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IN MEMORY OF HER
"I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has
done will also be told, in memory of her." (Mark 14:9, NIV)
Two or three times each year I play a short executive course just a couple of miles from my home. It
is a beautiful little tree-lined track with plenty of water and odd-angled tee boxes.
The course is owned by one of the international fraternity organizations. What makes this golf course
unique is the way the organization honors past members who have held some office in the organization's structure. On almost every major tree there is a nicely painted sign that says, "In honor of
Potentate ____ and his wife _____, 1954."
A few weeks ago when I played the course, I had the thought that it would be kind of nice to be
remembered in such a nice way by people you knew, played golf with, and worked together with on social projects.
Sandwiched between the chief priests and the teachers of the law plotting to arrest and kill Jesus,
and the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot, is one of the most wonderful stories in the gospels. While eating dinner with all the guys at the home of Simon—a man with a serious skin disease—suddenly a
woman appears.
Invading a space where she was neither invited nor welcomed, she approaches Jesus, carrying an
alabaster jar of pure nard, worth one year's wages. With all eyes upon her, she breaks the stem and begins to anoint Jesus with the perfume. As she does, the aroma of the perfume fills the whole house.
Those who study ancient Greek literature tell us it was not unusual for men to use aromatherapy while
dining, and a popular aroma used to quiet the mind and the heart was nard. Could it be that this woman, who was probably among those who traveled with Jesus and helped Him in His ministry, was performing
a kind of healing ministry to the Lord? For by now He was growing more and more concerned with his final trip to Jerusalem and death on the cross.
Being aware of His anguish, she takes what was probably her most valuable possession and pours it out
on Jesus simply to bring comfort to His troubled soul. Perhaps this is why those present (the male disciples) were so indignant. After all, they were the ones whom had Jesus appointed to go and heal, not
she. Mark tells us they rebuked her harshly; in other words, they became verbally abusive and may have even been considering physical abuse.
Suddenly Jesus comes to her defense with a very strong command to leave her alone. Jesus tells her
abusers, "She has done a beautiful thing for Me." He then explains to them that actually, she had anointed His body for His upcoming burial. The story ends with the promise: "Wherever the
gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
She will forever be remembered because she stepped outside of her comfort zone. She refused to be
tied down with the social expectations of patriarchy and a male-dominated culture. She did the unexpected and is now remembered forever. The story is told, in memory of her.
The people who have their names written on trees somehow rose above the crowd. Perhaps they worked a
little harder and were a bit more faithful to the organization, and now they are given a place of honor—even if it is only a nameplate on the tee box of the 113-yard par-3 by the lake.
This woman in Mark's gospel is remembered forever because she refused to let social norms dictate her
actions. She broke all the rules that day; she did a beautiful thing for Jesus.
--
Brad Davis
March 6, 2007
Copyright 2007 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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