SHE HAS DONE A BEAUTIFUL THING FOR ME

John 12:1-11
12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus
had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus honor. Martha served, while
Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of
pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus feet and wiped his feet with her
hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 Why
wasnt this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a years wages. 6
He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper
of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 Leave her alone, Jesus replied. It was intended that she should save this perfume for
the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always
have me.
9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only
because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief
priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were
going over to Jesus and believing in him.

I LOVE THIS STORY! After reading this for several times, it becomes my passion or
should I say it became a dream of mine, that someday I would hear Jesus say, Well
done my good and faithful servant, you have done a beautiful thing to me.
What an acknowledgement! I would never, ever, trade for anything, not even for a
billion dollar, the honor of hearing Jesus say that to me.
But the woman in the story, named Mary, received such an honor. She was rebuked
by the disciples, looked down upon by high ranking officials, and yet, for this
woman, they bothered her not. She simply focused on giving her Master, her Lord,
her Savior, the worship, the honor, and the glory He deserved; by pouring a very
expensive perfume unto His feet, and by washing it with her own tears and wiping it
with her own hair, as if shes saying, You could humiliate me, you could step on my
honor, you could tell me I am a sinner, and you could do whatever you want, but let
me worship my God.
When Christians talked about the early followers of Christ, we could say that they
talked about two groups, The Twelve, or the twelve disciples which also called the
Apostles and those unspecified number of women who followed Him, served Him
and financed His missions. The irony, the Twelve whom Jesus seems closest to,
whom He personally chosen, were the one who flee out of fear, after He was
arrested, but the women of passion stayed throughout the ordeal and
passionately showed their undivided faith, stayed on the side of Jesus, through His
death, burial and resurrection.
Throughout the ministry of Jesus, He kept on telling His disciples about His death.
Unfortunately, nobody among the twelve disciples gave attention to it, Peter was
rebuked because of His reaction, James and John gave more attention on who will sit
on the left and the right side of Jesus when He will take His throne. Nobody
among the men who were closest to Jesus, nobody, no one.except for a

SHE HAS DONE A BEAUTIFUL THING FOR ME

woman in Bethany, a woman they disgust, a woman they rebuked, a woman they
looked down and condemned as a sinner.
Our story here have a parallel stories in Matthew and Mark, though the name of the
women in those stories were not given, and the women in those Gospels poured oil
in Jesus head not on His feet. Probably, they were the same or we have two or
three separate stories, but pouring oil on head and on feet, which I wanted to center
our stories both have significant symbolical meaning.
Pouring oil on the head of a person was done during the persons coronation and
this is being done by priest or prophets. So, the anonymous woman in Mark and in
Matthew finds herself in the untraditional position of priest and prophet.
Anointing the feet, however, models service, discipleship, and love. In this sense,
Johns account is more personal and raw. In a culture in which a womans touch was
often forbidden, Mary dares to cradle the feet of Jesus in her hands and spread the
oil across his ankles and toes with the ends of her hair. Rather than measuring out a
small amount of oil, Mary breaks the jar lets it all pour out. Shes all-in, fully
committed, sparing no expense. The oil she may have been reserving for her own
burial, or the burial of a loved one, has been poured out generously, without
thought of the future. The humility of this action foreshadows the foot washing that
is to come. Later, Jesus would imitate Mary by washing the feet of the Twelve, telling
them to do the same.
But, putting aside those symbolism, Jesus was very specific and sees the whole
event as a preparation for His burial. When the disciples rebuke her, Jesus
immediately responds by saying, Leave her alone, why are you bothering her? She
has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you
can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.
We cannot know for sure whether the woman who anointed Jesus saw her actions as
a prelude to her teachers upcoming death and burial. Surely a woman in this
society would understand this better than a man.
Perhaps this is why the women stayed by Jesus side after so many of the Twelve
betrayed him, denied him, and fled from him in fear. This was the course of things,
the women knew. They would see it through to the end.
And so the woman of Bethany becomes the first of Christs disciples to acknowledge
his impending death. For this, Jesus praises her in unparalleled terms. Truly I tell
you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done
will be told in remembrance of her.
What a remarkable thoughtthat at every communion, from Israel to Africa, to
Europe to China, this womans story should be on our lips, right along with Christs.