Mary of Bethany

Day 1

Mary of Bethany

Her name may mean "Bitterness"
Her Character : Mary appears to have been a single woman, totally devoted to Jesus. The gospel portrays her, by way of contrast with her sister, Martha, as a woman of few words. As Jesus neared the time of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem prior to Passover, she performed a gesture of great prophetic significance, one that offended Judas Iscariot. the disciple who betrayed Jesus.
Key Scriptures Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-12:11

John 11:1, 3, 17, 39, 41, 43-44; 12:1-3
1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.... 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.

39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.[a] And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.

43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead,[a] whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

Day 2

The Passover

All able-bodied and ceremonially clean Jewish med, usually accompanied by their families, were required to attend Passover in Jerusalem. This religious feast took place in Nisan, the first month of the year, April. Passover was the most significant feast celebrated by the Jews. It commemorated their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Each family was commanded to kill an unblemished one-year-old male lamb. He had instructed them to take the blood from the lamb and spread in on both sides and top of the door frame in each household. When the plague came to Egypt, the angel of death entered the houses without blood on the doorpost and killed the firstborn soon in each family. The homes with the blood on the doorway was "passed over".

Jewish families ate the the meat of the lamb for their Passover supper, sharing with the neighbors in the family was too small to finish the lamb alone. The meal included a salad of bitter herbs as well as unleavened, or unrisen, bread. Before Passover, the house was thoroughly searched and cleaned to be sure that no yeast was within the house to spoil the unleavened bread. Psalms 113-118, known as the "Egyptian Hallal" (or Praise) psalms, were sung before and after the meal.

Often during their history, the Jews neglected to celebrate the Passover, as well as many of the other religious feasts God had instituted. The times when the Passover was reinstated are mentioned specifically in the Old Testament, and the ignorance of the people regarding the sacred nature of the feast is apparent. Most often, the restoration of the feast came about because of a religious revival.

The Last Supper Jesus ate with his disciples, on the night that he was betrayed, was the annual Passover meal. Jesus gave specific instructions to several of his disciples for preparing this important meal. While he and his disciples reclined at the table, Jesus revealed that one of the Twelve would betray him and that he would be crucified.

Our Life and Times

With his words, "This is my body" and " This is my blood," Jesus gave new meaning and significance to the Passover lamb. When he was crucified the next day, he himself became our Passover Lamb. Though we may observe the beauty of Passover, for believers, the work is done. Jesus' death on the cross as the ultimate Passover Lamb made the continual sacrifice for sin no longer necessary. Through his body and blood- through his work as our Passover lamb - we gain forgiveness for our sins and life eternal.

Day 3

Mary's Legacy in Scripture

John 11:32-44
Why was Mary crying? How does Jesus react to her grief?

Put yourself in Mary's place in this scene. your brother, who lives with you and supports you, has died and then is raised. No information is given about the reactions of the sisters or the crowd. How do you think they reacted? How would you react?

Have you ever had something that caused you grief suddenly change to joy? A sickness healed? How did you react? Whom did you thank?

John 12:1-8
What do you think caused Mary to make the extravagant gesture described in verse 3?

If you were to take a year's worth of your wages, what would you do with it for Jesus?

What word best describes Judas as he was bothered by the use of expensive perfume?

How sincere are you? Like Mary? Like Judas? Somewhere in between? If Jesus came to your house for dinner, what would you do to express your love for him?

Do you think Mary had any idea that his act of devotion was preparation for Jesus' burial? How do you think she might have reacted to his statement?

Did Jesus' words mean we should ignore the poor and pay attention only to him? If not, what exactly did he mean?

The poor are among us yet today, and so is Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. What can we do to help the poor? What can we do to acknowledge Jesus' presence in our world?

Day 4

Her Legacy of Prayer

"Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me." - Matthew 26:10

Reflect on Matthew 26:6- 13

Praise God for giving us the ability to please him.

Offer thanks for all the beautiful things God has done for you.

Confess any unwillingness to embrace the difficult parts of the gospel as well as the joyful parts.

Ask God to give you a greater hunger to live in his presence and to seek his face.

Day 5

Lift your heart.

Lovers like nothing better than to please their beloved. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was a woman who loved God extravagantly. Famous for her work with the poorest of poor in India and throughout the world, she was always looking for a chance to do " something beautiful for God." How easy is it for us to neglect our Divine Lover by always asking him to do beautiful things for us rather than by developing your own capacity to please and delight him. you don't have to travel to the other side of the world to find opportunities to do something beautiful for God. Look for him in the poorest of the poor in your own community -- those who are emotionally impoverished, isolated, ill. Find a way to bring the light of God's love in to their darkness. Spend time simply praising God for who he is and how he has revealed himself to you. Honor him by giving him something precious in your own life. Even the smallest gesture can become a beautiful gift for God.

Dear Lord, you have done so many beautiful things for me. I am so blessed to have your Holy Spirit in me. I am so little of a person that I don't really feel like I can do all things, but through your Word, you say I can. I want to believe that I am a light in this world. I want to do something really beautiful for you. Please whisper to me today. Teach me what it is that pleases you. I am so grateful for the life Jesus lived so that we have guidance and direction as to what we are to do in this World. Forgive me for always thinking it is you that must show me beautiful things. I want my life to be "poured" out to be a sweet smelling perfume. I love you Lord, thank you for being my friend and savior, my Lord and Maker.