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From Heaven With Love
The disciples were not like Judas. They loved the Saviour but
did not rightly appreciate His character. The wise men from the
East, who knew so little of Jesus, had shown a truer appreciation of
the honor due Him.
Christ values acts of heartfelt courtesy. He did not refuse the
simplest flower plucked by the hand of a child and offered to Him
in love. He accepted the offerings of children, and blessed the
givers. In the Scriptures, Mary’s anointing of Jesus is mentioned as
distinguishing her from the other Marys. Acts of love and reverence
for Jesus are an evidence of faith in Him as the Son of God.
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Christ accepted Mary’s wealth of pure affection which His disci-
ples did not, would not, understand. It was the love of Christ that
constrained her. That ointment was a symbol of the heart of the
giver, the outward demonstration of a love fed by heavenly streams
until it overflowed.
The loneliness of Christ, living the life of humanity, was never
appreciated by the disciples as it should have been. He was often
grieved. He knew that if they were under the influence of the heav-
enly angels that accompanied Him, they too would think no offering
of sufficient value to declare the heart’s affection.
Jesus Never Really Appreciated
When Jesus was no longer with them and they felt as sheep
without a shepherd, they began to see how they might have brought
gladness to His heart. They no longer cast blame on Mary, but
on themselves. Oh, if they could have taken back their censure,
presenting the poor as more worthy of the gift than Christ! They felt
the reproof keenly as they took from the cross the bruised body of
their Lord.
Today, few appreciate all that Christ is to them. If they did, the
great love of Mary would be expressed. Nothing would be thought
too costly to give for Christ, no self-denial or self-sacrifice too great
to be endured for His sake.
The words spoken in indignation, “To what purpose is this
waste?” brought vividly before Christ the greatest sacrifice ever
made—the gift of Himself as the propitiation for a lost world. From
a human point of view, the plan of salvation is a wanton waste