Lesson 2384

(Lesson 2384)(06-25-18) Matthew 26:1-13
    “And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.”

    There are two distinctly different lessons that should be taken from today’s quote. The first is that Jesus clearly stated the two purposes for His intering into Jerusalem; “he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.” That is important because there is some confusion among “Christians” as to why Jesus assembled His apostles the evening before He was killed.
    The first reason was the it was required of all Jews, according to Exodus chapter twelve, to observe the Passover in rememberance of their escape for Egyptian captivity. The second, and most important reason for His entry, was to fulfill His divine obligation to die as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all who would come to believe in Him.
    The second lesson herein, is the story of the woman and her annointing of Jesus with the oil from the alabaster box. As Jesus explained, and justified, the efforts of the woman who had massaged His head with the expensive oil, He commanded that her story forever be told. Jesus said; “Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.”
        The point I hope to make, by calling attention to this lesson, is that many in today’s churches will continually brow beat their congregations over church attentance, but seldom if ever, mention this, very forthright, commandment to tell the story of the woman and and her purpose with the oil in the alabaster box.~