‘A woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil…and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant…and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticised her sharply. But Jesus said, “Let her alone…She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. 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”’ (vv. 3-6, 8-9 NKJV). Notice two things Jesus said about this woman. 1) ‘She has done what she could’ (v. 8 NKJV). This is a rebuke to the pride in each of us, which thinks if we can’t do something great that will be noticed and celebrated by others, we won’t do anything at all. Mother Teresa is attributed with saying, ‘We cannot all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.’ 2) ‘What this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her’ (v. 9 NKJV). Two thousand years later, we’re still talking about her legacy. What was it? Kindness! And you don’t have to be educated, sophisticated, or rich to do it. Bill Borden turned his back on a family fortune and ministered to students at Yale, orphans, widows, and alcoholics on the streets. Before he died, he wrote, ‘No reserves, no retreats, no regrets.’ No reserves: hold nothing back. No retreats: never turn back. No regrets: serve God – and others – and your reward in heaven is assured (see 2 Timothy 4:6-8).

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.