The Best Backstory

“Six days before the Passover…a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor…in the home of Simon the Leper.” John 12:1, Mark 14:3  

High school graduation was last Saturday, and since well over half of the seniors were in my class either this year or last, I spent the entire ceremony whispering tidbits about each one to my husband.  The situations and struggles many of the students had faced and overcome made their diplomas mean much more than just a pretty piece of paper.  Seeing them walk across the stage was special because the back story made it a better story.

Such was so in Bethany where “six days before the Passover…a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor”(Jn 12:1).  While Jesus was there, “reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume.  She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head”(Mk 14:3).  

Mary’s sacrifice gets top billing, and rightfully so, but the setting of the supper provides backstory that makes the entire event more meaningful.  It seems we don’t have much to go on—“A dinner was given in Jesus’ honor in the home of Simon the Leper”—but that little is enough.  We can be sure that the guy who hosted the party to honor Jesus had good reason to break out the balloons.  In other words, at some point during the past three years, Simon had surely been healed by our Lord.

We’re not told how long Simon had leprosy, but it was long enough for the disease to become his identity. (Think about it—no one calls me Starla the Sicko because I once had strep throat for two weeks.)  This horrid malady that ravaged a person physically, emotionally, and socially had separated Simon from his family, community, job, and church until Someone came along who had not only pity but also power.  With one touch, word, or glance—we’re not privy to those details—Jesus restored Simon’s body and spirit. Suddenly, Simon could do what he never thought possible.  He could hug his family, greet his neighbors, head to work, and walk into worship. So what did Simon do when he was healed?  He opened his home to honor his Healer. 

Simon’s not the only one who should be flinging wide the door.  We’ve been healed from much worse than a skin disease—we’ve been healed from a sin disease that not only made us sick but already had us in the grave. “We were dead in our trespasses and sins…but God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ”(Eph 2:1-5).  Such grace invites great celebration—celebration centered on the One who has not only pity but also power and who chooses to use His strength to save us now and forever.  

Christians have a backstory of rescue and redemption that makes each moment of our lives have meaning and purpose.  All we say and all we do should honor the Healer of our hearts and lives.

The best backstory is the one that puts Jesus up front.

Let the praise party begin—and never end!

ALL IN

“She put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:44 

Last Friday our family celebrated a local high school senior at her graduation party.  Since our friend is headed to my alma mater, Auburn University, we all proudly donned burnt orange and navy blue.  Several others at the party also wore the same colors, but I knew their fashion choices were out love for the senior—not loyalty to the school.  In other words, they weren’t ALL IN.  

Those two words became Auburn’s slogan for the 2010 championship football season and have stuck around as one of the Tigers’ mottos.  The phrase is displayed with pride on t-shirts, billboards, and brochures as a short and simple declaration of complete commitment and unwavering allegiance to the school and all of its endeavors. 

Auburn fan or not, ALL IN is a fun motto for football but a much more fantastic motto for faith.  It is a declaration of complete commitment and unwavering allegiance, not to a program or institution but to a person—Jesus Christ.  As Christians who have been graciously given “new life into a living hope,” ALL IN is what we’re supposed to be, but what we often struggle being.  However short and simple the words are to say, they are tough to live.  God knows this, so instead of only giving explanations, He gave us examples.  Two ladies whose stories aren’t far apart in the book of Mark show us what ALL IN looks like—or better yet, what ALL IN sounds like—clanging coins and cracking stone.

The widow at the temple didn’t need a t-shirt to declare her loyalty—or a megaphone.
Two copper coins ringing in the coffer were louder than any cheer could ever be.  

“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents”(Mk 12:41-42).  Most never heard the quiet clinks, but to Jesus they were the deafening roar of total trust.  ^“Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on’”(Mk 12:43-44).  ALL IN.  Literally.  We’re not given the prologue or epilogue of this story, but we can be sure that such devoted dependence and sacrificial obedience move the God of heaven to supply what is needed here and to store up treasures there.  The poor widow may have left with empty hands, but her heart was full of trust that the One who never let her down would never let her lack.  ALL IN.

 

Mary felt the same.  

More than perfume flowed through the broken alabaster box as she anointed Jesus that evening in Bethany. Absolute devotion, bursting passion, and enormous gratitude poured onto His head and feet.  Though the contents were her financial and social security, she cracked the stone and held nothing back.  ALL IN.  Some scoffed at what they thought was waste, but Jesus’ rebuke was severe.  “Don’t give her a hard time.  Her attitude and actions are beautiful, and her story will be shared from now through eternity”(Mk 14:6-9). The scent of her sacrifice lingered on His body even at His burial. ALL IN.

For us, ALL IN might sound different than clanging coins or cracking stone, but the attitude is always the same. Devotion. Obedience. Trust. Love. Sacrifice. Praise. Gratitude. And even extravagance.  We can never love God too much, trust God too much, or worship God too much.  His grace and mercy call us to complete commitment and unwavering allegiance.  Every moment we must choose, and we should never hesitate.

How can we be less than ALL IN for the One who went all out for us?

Less Is More

The season of Lent starts today, and during the weeks leading to Easter, many Christians focus on Christ’s sacrifice by giving up something considered delightful or enjoyable.  The idea behind the action is that our small sacrifices continually remind us of His big ones.

Jesus gave up heavenly glory to reside on planet Earth.  He gave up the adoration of angels and the perfection of Paradise to face the taunts and jeers of doubters and deniers.  And, in the end, He gave up His body and soul to bring us to Himself.  Such sacrifice is worth way more than forty days of focus, but six weeks is a good start.

Though we should meditate and marvel on this every day, an honest confession most of us could make (me at the top of the list) is that sometimes we take our salvation like we take running water—for granted.  We know it’s a big blessing, but not often enough do we stop at marvel that with the turn of a knob, the very substance essential for physical life comes flowing out—clear, clean, steady, and ready.  Granted, the comparison isn’t close, but not often enough do we stop and marvel that the salvation needed for spiritual life is poured out on us graciously and constantly from the heart of our ever-loving, always faithful God.

Simply put, intentionally giving up something during Lent helps us marvel more.  The daily refrain from an activity we usually engage in or an item we regularly consume prompts us to praise the One who gave up so much good for our good.  The purpose is not to be miserable but for the break in routine to refocus our desires on His delights.

So if you’ve given up a hobby, spend your “freed up” time in God’s Word.  If you’ve given up interaction on social media, increase your connection with God through prayer and reading.  If you’ve given up sugar, find the sweetness of Scripture like you’ve never tasted before.  If you’ve given up carbs, discover anew that the Bible is more sustaining and fulfilling than any bread could ever be. (One of my girls suggested giving up school for Lent, but her mean mother quickly nixed any such idea.)  The point isn’t what we give up, it’s that we give up something as a small but sincere reminder of how much Christ sacrificed for us.

And just perhaps during these days of less, we will find ourselves filled with more—more love, more joy, more hope, more praise, and more awe of the God who loves so much He gave—and gave up.