+ Read Scripture
Matthew 26:1-13
1 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified." 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."
6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor." 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her."
Talk Sheet Questions
What do you notice about verses 1-5? How does it advance the gospel story?
Of all the people in verses 3-9, who do you identify with the most? Why?
What was the disciples objection to this woman’s action? Jesus disagreed with them. In a case like this, how do you determine when to encourage or when to object?
What does this say about how Christians should care for the poor?
What do you think makes this woman’s story so important that it will be told wherever the gospel is spoken?
Prayer
Pray that we will Jesus would be the object of our lavish worship.