When the little old lady dropped in her two coins, Jesus called it a spiritual act. When the teacher of the law spoke up about the Shema, Jesus called it a spiritual act. Now when an unnamed woman comes off of the street to annoint him with an entire jar of rediculously expensive perfume, he calls it a spiritual act.
While the apostles were struggling with financial concerns and the highest ranking priests were struggling with envy, Jesus looked at life through a different lens. He saw a beautiful expression of personal faith that others could not see.
What troubles me about this story is that I (and most church leaders?) would most likely have agreed with the apostles. How many mission committee decisions spin around cost rather than spiritual expression? How many opportunities for spiritual expression have been lost in faith communities due to a lack of spiritual lenses by leaders? How many people have I frustrated by sitting in the apostles seat?
The whole story is just a little strange, e.g., priests planning murder, lepers hosting the Messiah and homeless apostles worried about money. The ones that seem to act true to their nature are the unknown woman and Jesus. Perhaps the reason that the story has endured is that it calls all of us to live by a truly spiritual compass that the majority will never understand but which allows us to appreciate the influence of God when we see it.
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