Sanctuary

“While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, ⁷ a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.⁸ When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ⁹ ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’ ¹⁰ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’” Matthew 26.6-13

We have read this week of the woman of Bethany coming to Jesus just before He will be betrayed, have the last supper with the disciples, be denied by Peter, pray in the garden, and soon be arrested and crucified. This woman has faith and love to see Jesus. She offers the highest honor in these days, the anointing of the head as an expression of pure love. Where true love is offered towards Christ, nothing would be considered to be too much love or not enough.

What was seen as beautiful, as attentive, as good and right in the sight of Jesus was seen as a “waste” in the sight of His very own disciples. Still with Jesus in their very midst, there was great misunderstanding of how to live out love. Perhaps one way to live out such love is to release the need to judge how others are expressing love and service in the name and honor of Jesus Christ.

What had the disciples missed seeing? What are we missing? Maybe better yet, why? Author Roberta Bondi says, “Loving is natural; it is unnatural not to love. Of course, most human beings fail to love or love badly a lot of the time. This is because we are dominated by the fear of death and of our own physical and emotional vulnerability, and by our ways of compensating for this fear. We need power over other people. We are afraid of the future. We suffer from envy, resentments, depression, hyperactivity, and boredom.”

Today, we live on this side of the cross. Today, the preparation that we read of in Matthew 26 has taken place. The death of Christ has taken place for every sin of all humanity. It’s happened. Resurrection has come, offering us the very act of love to believe in. We believe this truth is true. This is such a beautiful thing He has done for us. May we live in the belief that we are loved, and then allow love to pour through us.

Reflection:

1. What would be your perception of this woman had you been on the scene?
2. Where do you see the beautiful expression of Jesus’ love in your life?   
3. “There is no fear in love.” What would it look like to live more fully into this truth?

Pray Colossians 3.12-17

^“12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

“Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Matthew 26.13

The woman of Bethany pours out her alabaster jar of costly perfume. Jesus gives a response that does not turn people from giving to the poor but ensures that we are not overlooking or judging love in action right in front of us, for His namesake. Jesus declares that this woman will be remembered as the Gospel is preached throughout the world. Here we are today, still remembering the action of love taken by this woman as she fixes her eyes on Love Himself.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails.” I Corinthians 13:4-8

In this season of Lent, we continue to lean into these truths. We are returning to the Lord, rending our heart to Him, with no fear yet deeper faith.

“Rend your heart
    and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
    and he relents from sending calamity.” Joel 2.13

In the scene this week in Matthew, we witness a woman in an act of honor, sacrifice and deep tenderness as she turns toward Jesus. Turning towards Jesus often calls for such a response as this. We also have on the scene some disciples who are looking at the woman. These disciples’ eyes may have been turned towards this woman in possible judgment, criticism, or analyzing her with spiritual justifications.

As we return to our God, turning to seek Him releases us from the power of our control and releases us from the power to control others. There is no fear as we turn towards Him.

Let’s live into the truths we know are true.

Reflection:

1. What is right in front of you, beckoning for your heart?
2. What do you see first: the circumstance to fix or the heart to hold?
3. “Return to the Lord your God.” How might you fully live into this truth today?

Prayer:

Colossians 1.9-14

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

“Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Matthew 26:13

We continue to see the power of love. We are invited to live into the truth of love. Jesus is always moving, always at rest in who He is, and always present to those who are present to him. In our text this week in Matthew 26, we have read of the woman’s sacrifice and her response to Jesus entering the house. She went to him. She kept company with Jesus.

We may also be familiar with Mary keeping company with Jesus while Martha was preparing a meal. As Martha voices her concern to Jesus, He responds “Martha, Martha you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed-or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10.41-42

Here again, we see someone simply keeping company with Jesus. There is no fear of perception and no hindrance that keeps Mary from Jesus’ feet.

Again, we know of a woman keeping company with Jesus at the well and the woman learns of the Messiah. She encounters love Himself. No shadow of shame can darken the light she has encountered. No guilt too heavy. A town comes to believe because of her testimony.

What or who do you keep company with? Are you tempted to keep company with perception, guilt, shame or fear?

Eugene Peterson offers words on the way to love in his translation of Ephesians 5.

“Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” Ephesians 5.1-2 MSG

God’s love for you is extravagant. God’s love was giving life for you. It’s paid, it’s finished and His love prevails over you. Keep company with Him. Rest in the truth that you are loved. As you believe in His love for you, He can’t not love through you. He has done it. He does it. He will continue to love you. There is nothing that can separate you from His love. We believe this truth. Let’s take a deeper step of faith to take hold of this truth today and live with this truth in mind.

Reflection:

1. What or whom do you keep company with most?
2. What would it look like for you to keep company with Jesus?
3. “Keep company with Him and learn a life of love.” How might you live more fully into this truth today?

Prayer:

Ephesians 3.14-21 (MSG)

“My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

^20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!”

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4.18

Our invitation is to live into the truth of the power of love. God is love. God initiated love. Love cannot be manufactured from human effort in hopes to perform our way into a relationship with God or anyone else for that matter. When we are afraid, we are looking towards punishment or expecting negative results instead of depending on the sovereign love of God. Our fear often is a result of how we view God, or how we are viewing our relationship with God. When we are tempted to fear, may we consider asking “What do I believe about God here?”

David Benner talks about this relationship with God in the context of what happens when we believe that God is full of disappointment and frustration with us. Benner says, “The motive for any obedience you might offer will be fear rather than love, and there will be little genuine surrender. Surrender involves relaxing, and you must feel safe before you can relax. How could anyone ever expect to feel safe enough to relax in the presence of a God who is preoccupied with their shortcomings and failures?”

Jesus’ entry on the earth, coming onto the scene for the sake of the redemption of souls, writes the story of love in action. God’s love in action is always seen in and through the life of Jesus.

Let’s read of a woman who was not motivated by fear, but overcome by love. There was a distinct knowing, her heart was safe, her mind relaxed as Messiah entered the scene. Perception doesn’t stop her, cost doesn’t stop her, no thing or person on earth stops her from responding in love to Messiah. May we allow her story to infuse our story with such confidence that we live the truth we believe, “no fear in love”.

“While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, ⁷ a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.⁸ When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ⁹ ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’ ¹⁰ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.'” Matthew 26.13

Reflections:

1. How safe is God to you?
2. What does full surrender to His love look like in your life?
3. “Surrender involves relaxing.” How might you live more fully into this truth today?

Prayer:

We join Charles de Foucauld with a prayer of Abandonment today:

“Father, I abandon myself into your hands;

Do with me what you will.

Whatever you may do, I thank you:

I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me,

And in all your creatures-

I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul:

I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,

For I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself,

To surrender myself into your hands

Without reserve,

And with boundless confidence,

For you are my Father.

Amen.”