Can you imagine having dinner at a leper's house? Me neither. But Jesus did so gladly. And that's not even the most remarkable thing about His evening at the home of Simon the Leper. Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead, also reclined at the table that night. But, like Simon, he was not the most remarkable guest, either. That honor goes to his sister, Mary. "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." Mark 14:9 (NKJV) Mary's anointing of Jesus with costly oil remains the model expression of love for our Savior. Her self-forgetful devotion is set against the darkness of betrayal -- and profound ignorance of our Lord's supreme worth. Jesus' own disciples grumbled and publicly scorned Mary, believing her sacrifice to be a waste of money. Their suggestion that the perfume would have been better sold in order to help the poor was merely a thin disguise of their own cold hearts and tight fists. "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me." Matthew 26:10 (ESV) This Sunday, we'll turn to Mark 14 and consider, "Responding to Jesus: Love for the Savior."
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Steve Massey is the pastor of Hayden Bible Church of Hayden, Idaho. He also writes about matters of faith for The Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash., where he previously worked as an editor and reporter. He and his wife, Pam, have two grown children, Jake and Sarah.
