Discipling Life

Jesus visits the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. It is a simple gathering of friends, but something extraordinary happens. Mary kneels at Jesus’ feet, breaks open a jar of costly perfume, and pours it out in an act of deep devotion. The fragrance fills the whole house. It is a moment of love that is both beautiful and costly. [See texts: John 12:1-8; Matthew 26:6–13 ] Her act is nothing short of extravagant. She pours out her most valuable possession as a gesture of love, gratitude, and devotion. In this single act, she gives not just her perfume, but her heart. Judas, on the other hand, sees only cost and his own self-interest. He cloaks greed with words of charity. His concern for money outweighs his love for Jesus. Judas complains that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. The Gospel tells us that his concern was not genuine—his heart was shaped more by greed than compassion. Here we see two very different responses to Jesus: Mary’s generous love...

During Lent we often focus on the journey toward the cross. It is a time of reflection, repentance, and walking through the darkness of sorrow. However, the story of Jesus and his friend Lazarus reminds us that this journey does not end in death; it leads directly to the bright hope of resurrection . When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead for four days. Martha met Jesus with a cry of honest grief that many of us recognize: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” It is a prayer born from heartbreak—the wish that God had come sooner or that the pain could have been avoided. Jesus did not offer Martha empty words of comfort or some abstract theological lesson. Instead, he met her exactly where she was and pointed her toward a truth greater than her circumstances. He invited her to trust not just in what he could do, but in who he is . Jesus made a astonishing declaration: “I am the resurrection and the life.” This is a profound shift in ...