A Lingering Gift...

"Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.  

So they gave a dinner for him there.  Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.  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.

But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples (he who was about to betray Him), said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" '
John 12:1-5

"Jesus therefore came to Bethany..." He knew there was a plot to kill Him.  He knew He was nearing the end of His life on earth.  Trouble was waiting for Him in Jerusalem and before He walked into it He came here.  To Bethany.  To friends.  To the ones He wept with.  The ones who loved Him.

But the betrayer was there, lurking in this otherwise peaceful picture.  A reminder of what was to come.  Did Judas know yet what he would do as he considered the money being wasted on Jesus' feet?

"Mary...anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet wit Her hair."  Before Jesus went to Jerusalem He was able to rest with friends.  To be loved on.  To be well fed.  To be celebrated.  As Mary is bending at His feet, Jesus knows the gift. He wasn't complaining about what was to come.  He wasn't stewing in misery.  He wasn't telling them about what He would have to endure.  He was reclining with Lazarus and being cared for by Mary.  What a precious moment to have before He entered His walk to the cross where He was:

arrested
questioned
beaten
mocked
crucified.

Just before all of this was one moment of:

acceptance
belief
care
love
fellowship.

"The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."  A lingering gift.  Grace to bask in before the crowds came.  A gift to carry as he entered His last days on earth.

Here is my offering of thanks today.  May it grow as I learn to smell the sweet perfume of daily grace...
#64 "Accidental" dinner date with a couple who can't help but encourage and give life
#65  Inductive Bible study
#66 Another mom to read and grow with
#67 The delight my little one has with her sweet friend Caleb
#68 A growing husband...like a weed these days
#69 A day in a room filled with four-year-olds
#70 A quiet day after a day in a room filled with four-year-olds
#71 Heated seats in chilly October
#72 The possibility of potty training #73 Gifts given without expectance
Thank you, Lord, for these...