Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Matthew 26:6-7 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.
FOR THE KING ... FROM THE HEART
It was a very expensive gift. The Gospel of John reveals that the perfume was valued at 300 denarii, a denarius being a day's wage.
Why did Mary give Jesus this extravagant gift? We can't say why she gave it, but we can say that her gift was an act of faith, because it was accepted by Jesus as such, as a good work done for Him. It isn't our business to know more about someone else's gift to Jesus.
It is our business to ask about our gifts for Jesus.
We should ask ourselves, "When I give to Jesus, whether in the form of money or time or talents, are my gifts acts of faith?" When I give, is it a personal way of saying thank you to Christ for all that He has given me? Is my giving an expression of thanksgiving or is it a grudging obligation -- or worse, a competition, or an attempt to impress others?
If our giving is not an act of faith then let us confess our sins and seek God's forgiveness in Christ.
We can evaluate our own hearts, but we should not judge the heart and motives of the gifts of others. Let our giving always be an act of faith, and let us never think that we by our gifts are earning favor with God. May the Spirit of God guard our hearts and enable us to have pure motives and give in faith for love of Christ.
