So it's Tuesday, two days after Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, and about three weeks after our entry into the Corona Confinement. How do you keep your focus in a situation that seems to be dragging on, hopefully peaking soon, I think perseverance and endurance are key to survival.
That's how Jesus did it. All the way to the day of the crucifixion, He persevered and endured ... for the joy set before Him. Jesus' normal life was a moment by moment encounter with His Father. That's how He set the pattern. He never gave up doing the work God gave Him to do. Never give up doing the work God gave you to do too.
During this day almost 2000 years ago, Jesus spent it doing normal things for Him, the work God gave Him. There were two ways people responded to Him, as shown in the two meditations below. First, you'll find the leaders who tried to trick Him over and over, and people who came to Him for healing. Second, you'll find Mary who offered Him the best of what she had, an expensive jar of fragrant nard. Oh, and then there's Judas, who gets rebuked and leaves the dinner party to complete his betrayal.
May perseverance and endurance be ours as we wait our way through the days ahead. Lord, help us make good choices and not to question your timing and place for us during this all. Help us to trust Your goodness for the good future You've planned and for how You work out Your purposes in our lives.
Persevering In Spite of Opposition
Tuesday-1
After the
encounter with the Jewish leaders,
Jesus went back into the temple courts the next day,
Teaching
Preaching
Never giving up the work of God's calling
Never giving up the work of God's calling
The Jewish
leaders seemed to always show up to question Him
This time they asked Him directly,
By
what authority do you do all your works?
Who
gave You this authority?
Even they recognized His authority,
But unbelief
dominated their hearts.
Jesus knew
they were trying to trick Him so,
He asked them a question about
John’s authority—
Was it from heaven or
from men?
The leaders
recognized they were trapped.
They knew that if they said
IF from men—all would
stone them,
Because the
people knew John was a prophet.
IF from God—why didn’t
they believe Him?
So they
played dumb and said they didn’t know.
Then Jesus
played smart and said,
“Neither will I tell you by what
Authority
I AM doing these things."
Each
day that week the people came early to hear Him teach,
And hung on His words.
While He taught them what is is most important in life.
While He taught them what is is most important in life.
He did this in many ways:
In
parables and stories like the ones about
Two sons
Some sheep
and goats, and
A wedding.
In
object lessons about money, about--
Paying taxes,
A widow’s small offering,
In
teachings about the future and the end of the age.
In
a reality check He told His disciples,
About the true nature of the Pharisees’ hearts.
He cursed a barren fig tree —
To never
bear fruit again!
Because
the tree was just like the Pharisees’ hearts —
They bore no
eternal fruit that He could enjoy.
And He told
them how He valued and loved them so much that He
Had prepared a place in heaven for
them,
Had promised them the gift of the Holy Spirit,
Would
pray for them always.
When Jesus had finished saying all these things to the people,
He spoke directly into the disciples’ hearts,
“As you know, Passover is two days away,
And the Son of Man will be handed over—
To be crucified.”
Meanwhile,
the Jewish leaders were
Assembling in the palace of Caiaphas
the High Priest,
Plotting to arrest Jesus is some sly
way,
Plotting to kill Him,
But not during the feast
lest there be a riot
Among the
people whom they secretly feared.
But Jesus
spent each night this week from today on
Safely on the Mt. of Olives.
He knew what Father had planned.
He knew this season would not be wasteful,
But something
beautiful.
Mt. 21:18-25:6; Mark 11:15-13:37; Luke 20:1-21:38
Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:1-3; John 12:1-11
What about you? What story will be told about you and Jesus?
Jesus had done the impossible,
Anointed for Burial:
Tuesday
A few days and hours
before Passover,
A meal was
given in Bethany to honor Jesus,
To celebrate that Jesus had raised Lazarus
from the dead,
Martha
served while Lazarus was sitting with Jesus,
Eating
together with Him,
Reclining
at the table together.
Into the middle of the
room gracefully walked Mary.
She
boldly took her jar of very expensive perfume,
Made
of pure, fragrant nard.
A full pint-- That’s more than two
full cups!
Mary
walked up to Jesus and broke it open in front of all the guests.
She poured out the contents, heart
set to honor Jesus.
Poured
it all out over His body, onto His feet.
2
overflowing cups,
1 overflowing heart.
The house was filled with
the fragrance of the perfume.
The house was saturated with this record of Mary’s sacrifice.
Radiating with what it would mean…
For the day of His upcoming burial.
But some of those at the
table were indignant.
In fact, Judas joined in, harshly, selfishly rebuking her—
“Why this waste of perfume?
It’s worth more than a year’s wages!
Why not sell it and give it to the
poor?”
This was so he could
pocket the money …
Again,
as he had in the past.
Jesus stopped him cold
and rebuked him … instead of her.
Leave ... her ... alone!!!
Why are
you bothering this woman?
She
has done a beautiful thing to me. She did what she could.
She saved it for now, for such a time
as this.
She poured perfume on my body to
prepare me for my burial.
I tell you, two things,
First, you will always have the poor
among you.
You can help
them any time you want.
BUT YOU WILL NOT ALWAYS HAVE ME.
Second, wherever the gospel is
preached throughout the world,
What
she has done will be told in memory of her.
After clashing with Jesus’
power, Judas left
To find the chief priests,
Get his money,
And betray Jesus
For 2000 years this
woman’s story and her love have been heard
All
around the world.
In every
tribe and nation, every language of the world.
Something
beautiful, exquisite, remarkable and memorable.
Just a woman.
A woman with an alabaster jar.
This is her story, and ours.
Was this wasteful or
beautiful?
You
decide.
Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:1-3; John 12:1-11
What about you? What story will be told about you and Jesus?
What is your alabaster box?
What are you still holding it?
Or have you poured it out someplace
else,
On Him, on His body?
What are you willing to lay before His feet today?
Will your life’s memory
be a wasteful accusation?
Or a costly
sacrifice poured out to Him
That stretches beyond your life?
Will it be wasteful or beautiful?
You decide now or
He’ll decide later.
Judas the Coward and Mary the Bold
Jesus had done the impossible,
Raised Lazarus from the dead.
Now they were honoring
him,
With a grand feast He’d be fed.
But Mary desired to honor
Him more,
So with her jar of perfume so sweet,
Walked up to Jesus and
poured it all out,
All over His body and down to His feet.
Her heart and His were
filled with joy,
The House was filled with the smell.
Yet not all there thought
it was good,
Judas said they should keep it to sell.
But Jesus told him to
leave Mary alone,
This was all part of God’s plan.
She’d anointed His body
for burial,
Before He would die for each man.
He said the poor would
always be with us,
That we could give to them anytime.
But Jesus soon would be
gone from their midst,
So now is the time, indeed the deadline.
And now two thousand years later,
Two stories are told,
Of Judas the thief and
coward,
And Mary the loving and bold.
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