Day 63 - The Sweet Smell of Sacrifice
Jesus came to the little town of Bethany on the Friday before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday. His dear friends, Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead were there to throw a dinner party in honor of Jesus.
As you would expect, Martha served dinner (see Luke 10:40). Her sister Mary did something absolutely extraordinary. The Scriptures tell us, “Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.†(John 12:3)
Judas Iscariot was quick to complain about this extravagant waste of money. But Jesus complimented Mary, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me.†(John 12:7-8) Jesus was teaching all those in the house of the profound nature of what Mary had just done. She had sacrificed something of great value for an even greater cause—the cause of Christ!
As you live your life for Jesus today, you can learn from Mary’s beautiful example of sacrifice. Whenever you give up something of value in your life for the cause of the Gospel (your money, your time, your talents, etc.), you can know that it is sweet smell to God. Jesus was saying, “You’ll have plenty of opportunities to do good to the poor, but you won’t have that many opportunities to honor Me.â€
Live for Jesus today in such a way that your life, like Martha, Mary, & Lazarus’ house, is filled with the sweet smell of sacrifice.
Today’s Scripture Promise: “and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.†(Ephesians 5:2)