“I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed” (Matthew 26:13 NLT).
What Jesus said is true. Wherever the gospel is preached, the story of this woman’s extravagant generosity towards Jesus is told. For she had approached Jesus with “an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and poured it on his head” (Matt.26:7) causing those in attendance to accuse her of waste. Yet, Jesus accepted her gift, rebuking her critics and declaring her offering a “beautiful thing.”
The parallel reading for this story found in Mark 14, informs us that the ointment was worth nearly a year’s wages (300 denarii or 300 days wages). And this unnamed woman poured the whole thing out upon Jesus. What crazy love is this? What extravagant generosity?
It is the only right response for those who have recognized and received Christ’s extravagant generosity towards us. The gospel and generosity always go hand in hand.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we give thanks for Your extravagant generosity towards us. You have given us life and all that we have. Even more, You have given us Your precious Son, Jesus, through whom we have been adopted into Your family. We pull our affections off of this world and put them upon You. We are determined to live a life of extravagant generosity as Your children, so that your gospel story includes us as well. In Jesus’ name, Amen.