1 QUOTE

“When I think of what my Master has done for me, surely the stripes and imprisonments, the perils, the shipwrecks, the journeyings, which Paul suffered, seem to be less than nothing and vanity compared with the debt of love I owe.”

- Charles Spurgeon

1 NOTE

Earlier this month our young adults group “Win Your 20s” completed a six-month inductive in Mark’s Gospel. We finished the final unit (Mark 14:1-16:8) at Forest Home, the historic camp ground founded by Henrietta Mears. We have met every Monday night since January for 2.5 hours in our Compton church. Our young adults are learning to feed themselves with the Word of God. I am so proud of our young disciples. Here is a photo from our retreat.

Mark 14:1 begins on the Wednesday of Holy Week. Jesus is at the home of Simon the Leper. Isn’t it amazing that Jesus would spend time with (former) lepers two days before he knew he would die? A woman came to the table with an alabaster flask full of very expensive ointment. The ceramic container was a family heirloom. By breaking it for Jesus she was declaring Jesus was her family (Mark 3:35). The ointment was likely from India and very expensive. 300 days of work at $25 an hour comes out to $48,000 USD. By breaking the flask over Jesus she proved she was a shrunken camel that could pass through the eye of the needle (Mark 10:25). 

Everyone started tweeting, posting and throwing big-hate on her. The disciples self-righteously declared that the money could have been spent strategically on the poor. But Jesus declared her act beautiful. He went on to say that her act of sacrificial love would be known wherever the gospel is preached (even at Forest Home in the San Bernardino mountains on July 4, 2025). For the woman, this was no ministry task. This was her opportunity to show Jesus t

hat she really understood the gospel. With everything she had she wanted him to know how much she loved him. The woman had eyes to see a new creation was near. So she broke and poured out her most valuable earthly possession.

When Jesus told the disciples that the woman anointed him for burial, Judas snapped. The detailed predictions of Jesus’ suffering and death were actually happening. He did not see the promised new creation. He only saw the first death drawing near. Instead of loving Jesus with all he had, he sought an opportunity to cover his losses. The woman lost her life and saved it. Judas saved his life and lost it. Jesus proclaimed it would have been better if the betrayer had never been born (Mark 14:21).

The woman cashed in. Judas cashed out.

1 QUESTION

This week how can you show Jesus (apart from any ministry task) that you understand the gospel and do something beautiful for him?

Until Next Tuesday,

John