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"She Has Wrought A Good Work" - Mary of Bethany


“Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when the disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying “To what purpose is this waste?” For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, “Why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good work upon me…for in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.” Matthew 26: 6-12

Like me, do you long to do as Jesus did, and “work the works” of God? I do, but I often get just a little overwhelmed with all that this implies. I was feeling this way this morning and discussing it with the Lord when I ran across this awesome scripture. In it I saw that He will lead me each and every day. My only task is to remain closely connected to Him. To truly work the works of God, all I must do is abide and obey with all of my heart.

So here is what I saw in this passage today.  What Mary did defied human rationale about how to serve God.  More importantly, it defied natural, religious reasoning- the enemy of true, spiritual worship.  Mary's work flowed from a heart aflame with God's love. She was also apparently being led of the Holy Spirit. How else could she have known that she had to anoint Jesus for burial? She may not have had any idea of the true purpose of her actions. She was simply worshipping her Savior. But she was fulfilling a beautiful, divine purpose that she could not have comprehended with her human reasoning.  Yet, her “work” was so powerful that Jesus deemed it worthy of being remembered through all time!

 But Jesus’s own disciples were very offended. They were indignant! Righteous indignation I am sure. What is so amazing is that their values were extremely holy and good: God calls us to remember the poor. This is God’s heartbeat.  But truth without the Holy Spirit will always miss the mark. Truth without love is deadly. The disciples missed his heart because they were leaning on their own understanding and judgment. They were also in a “right/wrong” mindset. But Mary’s love flowed from deep devotion to God, having been touched by His love and grace. She had evidently been in a place of communion with the Lord.  She had her ear pressed up against the Lord’s breast, listening to the thump-thump of his love. And what she heard led her to pour out her life savings on Him. The disciples were right, but Mary was in love.

And here is the answer to my concerns about “working the works of God.” Get quiet. Look to the Lord. Worship Him for His great grace and salvation.  Listen, hear, obey. As we do this, every day, he will lead us to do a “good work” like Mary. Like Jesus. We are not called to “get it right," but to worship the Lord from hearts full of the Holy Spirit and his love that is “shed abroad in our hearts.” And I am so overjoyed to know that I bring the willingness, and He brings the ability and empowerment.  He is faithful to finish the work that he started!

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