ASLC Devotions-Monday

John 12:3-5,7-8

3Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the
fragrance of the perfume. 4But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5’Why was this perfume not
sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ … 7Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it
for the day of my burial. 8You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’

This passage confuses me, because I see evil in that bottle of expensive perfume. I see evil in the fact that Jesus did not agree with Judas. Jesus' reasoning for allowing Mary to use the perfume on him was, he would not be with them for long, whereas the poor they will always have. But my question is, in all of Jesus' goodness, why did he choose to keep this unnecessary token for his personal use? Perfume is something we can live without, and it could have been sold to help others. Yet Jesus chose to keep it.

I do not wish to tarnish the enigma that is Jesus Christ, but I would like to make a point to others. He died for our sins, and is completely selfless, but he was still only human during this time. As humans we are flawed, and Jesus was not an exception while he resided within a human body. Without
flaws, Jesus never would have died for our sins.

Alexander Spriggs

For more on all of our ministries, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org Join us for worship this Holy Week on Maundy Thursday at 7 pm, Good Friday at 10 am (Children's Service) and 7 pm, Easter Vigil (Saturday) at 7 pm and Easter morning at 8:30 and 11.