Mark 14:1

Mark 14:1 says, After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.  Two days after Jesus was discussing what were really signs leading up to His return, the chief priests and scribes were discussing how to get rid of Him.  This was on the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread, commemorating God's deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt.  What they failed to realize was that Jesus came to be everyone's deliverance from sin and death if they would put their faith in His coming death, burial and resurrection.  Verse two adds, But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.  They were afraid to try and take Jesus on the feast day, because He was still adored by the crowds at this point.  As people are trying to discredit Jesus today, are they still afraid to do so because of the number of His followers, and where do we fit in?  Are we still devoted to following Him.  Verse three continues, And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.  While the chief priests and scribes were discussing His arrest, Jesus was in the house of Simon the leper, eating with him.  This was a man most would have avoided, but Jesus was eating with him instead. We need to be careful that we don't avoid people simply because the world looks down on them.  While there, a woman with an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard which was very expensive broke it and poured it on Jesus's head.  She wasn't worried about the cost, nor even about what others might think.  She simply wanted to serve and show her devotion to Jesus.  We should likewise never worry about the cost of serving and showing our devotion to Jesus as Christians, nor should we worry about what others may think when we do.   Verse four states, And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?  Verse five adds, For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.  She may not have been worried about what others thought, but that didn't stop them from criticizing her.  They said she had wasted the ointment, which could have been sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor.  First, this was her ointment and not theirs, and second, that does not mean that they would have given the money from the sell to the poor.  We too often find people wanting to determine how others give to God and criticizing them for the way they do, instead of determining how they are going to give to God themselves.  There were two reactions to Jesus that day.  The religious leaders were looking to destroy Him, and the woman was wanting to help Him and serve Him, no matter the cost.  The majority of people today still want to destroy Jesus.  The only way to keep from being one of the people who want to do this is to accept Him as your personal Savior and Lord. Verse six states, And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.  After those around Jesus berated the woman for anointing Him with expensive oil, He asked them why they were troubling her.  What she did had really cost them nothing, even if they thought there might have been a better use of the oil.  I believe that too often today, instead of giving everything we have to God, we as Christians want to determine how we use what He has blessed us with, and we also often want to question how others use what is theirs.   Verse seven adds, For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.  Jesus said that the woman had done a good work for Him, and that they would always have the poor with them, but that they wouldn't always have Him physically in this world.  Shortly thereafter, Jesus died on the cross, was buried and arose again to ascend back to heaven, but we still have the poor with us.  As followers of Christ, I believe that we need to have a genuine concern for the poor and do everything we can under the leadership of the Holy Spirit to help them.  Verse eight continues, She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Jesus said the woman had anointed Him for His burial beforehand.  Hearing Jesus again speak of His burial should have made those who were looking to put Him to death happy, but I think they may have still been more concerned with losing the value of the oil, even though I don't believe they were really too concerned about the poor.  Verse nine concludes, Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.  Jesus then said that what the woman did would be spoken about as long as the gospel was preached anywhere in the world, and it still is.  Our first priority as Christians should be to do everything we do to bring honor and glory to God and the sharing of the gospel, and next should be helping those in need.  We should not be concerned about bigger houses or finer cars, or any other material thing, before we help others.