Transformation Leads to Gratitude and Generosity

This portion dovetails the preceding by noting: “Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they [the siblings] gave a dinner for Him there.” Mary, Martha, and Lazarus respond to Jesus’ transformation work with gratitude and generosity. We can only imagine the extravagance of this banquet feast, for the brother who was 4-days dead lives. In yet another grateful act of worship, during the meal Mary takes a very large amount of fragrant oil and anoints Jesus’ feet…so much so that the aroma fills the house. Given what Jesus meant to this family pre-Lazarus and post, Mary’s anointing was not a spontaneous act but an offering she had set aside for this very purpose. Gratitude and generosity mark a transformed life. When we experience Jesus’ transformation ourselves – something beyond our own ability to effect or manufacture – a posture of gratitude and sacrifice is our faith-response too. Ordinary people give in extraordinary ways when Christ has touched their heart.