14:1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”
3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”
10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.
Have you ever looked at one of those pictures where you're asked whether you see a vase or two people profiles? Or one of those Rorschach pictures with the ambiguous ink-blots? The idea being that your innermost secrets and desires are revealed. Sometimes, scripture is like that. We read a particular passage and depending on where we are in our journey of life--joy, sadness, anxiety, suspense--we read into the Bible. I think the scripture from Mark is one of those passages.
There are several places to "get lost" in the scripture. That is to say, It starts out with showing the cunning spirits of the leaders. They did not want to arrest Jesus because they knew he was powerful and they were afraid of the people. Perhaps you read the woman's self-less act and acknowledge the generosity of this woman. Maybe you get caught up on the fact that Jesus says, "There will always be the poor," and this puzzles you. Or maybe Judas stands out as a villain, a hero, or someone who was misguided. Wherever your attention gets caught, this scripture speaks to the person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus speaks in curious language, yet is always deserving of our praise. Jesus must die, but we still serve him. Jesus calls us to minister to the the poor, but sometimes it is necessary to orient ourselves in the relationship. And in all things, the story is about Christ, not about us. When we think we know what is right, Jesus is there to correct us and show us the way. When we try to make Jesus into what we want him to be, Jesus reminds us that the stories will be told of those who serve Christ yesterday, today and forever.
Prayer: Jesus, help us to seek you out, to listen to your voice, and to serve you in all the ways we can both now and always. Amen.
G. Thomas Martin
