But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has a done a beautiful thing to me.”

Mark 14:6

My mom to this day is always making sure that everyone has what they need. If a snow storm is predicted, you can bet on a phone call, making sure you have your bread and milk. I now find myself doing these same things when my oldest stops by, making sure he has what he needs, because he’s never sure when he might be back. I never care if it’s the last of something; I can go to the store later.

The woman in this story is doing this too, and the disciples are not happy about it. She knows this might be her only chance to anoint Jesus, so she breaks the bottle and pours the oil over Him. She doesn’t care the cost of the oil, even though the disciples most certainly do. They know the money from selling it could be given to the poor.

But she knows this is her chance to do what she can, and so she does it! She seems to be the only one who is believing Jesus’ death is coming soon. Seeing her strong faith, Jesus stands up for her and protects her from criticism, telling them the poor will always be around to help later, but He will not.

And isn’t this what God asks of all us? To do what we can for others when we have the chance? Maybe checking in to make sure our loved ones have the necessities before the storm hits, or making sure our older kids have what they need on their sporadic visits home. Whatever we can do, God wants us to do just that.

Prayer

Dear Father, help me do what I can whenever and wherever help might be needed.

Daily Reading: Mark 14:1-10

– Contributed by Heather Hoadley