AMY, One day I pulled into a parking space at Wal-Mart. An elderly lady–more elderly than I–stood next to her open trunk and was laboriously lifting her purchases from her shopping cart and placing them into her trunk. Just as I swung open my door to help her, another lady appeared. She was on her way into the store, but she stopped to offer the elderly lady assistance. “Can I help you with those?” she offered as she simultaneously lifted the bags and placed them carefully into the lady’s trunk. The lady was thrilled to have the help; she even said, “I wish I could take you home with me.” This “Samaritan lady” said, she would gladly do that if she didn’t have to get back to the office.
Jesus said about the woman who anointed His head and washed His feet, AMY, “She has done a good work for Me.” (Mark 14:6)
I thought how pleased Jesus would be of her random act of kindness. How often do we even see the predicament of another as we go about our day? Do we even consider stopping to help someone like that? Do we ever see those kindnesses as doing a “GOOD WORK FOR JESUS?” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we did? Jesus said this about the woman who washed His feet, “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.” (Mark 14:8-9) Some people may not see our acts as our Lord does. In the passage, some folks were grumbling about how Mary had wasted the perfume to wash Jesus’ feet AMY. The scoffer’s grumbled that it was worth a YEAR’S WAGES and could have been spent to feed the poor. But Jesus defended Mary’s act of love and selflessness. He said as long as the gospel message is told, she would be remembered for HER KINDNESS TO HIM.
-Bill Stockham