This morning I was reading this powerful story in the Bible about a woman who comes to visit Jesus and pours a very costly bottle of perfume over Jesus's head. The men in the room were appalled and called her act foolish! They shamed her infront of everyone. She could have used the money from that perfume to help the poor! Jesus stands up for her and says what she has done is a beautiful thing, and she did it for him.
He tells them that they will always have the opportunity to do good towards the poor. But that he will not always be with them in his earthly form.
She saw and recognized this unique opportunity to show generosity to Jesus. He says that her act, this story, will be told in memory of her wherever the gospel is preached.
The amazing part is that Jesus also gave us a promise in his word that he would always be with us in spirit, we would always have an opportunity to honor him with our generosity to the poor, the lonely, the forgotten.
Like the women in the story, we have to see and recognize the unique opportunities right in front of us, in our time, in our neighborhood, in the people God has placed in our life. Those opportunities are for a certain window of time, and we don't always know how much time we have.
Matthew 25 Jesus says "Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me "
This video shows what a life looks like when we live out of a place of abundance rather than scarcity. This contrast is clear in scripture and in the life of Jesus.
Watch the video here: