Read MARK 14:1-11

It was a gift for the Lord.
Other people were present when she delivered it.
They talked to one another about the wasteful use of money.
Then they rebuked her harshly.

But Jesus, the receiver of the gift, interrupted them.
There were things He knew that they had no way of knowing.
He knew that her gift was prompted by a heart
that had searched for some way to express the gratitude she felt,
her devotion to the One she was now honoring.
He knew that He would soon be crucified,
that those who were condemning Him here and now
were only part of the larger crowd that would cry,
“Crucify Him!”

He knew the coins that would be handed over by the chief priests,
payment to Judas for a kiss of betrayal;
He knew that the nard spilled from the alabaster jar upon his head that day
was an extravagantly expensive, imported perfume,
a gift not unlike the gift He would be giving
when His blood would be spilled upon the ground in the days to come
the price tag for forgiveness of our sin.

He knew there would be many people who would consider
the freely offered gift of His life's blood a waste,
and He knew they would condemn those who realized
the cost of that divine gift,
gratefully and joyously accept it,
and consider nothing too great a sacrifice
in expressing their love and devotion in return.

Yes, Jesus saw far, far more than what was happening
in the home of Simon the Leper that day!

Twila Charles Leichty - L20