Bethany

Master There’s Still More

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This is Easter Sunday – the day that we Christians base our entire faith upon. Some of us are having some big dinners together with family and the scene in Bethany, where they were honoring Jesus with a feast is very much like that. John’s gospel tells us that his disciples and closest friends were all there. Everyone was talking and enjoying the great food when Mary quietly entered. At first no one noticed her, but then she took an alabaster jar filled with perfumed oil, broke it open and began to pour the oil on the head of Jesus. The Bible says that fragrance filled the air and one by one people fell silent and turned their heads to see what was going on. John tells us that Mary anointed the feet of Jesus while in Matthew says she poured it on His head. In this song which I wrote for an Easter play a few years ago I imagine that she did both, because after pouring some on the head of Jesus, she saw that she still had more. Do you still have more for the Master this Easter? It doesn’t matter what others say or think. he is quietly waiting for us to share all we have, even if it seems a waste to others. Not one drop of the fragrance of our worship will be too much for Him!

If you would like to use my song, please just let me know. I will be glad to send you song sheets and give permission to use it without charge. You can contact me at Revpete51@gmail.com – God bless and Happy Easter all!

Holy Week – Day 3

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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.  Mark 14:3 ESV

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.           John 12:3 NKJV

Though this is Holy Wednesday and the last day of Lent; I wanted to take a glance back to this banquet held in Jesus’ honor the week before. I had long been puzzled by the differences in the stories of the anointing of Jesus at Bethany; till I began to re-imagine the scene at the banquet. I saw Lazarus seated next to Jesus, with Martha serving the tables as the people slowly filled the room. Then Mary appeared in the doorway, holding her alabaster jar of perfumed oil. Silently she slipped through to where Jesus reclined and she breaks the seal on her jar pouring some on the head of Jesus. The power of the fragrance immediately filled the room. A momentary silence ensued as the guests stopped and turned to see what had happened. But then just as quickly, the air was filled with complaints about such a waste of resources being made. Mary kneels unashamed looking up to Jesus’ face and seeing His acceptance of her gift, she pours the rest of the perfumed oil on His feet and wipes them clean with her hair. No matter how she looked to others Mary was focused on only one thing. She still had more for Jesus! As we are traveling together towards the Passion of Christ this week, we should also ask; “Am I still all too worried about what everyone else will say?”, or can I say with Mary, “Master there’s still more!”

Master There’s Still More

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

 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.          Mark 14:3 ESV

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. John 12:3 NKJV

I had long been puzzled by the differences in the stories of the anointing of Jesus at Bethany. Then I began to re-imagine the scene at the banquet. I saw Lazarus seated next to Jesus, with Martha serving the tables as the people slowly filled the room. Then Mary appeared in the doorway, holding her alabaster jar of perfumed oil. Silently she slips through the crowd to come behind where Jesus reclined and she breaks the seal on her jar pouring some on the head of Jesus.

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The power of the fragrance immediately filled the room. A momentary silence ensued as the guests stopped and turned to see what had happened. But then just as quickly, the air was filled with complaints about such a waste of resources being made. Mary kneels unashamed looking up to Jesus’ face and seeing His acceptance of her gift, she pours the rest of the perfumed oil on His feet and wipes them clean with her hair. No matter how she looked to others Mary was focused on only one thing. She still had more for Jesus! As we are traveling together towards the Passion of Christ this month, we should also ask; “Am I all too worried about what everyone else will say?”, or can I say with Mary, “Master there’s still more!”