Thursday, June 13, 2013 -- Acknowledging A Rebuilt Relationship

Jesus' friend John tells us a lovely story of a rebuilt relationship. 

Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead.  A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him.  Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said,  “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.”  Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself. Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial.  You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”  (John 12:1-8 NLT)

Mary's life had been a mess before she met Jesus.  She'd lived on the margins of life doing things that were socially unacceptable and definitely sinful.  She'd felt the darkness of Satan's power in her mind and heart.  Jesus had given her hope. He had set her free. He'd healed her.    He'd driven away the heavy dark pressure of Satan's power from her life.  He'd invited her into relationship with God by forgiving her and setting her heart right.  She had sat at his feet and listened to Him teaching -- even to the point where her sister was angry she wasn't helping get dinner ready.  Later on when things had not gone well in her family and her brother died, Jesus had come and in an amazing way, brought him back to life in a way that showed the depth of His care for Mary and her family. 

Every time Mary thought of Jesus her heart was filled with overwhelming gratitude. It seems that this dinner occasion was an opportunity for Mary to respond, as best she could, to the outpouring of love she'd experienced from Jesus and her joy in this relationship with God had been restored in her life.  This was an act of a woman who had come wonderfully alive because of a rebuilt relationship with God.

©2013 Partners in Hope