Mary’s Offering
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He longed to have the avails of the expensive ointment in his
own hands to apply to his own selfish purposes. By his professed
sympathy for the poor he deceived his fellow-disciples, and by his
artful insinuations caused them to look distrustfully upon the devotion
of Mary. Whispered hints of prodigality passed round the table: “To
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what purpose is this waste? for this ointment might have been sold for
much, and given to the poor.” Mary was abashed as the eyes of the
disciples were bent sternly and reproachfully upon her. She felt that
her deed of devotion must have been wrong, and tremblingly expected
Jesus to condemn it also.
But the Saviour had observed all that had transpired, and knew
the motives of all who were there assembled. He read the object of
Mary in her costly offering. Though she had been very sinful, her
repentance was sincere, and Jesus, while reproving her guilt, had
pitied her weakness and forgiven her. Mary’s heart was filled with
gratitude at the compassion of Jesus. Seven times she had heard his
stern rebuke to the demons which then controlled her heart and mind,
and she had listened to his strong cries to his Father in her behalf. She
knew how offensive everything impure was to the unsullied mind of
Christ, and she overcame her sin in the strength of her Saviour. She
was transformed, a partaker of the divine nature.
Mary had offered her gift in the grateful homage of her heart, and
Jesus explained her motive and vindicated her deed. “Let her alone,” he
said, “Why,” he asked, “trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a
good work upon me.” He justified her work to all present as evincing
her gratitude to him for lifting her from a life of shame to one of purity,
and teaching her to believe in him. Said he, “Against the day of my
burying hath she kept this.” The ointment so sacredly kept to anoint
the dead body of her Lord she had poured upon his head in the belief
that he was about to be lifted to a throne in Jerusalem.
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Jesus might have pointed out Judas to the disciples as the cause of
such severe judgment being passed on Mary. He might have revealed
to them the hypocrisy of his character; he might have made known his
utter want of feeling for the poor, and him embezzlement of money
appropriated to their relief. He could have raised their indignation
against him for his oppression of the widow, the orphan, and the
hireling; but he refrained from exposing the true character of Judas.