Daily Dose of Hope

November 17, 2024

Day 1 of Week 34

Scripture: Isaiah 7-10; Psalm 22; Matthew 26

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.

Our Scripture for today starts in Isaiah. In chapter 7, we find God protecting Israel, despite their king. We can tell how the nations around them are trying once again to conquer God’s people and God will not allow it. God so badly wants the king to stand firm in his faith. God is giving him an opportunity to redeem himself but he does not take it. And of course, we know how this will end – Israel will cease to be a country in just 65 years. As the chapters progress, we see that God’s patience is wearing thin with his people. He allowed the people to be saved because he had a bigger plan in place.

Our New Testament passage is Matthew 26. This chapter is the beginning of the passion narrative. These are longer chapters but they are certainly worth reading carefully. In today’s chapter, we find Jesus being anointed for burial but certainly not in the typical way. It would have been fairly normal, in first century Jewish society, to anoint a guest with oil when they came to your home for a meal or gathering. It was an act of respect. The host would typically use an inexpensive oil but in this narrative, we find the woman (other Gospels name her as Mary) uses a highly valued perfume. She obviously saw Jesus as a very, very special guest worthy of only the best.

Remember, the word messiah means “anointed one” so there is symbolism going on here too. The woman’s act of devotion is lost on the disciples. They are rude and indignant. “Why this waste?” they ask. Giving the disciples the benefit of the doubt, we have to remember that they were very poor men. It also gave them a chance to sound pious, “This should have been given to the poor!” But Jesus knew all about the poor; he had been caring for the poorest of the poor throughout his ministry. The disciples weren’t telling him anything he didn’t already know.

But there is something going on here that goes much deeper than the disciples can even fathom. Jesus rebukes the men and says that what she did for him was beautiful; she was preparing him for burial. Of course, this is lost on them too. While it’s possible that Mary had some insight into the danger that lie ahead for Jesus, it’s clear that the disciples still do not understand what is to come. Mary’s act was one of honor and devotion. Rather than being practical, she was extravagant toward her Lord and Savior. How often do we act extravagantly toward Jesus OR are we more likely to simply be practical?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki