John 12:1-11 http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/032502.htm
Jesus chose to spend His last peaceful day with his dearest and closest friends. He can relax around them. They are not going to pick a fight with Him. They are not trying to trap Him. If He wants to rest, they will minister to His needs and desires. What a great example of caring friendship! Look at how they dined. It was no simple meal of pita bread and dates, but a banquet! Jesus taught by His own example that we should live in humble simplicity, and yet He also enjoyed a fancy meal with lots of trimmings and gourmet dishes. And He certainly appreciated the luxury of the perfume His friend Mary used on Him. He did not say: "Oh, you shouldn't have!" He was very gracious in accepting without question the gifts that His friends gave to Him. What a wonderful example of genuine friendship this was. It didn't matter how expensive or frugal the gift; what mattered was the level of friendship in which it was shared. In true friendship, we give service and gifts to each other simply because we love each other. There's no equality to it, no thought of "If you pay the bill at the restaurant this time, next time it's my turn" or "If you invite me to your $100-a-plate wedding reception, then I have to arrive bearing a gift of equal value." Mary didn't anoint Jesus because of all the good He had done for her, but rather because she loved Him. Nor did she choose which perfume to buy based on its price tag, but the beauty of its smell. She was accused of being wasteful, the gift too extravagant, but she didn't spend more than she can afford -- she was only being generous in the enthusiasm of her love. Is your friendship with Jesus like this? How we treat our ordinary friends is how we treat Jesus. Our friendship with Jesus is only as strong as our relationships with the people He has given us for friendship. Not everyone we have labeled as friends are from Jesus. And some are called to be closer than others, but Jesus gives us everything we need through holy friendships. No matter how bad things get, it is in the fellowship of true friends that we meet Jesus and kiss His feet and anoint Him with the perfume of our adoration, and it is in the fellowship of true friends that Jesus ministers to us, healing us and teaching us, dying for us and resurrecting us into victorious living. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. **************************************************************** This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe to this mailing list, visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet For automatic help, send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] ****************************************************************
