“Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.”
Matthew 26:13 (KJV)
Memorials make impressions so strong that we are impacted and remember. Note all the things that occur during the week prior to the crucifixion, but most of us wouldn’t be able to relate them to others.
Jesus has ‘cleansed’ the Temple and refused to provide the chief priests’ with his authorization (Mt. 21:27). He shows the Jews that they have refused to submit to Kingdom of God and repent (21:31-32). He tells them that The Kingdom is removed from Israel and promised to another (21:43). They have rejected the King’s ‘wedding garment’ and therefore the King has rejected them (22:11-14). The religious leaders get upset and make several attempts to ‘entangle him in his talk’ (22:15). They try to trap him with Roman law (22:21). They try to trap him with Scripture (22:32). They try to trap him with Moses’ law (22:36-40). In every case, Jesus confuses them and traps them with one of his own questions (22:42-46). He turns then to exhorting the common people to reject the religious legalism of the scribes and Pharisees (23:33). Finally, he weeps over Jerusalem because of their rejection and speaks judgment words rejecting the nation Israel (23:38). We might refer to Matthew 21-23 as the ‘rejection’ chapters. In Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus explains the Kingdom of God to his disciples and ends by telling them that he will be betrayed and crucified (26:2-3). None of these particular events have made any lasting impression on us. While the High Priest holds council to decide how to capture and kill Jesus, he goes to Simon, the Leper’s home and sits at supper.
A woman comes in and anoints him with oil (26:7). The disciples get bent out of shape over this seeming waste, but Jesus said, “she has wrought a good work on me (10).” He went on to tell them, “She has poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial (12). Wherever in the world this gospel will be preached, what this woman has done will be told as a memorial to her (13).” Because of this you can probably relate the story without cue cards. It is a memorial to her.
Dear Father, thank you for the memorial of your grace and mercy. Help us to remember the sacrifice that you made for us on the Cross of Calvary. Enable us to apply it to our lives. This I pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
Let us praise God for the memorial of his resurrection and live resurrected lives,