Blessing Jesus

Who hasn't dreamed of what you would do if you you had an unlimited amount of money to spend on whatever you wanted to spend it on?

Pay off debts? Sure. Ensure your financial future and that of your family. Uh huh. Quit your job, buy a house in Aspen and Hawaii (with a boat of course), travel the world? Uh, YEAH!

I've heard of people saying they'd live the same if they won the lottery. Keep working. Stay where they are. Just live better at what they are already doing. Yeah right! More like a hole in the door of the office shaped like a person and a cloud of dust!

What gift would you give to a specific person if you could? If money wasn't an issue? What money was an issue, but you felt so compelled to give that you would do anything in your power to get it?  What would you give to a king? The president? To God?

The setting of Mary giving the gift of very expensive perfume is remarkable. The Bible says that it was worth a year's wages. Even if you're a $30,000 a year plugger (in today's society), that's quite a gift! If you received that kind of gift, you would be stunned, I think. I've received unexpected gifts before, things that shocked me. What if I were to receive a gift that was actually something to prepare me for my death and burial? Now THAT'S something to keep you up at night thinking!

That story stuns me for several reasons. For one, Mary was at a gathering, surrounded by people who were way better off than she was, people who if they esteemed Jesus as highly as she did, would have lavished unbelievable gifts on Him. Yet she was giving Him something more valuable than anyone else in the room had done.

For another, it was a gift of burial perfume. For the average person, you might be insulted by something like that, kind of like getting a funeral home gift card today. But it showed that she understood what Jesus had been saying, that He was headed for a terrible and difficult death on her behalf.

Third, the reactions throughout the room. They saw her like we might have, actually. We might see someone give a large offering in church today, someone who struggles to pay the bills, and think, "How do you expect to feed your family when you do something like that?"

Think about those stunners. Ask yourself some tough questions. Like, how highly do I esteem Jesus? How grateful am I for what He's done for me? How do I bless Him? How do I encourage others who are going through something terribly difficult--a card and a meal? Better than nothing. But am I thoughtful enough, and do I listen enough, to know what is going on and do something that matches the need for specific encouragement? Do I stand in judgment of someone who gives as foolish for not taking into account the gift and that person's life circumstances? Or do I stand in wonder and awe as to how much that person loves people, loves the church, and loves Jesus?

In Jesus, all heaven was poured out for me. Because God (Father, Son, and Spirit) loves me more than I can fathom. Would I dare stand in judgment and ingratitude of such a gift? God forbid! I want to be the man who stands in wonder and awe and worship.

What beautiful thing can I do for Jesus this week? What specific thing can I do to bless Him?