HOLY WEEK DEVOTIONS – TUESDAY APRIL 16, 2019

John 12:1-9 (NLT)

Then Mary took a 12 oz. jar of expensive perfume…and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray Him said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages…Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial.”

If the video above does not play, click/tap: https://youtu.be/IPoiiuntid8

To Give Our Purest Worship

Mary and Martha gave a dinner in Jesus’ honor as a way to express their deep gratitude for resurrecting Lazarus, their brother. While everyone else celebrated, the men’s chatter silenced as a sweet fragrance filled the room. Mary poured expensive perfume on Christ’s feet, then uncovered her hair and dried His feet.

The shock of what the men had just seen must have caused embarrassment that finally found expression in Judas’ harsh comment. But Jesus defended Mary. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.

His words did not mean that the disciples should ignore the needs of the poor. They exist in every society and it is part of our social responsibility to help them. But something bigger was going on here and Mary’s anointing took precedence.

Jesus explained: She did this in preparation for my burial. I wonder if the fragrance lingered on Christ’s clothing in the difficult days ahead? What we do know is that Mary’s act of worship ministered to Jesus as He neared the precipice of crucifixion.

Oh, that we would learn to worship well and to engage in it with all our hearts! Oh, that when we worship we could ignore the awkward self-consciousness produced by that voice of scrutiny!

Worship connects us to our Savior in deeply intimate ways that enable us to discern His voice and connect to His heart. On this second day of Holy Week, block off time in your busy schedule to shut the world out and bow before our Savior to give Him your purest worship.

Enjoy the Full 6-Day Series

• Monday, April 15 – Faithful to Your Mission – w/ Pastor Jamal Jones
• Tuesday, April 16 – Give Your Purest Worship – w/ Pastor Marlyn DeFoggi
• Wednesday, April 17 – Surrender to Peace – w/ Pastor Jeremy Woltz
• Thursday, April 18 – Confident in His Strength – w/ Pastor John Kelly
• Friday, April 19 – Share in His Suffering – w/ Pastor Dave DeMasters
• Saturday, April 20 – Faith in the Silence – w/ Pastor Lisa Eggert

Revisit Last Year’s Holy Week devotionals

Watch the 6-part Holy Week 2018 video series, The Week God Died, on YouTube