尽她所能去服侍主
马太福音二十六章1至14节
1耶稣说完了这一切的话，就对门徒说：
2“你们知道，过两天是逾越节，人子将要被交给人，钉在十字架上。”
3那时，祭司长和民间的长老，聚集在大祭司称为该亚法的院里。
4大家商议要用诡计拿住耶稣杀他；
5只是说：“当节的日子不可，恐怕民间生乱。”
6耶稣在伯大尼长大痲疯的西门家里，
7有一个女人拿着一玉瓶极贵的香膏来，趁耶稣坐席的时候，浇在他的头上。
8门徒看见就很不喜悦，说：“何用这样的枉费呢！
9这香膏可以卖许多钱，赒济穷人。”
10耶稣看出他们的意思，就说：“为甚么难为这女人呢？她在我身上做的是一件美事。
11因为常有穷人和你们同在，只是你们不常有我。
12她将这香膏浇在我身上，是为我安葬做的。
13我实在告诉你们：普天之下，无论在甚么地方传这福音，也要述说这女人所行的，作个记念。”
14当下，十二门徒里有一个称为加略人犹大的，去见祭司长，
信息分享
那时，各人正倚靠在长椅上坐着，双脚搁在椅的末端。马利亚拿着一瓶极贵的香膏走近基督身旁，带着无比的爱，马利亚将大半瓶香膏倒在祂的脚上，然后再用其余的香膏膏祂的头。整间屋子都弥漫着芬芳的香气。
一些门徒甚感不满，特别是犹大。他们能看到的只是香膏的价值，要花多少钱；却不像基督一样看重这份礼物背后的爱。犹大甚至清楚算出它的价格──一年的工资，价格不菲。约翰却指出，犹大这样想，只是因为他经常私自取用公家的钱。
马利亚膏抹基督可能基于两个原因。第一，无疑是感激基督使她的弟弟拉撒路复活。但另一个原因，则出于基督的口。或许，马利亚已经记住基督预言自己将要受死的事，她是否认为，祂死后，她可能没有机会膏祂的遗体，所以要事先膏祂？这似乎是她这份爱的礼物的真正原因；要是如此，马利亚便是一个比任何人更相信祂预言被钉十架的人。
基督赞赏她作了一件美事。我们今天读这感人的故事，同样是应验了基督的预言：「无论在甚么地方传这福音，也要述说这女人所行的，作个纪念。」因此，我们为基督和福音的缘故，无论作甚么，基督都会知道，而终有一天，我们必站在祂的面前得赏赐。马利亚当然也在得赏赐的行列中。
SHE DID WHAT SHE COULD
Matthew 26:1-14
1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples,
2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.
5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,
7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.
8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?
9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”
10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.
11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.
12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.
13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
Message
As they reclined on the various couches, with their feet over the end, Mary approached the place where Christ was with a jar of perfumed oil, the most expensive item. In the extravagance of love, Mary poured most of it onto His feet and then the final drops she poured on to His head. The whole house was filled with the beautiful perfume.
Some of the disciples, Judas in particular, objected. All they could see was the cost, and the money involved. They didn’t see the love behind the gift as Christ did. Judas even put a price on it - a year’s wages, a huge price. But John wrote that Judas thought this way only because he often helped himself to their common money bag.
This anointing was possibly prompted by two thoughts. One was no doubt gratitude for the raising of Lazarus, her brother. But the other thought was mentioned by Christ. Somehow Mary had entered into what Christ had been saying about His death. Did she think that she might have no opportunity to anoint His body after His death and so she did it beforehand? This seems to be the real reason behind her love gift. If so, then Mary was the one who, more than anyone else, anticipated His crucifixion.
Christ’s commendation of her action is so beautiful. Even the fact that we are reading this moving story today is a fulfilment of Christ’s prophecy, “wherever the Gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” Whatever we do for Christ’s and the Gospel’s sake is noticed by Him and will be rewarded some day when we all stand before Him. Mary will be there too.