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Matthew 26

We know from the account in John (John 12:1-6) that the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with oil was actually Lazarus’ sister, Mary Magdalene, and that the cost of the oil was worth one year’s wages.  We also know from this section of John that it was Judas Iscariot that questioned that waste of such resources.  This is the same Judas that was in charge of Jesus’ money, who was stealing from the money bag, and who would later betray Jesus to the Jewish leaders.  The important point of this story is that God’s economy is not always one of practicality and frugality.  Sometimes He may call us to sacrifice lavishly and extravagantly for Him.  Although our practical side may balk at this kind of sacrifice, it will never be a waste!

Jesus was fully human and fully divine.  How that worked is an absolute mystery and is beyond our understanding.  As a human being, He did not want to go through an agonizing death on the cross, any more than you or I would have.  He prayed to God and asked if there was any way to save mankind, other than offering Himself as a human sacrifice.  Ultimately, the answer was “no.”  Jesus was dedicated to the original plan, and said to God the Father “not as I will, but as You will.”  It is very unlikely that any of us will be asked to give up our lives for others in a literal sense.  However, we are asked to give up our lives in service to others.  Jesus tells us that “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).  What is it that God is asking you to do?  Is it something that you have said “no” to, but instead you need to say “not as I will, but as You will?”

Here, Jesus clearly denounces using physical violence as a tool of the kingdom.  This non-violent concept shows up in many other ways in His teachings and also in Paul’s writings.  I personally can’t understand the concept of righteous violence in light of Jesus’ clearly anti-violent method for spreading God’s love and redemption.  We change hearts and minds through self sacrificial love, not by violence.  It might not make political or cultural sense today, but it didn’t back then either.  That is often the case with the power of the Kingdom: it looks weak, but in reality is extremely strong.  So, as believers, how are we to interact with our enemies?  I leave that to you to decide as an individual, but Jesus’ way is perfectly clear.

Peter denied knowing Jesus, just as Jesus predicted he would.  Hopefully none of us will be in a position where we would be so scared that we would deny knowing Jesus.  But, we are at risk for denying Him in more subtle ways.  Jesus is our King, our Lord and Savior.  If an opportunity comes up to talk about Him or to identify ourselves as Christians, we need to take the opportunity.  If we avoid talking about Him, we are basically denying that we know Him and know the truth about the kingdom of God.  Ask God to open your eyes to the opportunities to talk to people about Him.  They will come upon you more often than you think.  Then, pray for boldness and courage to talk to people openly about the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Amen!

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