Bible Study for the Day: Mark 14:1-25

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Mark 14:1-25

“Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

Mark 14:9 NASB

The wicked earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness gets a true reward.

Proverbs 11:18 NASB

     The woman who anointed Jesus that day in Bethany did so out of love for her Savior. While I cannot prove such a thing, one might imagine that, inspired by the Holy Spirit, she understood what Jesus had already preached about His death and resurrection. This woman loved her Savior so much that she was willing to sacrifice a year’s wages to honor his impending death.

     Contrast the woman’s actions to that of Judas. Arguably, Jesus nonchalance toward money was what finally drove Judas to betray Jesus. In Judas’ mind, having a comfortable lifestyle and putting on the show of helping the poor were more important than everything he had heard Jesus preach for the past three years.

     The results for both of these players in the story of Jesus’ life, passion, and death are telling. Jesus promises that the woman’s sacrifice will be remembered as long as the Gospel is being preached. Judas hanged himself.

     What is the point of all of this? The point is that the woman and Judas illustrate the difference between live and dead faith. The Bible is replete with examples of the faithful producing actions of faith, while the unfaithful produce acts of unfaithfulness. To paraphrase Jesus’ own teaching, ‘A tree will be know by its fruit’.

     We are not saved by our works, of that there is no doubt, but as James wrote, faith cannot exist without outward expression, and as Paul tells us, the expressions of faith are easily identified. So, our goal, having been saved by faith in Jesus, is to expose our faith throughout our life, and through our faith, that exposure will be credited to us as righteousness.

DLH