Good and Faithful Servant

Mark 14:9
Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Throughout the gospels, it is Jesus who gives to others. he teaches, He feeds, He heals; the blind see, the lame walk, the dumb speak, the dead are restored to life, the hungry are fed with good things, both physically and spiritually. In today's scripture, the tables are turned. A woman, whom Mark does not name, enters the home where Jesus is staying and proceeds to anoint His head with nard, a costly and precious oil in that day and time. The onlookers are horrified! How dare she waste this valuable fragrance which, if sold, could have swelled their shared treasury to a monumental sum? They harshly chastise her until Jesus abruptly halts them: "Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me." (Mark 14:6)

It strikes me as poignantly ironic that the disciples, those closest to Jesus and the very ones who, in their hearts, should know He is infinitely deserving of this gift, grouse and grumble, while the woman, unidentified, but probably a member of His entourage, understands that this Jesus is the Messiah; her sacrificial gift to Him mirrors the light of the sacrifice He will soon make for the salvation of the world. Jesus treasures her selfless and generous act of love toward Him. She is serving Him just as she has seen Him serve, and her altruistic offering, He declares, will be remembered wherever the gospel is preached.

How are you serving Christ in your life? Do others see and sense Him living within you? When at last you depart this veil of tears, how will others remember you? I pray that one day all of us will hear our gracious Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

Readings
Psalms 119:1-24 or 12, 13, 14
1 Kings 3:1-15
Acts 27:9-26
Mark 14:1-11