)
As I read this story to write this devotional, a story I have read once every three years, and I have been ordained as a pastor for 20 years, so that is at least 6, if not 7, times I have read this story, something new popped out at me.
While Jesus was at the home of Simon, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table, and the disciples saw it and became angry. I have always remembered this story as Judas got upset because he was stealing from the purse and knew this was money he would have had. But that is a different gospel, and maybe a different story altogether. We take these stories that sound the same and morph them into one. You might also be thinking about this woman as the one who wipes Jesus’ feet with her hair, but here the ointment is put on his head, and not his feet, and the woman who washes Jesus’ feet is in Luke.
But the disciples, all of them, were upset. And Jesus said, she will always be remembered because of her gift to me. But we do not know her name or anything about her. She prepared Jesus for burial and is always remembered. While the disciples are upset.
What upsets you about Jesus? Or this story? Or the good news for all people?
How would you have used the ointment?
aSacredRebel 