Daniel Resolved (Daniel 1:1–21)

 

Daniel Resolved (Daniel 1:1–21)

What can bring comfort in the midst of suffering after losing one's country? It is the unchanging love of the Lord God Almighty. It is the covenant of salvation through Christ, which was promised to Abraham. Nothing in this world — whatever it may be — is true comfort. Enduring and bearing up under suffering appears as evidence that God's just judgment is true (2 Thess. 1:5).

Daniel chapter 1 is the story of the young Jewish man Daniel and his three friends, who were taken captive to a foreign land far away at a young age. It clearly shows the hand of God's protecting power and glory. Even in circumstances of endless sorrow, grief, and lamentation where nothing could be done, God refined his people like pure gold through his holy love.

Daniel and His Friends Taken to Babylon

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. 3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king's service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility — 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king's service. 6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. (Dan. 1:1–7)

God had spoken in advance through the prophet Jeremiah that Judah and Jerusalem would be destroyed at the hand of Babylon (Jer. 27:12; 32:28; 34:2). God had warned that they would live if they surrendered and submitted to Babylon. This was something they simply could not accept. As the people chosen by God, bowing the knee to Gentile nations was unthinkable.

Yet God had determined to refine his people through fire like a furnace. The reason was that they had abandoned God and gone after idols. Through Moses, God had warned them when they entered the promised land of Canaan to serve only the Lord God and not to worship idols (Deut. 28). But God had also promised that if they obeyed he would drive out all their enemies and set them high above all the nations on earth.

"If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth." (Deut. 28:1)

But he also promised that if they did not keep and obey the word of the Lord God and instead went after idols, he would swiftly bring punishment on them. Remarkably, history shows that the hand of the Lord's blessing and judgment comes swiftly upon his chosen people.

"The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. You will be destroyed and come to sudden ruin." (Deut. 28:20)

And the warnings about curses are three times more numerous than the words about blessings. Not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will disappear from God's word until everything is accomplished. During the many years it took for the people of Israel to take possession of the land of Canaan — in Egypt, in the wilderness, and in the land of Canaan itself — they experienced undeniable evidence of God, his signs and his wonders. They witnessed with their own eyes God's promised word being fulfilled.

Yet after they settled in the land of Canaan, instead of wholeheartedly serving the God who had led them out of Egypt, they went after detestable idols. They worshiped the agricultural deity Baal in order to farm the land successfully. People worship money, hoping to obtain a stable life. Nevertheless, in his patience and with the purpose of planting faith in people, God extends grace and mercy through suffering.

Through this, God taught them that he is a faithful God who faithfully keeps his promises of blessing and protection. At the same time, he warned them against abandoning the Lord God and worshiping false idols, and taught them in advance that corresponding punishment would come. Idol worship is a vain and futile thing, and ultimately it is the path to destruction. Idols are false — they are nothing but empty things with no power, no authority, and nothing at all.

Yet the purpose of God's judgment is not to punish and rebuke for its own sake, but through discipline and refinement to bring people to repentance and lead them to salvation. God is holy and just and cannot tolerate even a trace of evil. That is why the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all wickedness and injustice (Rom. 1:18). But the wrath of God is an expression of his holy love. If evil and injustice were done with no consequences to follow, that would be a lawless world.

Throughout the period of the Judges and the monarchy, God sent countless prophets and urged his people to repent. He earnestly longed for them to turn back to the Lord God and enjoy grace, peace, and rest. Yet they hated God's prophets, beat them, and even killed them, stubbornly refusing to return to the shelter of the Lord's embrace.

"'Come now, let us settle the matter,' says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.' For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." (Isa. 1:18–20)

So when God's time came, he spoke through the prophet Jeremiah that he would refine them in the fire of a furnace. He handed them over to Babylon to be destroyed and punished them by having them taken as captives to a distant land. Yet even in the midst of this refining, God protected and guided them. The case of Daniel and his three friends is evidence of this. God intended to use them to serve the king. Daniel later served as prime minister under Babylon and the Medo-Persian Empire, advising four kings (1:21).

Daniel Refuses the Royal Food

8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you." 11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. (Dan. 1:8–16)

Daniel had grown up from childhood observing the dietary laws prescribed in the Torah. But the food the king offered was contrary to the laws and regulations of Moses. And at that time, as a captive, refusing the king's food was as good as a death sentence. Yet God showed grace to him because he had made his resolve and decided not to eat the king's food in order to keep the purity regulations.

In truth, it is not what goes into a person that defiles them, but what comes out of their mouth (Mark 7:15). However, Daniel had grown up according to the teaching of the law, and keeping the purity regulations was deeply ingrained in him. So even if it was the king's food, he could not eat what was contrary to the law. At this point, God softened the heart of the chief official so that he accepted Daniel's request. God blessed Daniel for resolving to refuse the food, and made him look more handsome and healthy even without eating the rich food.

Through this, Daniel's faith in the living God grew firmer even during the period of captivity. Even though he was a captive, God still faithfully watches over and protects those who believe. Even if one's head is cut off like John the Baptist, nothing can stop the protecting hand of God. This is because God, who raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, is able to break the power of death and raise the dead to life again.

The number of a person's days is not determined by that person. Human life is by no means an accident. Nor does it come from one's parents. God knows all things in advance and governs according to what he predetermined before the ages. God watched over and protected the descendants of Abraham even during the period of captivity. Furthermore, he refined them in the furnace fire into pure and spotless children like refined gold. Pure and spotless children like refined gold are those who believe and obey only the Lord God and his promised word.

God Gives Daniel Wisdom

17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. 18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. 21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus. (Dan. 1:17–21)

The foundation of wisdom comes from God. God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning. The fear of the Lord God the Creator is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7). God is the Creator — all-knowing, all-powerful, the beginning and the end. The height, depth, breadth, and length of God's wisdom and knowledge are beyond all measure.

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." (Rom. 11:33–36)

The power, wisdom, glory, majesty, and authority of God are beyond all comparison. The prophet Isaiah put into words the creative power and glory of the Lord God.

"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing." (Isa. 40:12–17)

The Lord God refines his chosen people in love and truth and prepares them to be the pure bride of the Lamb. God's refinement and discipline — even if it appears that way to our weak eyes — is never arbitrary suffering for its own sake. God does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear, nor is he himself tempted (1 Cor. 10:13). God knows us and loves us better than we know ourselves, and so he disciplines and refines us. He extends grace and love to every person with perfect fairness.

"And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, 'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.' Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined — and everyone undergoes discipline — then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Heb. 12:5–11)

Amen!

October 4, 2026

Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2026, David Lee Ministries ©2026 – All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotes are from the NIV.

The Last Supper (Mark 14:10–26)

 

The Last Supper (Mark 14:10–26)

What do we live by? Not by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. A person is both a physical being and a spiritual being (Gen. 2:7). Yet there are physical people and there are spiritual people. A physical person is one who lives by bread alone. There are also physical Christians — those who say they believe yet remain in a physical state with no spiritual growth.

In Mark 14:10–26, at the last Passover meal with his disciples, Jesus announced that Judas Iscariot would betray him, and he established the blood covenant of eating and drinking his body and blood. The blood applied to the doorframes on the night of the Passover — which commemorated the day of liberation from slavery in Egypt — was none other than the blood of Jesus Christ who would be sacrificed on the cross. Approximately 1,300 years after that, Jesus received the sacrifice as the Son of God.

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus (Matt. 26:14–16; Luke 22:3–6)

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over. (Mark 14:10–11)

Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve disciples. From the very beginning Jesus had called him, stayed with him, shown him everything, and shared everything with him. Jesus loved him to the point of washing even his feet. Yet in the end Judas never opened his hardened heart — he kept it firmly shut. This was because he loved himself more than he loved God. He followed and carried out exactly what the devil does.

In the end, he made up his mind to betray Jesus, went to the chief priests, agreed to hand the Lord over, and watched for his opportunity. He saw and heard all of Jesus' love and words of truth, yet he did not receive them — he refused them. Instead of listening to the voice of God's love and mercy, he lent his ear to the whispering voice of Satan the devil. So though he was given countless opportunities to enter into God's salvation through Christ, he refused them all.

What is even more remarkable is that Jesus knew from the very beginning that Judas Iscariot would betray him (John 6:64; 13:10–11, 18; Matt. 26:23–25). Even so, Jesus loved him — he loved him to the very end. In the same way, God knows all things in advance, yet he loves every person to the very end. God desires that not one person perish but that all come to salvation (2 Pet. 3:9).

How does one know who has been chosen by God before the ages? We cannot know this. It is a secret known only to God. What we can be certain of is this: it is known through the response of understanding God's word and obeying it accordingly. It is known by whether our hearts overflow with gratitude for God's grace and mercy, and whether we receive the difficulties we face each day as God's refining love.

On the contrary, hardening one's heart in response to God's word — as Pharaoh king of Egypt did — is the path to destruction. Even after witnessing ten plagues, he did not submit to God, and as he pursued Israel he was destroyed in the depths of the Red Sea. The seed of the word that falls on good soil grows and produces a crop — some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown. But the seed that falls on the path, on rocky ground, or among thorns does not bear fruit and withers away.

The Passover with the Disciples (Matt. 26:17–25; Luke 22:7–14, 21–23; John 13:21–30)

12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" 13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, 'The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there." 16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. (Mark 14:12–16)

Jesus spent his last Passover on this earth with the twelve disciples he had chosen. Knowing that the day when he must return to his heavenly Father was drawing near, he prepared for it in advance. It was ordinarily women who carried water jars, so he arranged things this way so that the disciples could identify the man without difficulty.

The Passover is also called the Festival of Unleavened Bread because bread without yeast is eaten. The origin of this festival goes back to the time of slavery in Egypt. When God made his covenant with Abraham, he promised that his descendants would take possession of the promised land four hundred years later (Gen. 15:13). When the fullness of God's time came, he called his servant Moses and demanded of Pharaoh king of Egypt that he let his people go.

But Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to listen to or obey the command of the Lord God. Because of this, God sent plagues through Moses, the last of which was the plague on the firstborn. It was a terrifying plague in which every firstborn — from the firstborn of the king down to the firstborn of all the people and even the firstborn of their livestock — would die. Israel, however, was the exception: in obedience to the command of the Lord God, they applied the blood of an animal to their doorframes. Because the angel of death passed over the doors that had the blood applied to them, it is called the Passover.

On that day, the people of Israel slaughtered the lamb or goat they had prepared in advance and applied its blood to their doorframes. And after the angel of death passed through the land of Egypt that night, they left the land of Egypt in haste the following day. At this point, Pharaoh could no longer bear God's wrath and surrendered, releasing Israel. So they ate the bread made without yeast that evening, as God had commanded — which is why it is called the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

The blood of the animal sacrificed at the Passover symbolizes the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Observing the Passover is a remembrance of the death of Christ by the shedding of his blood. The way to receive salvation without facing God's judgment is to be redeemed by the blood of Christ. God saw the blood applied to the doorframes, and everyone inside those houses was spared from death. What God sees is the faith that applied the blood to the doorframes. God gives eternal life to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ, his Son.

One of You Will Betray Me

17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me — one who is eating with me." 19 They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, "Surely you don't mean me?" 20 "It is one of the Twelve," he replied, "one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." (Mark 14:17–21)

This is the scene where Judas Iscariot crosses his Rubicon. According to John's account, after this scene Judas went out into the night (John 13:30). Just before saying these words, Jesus had washed the feet of each of the twelve disciples (John 13:1–17). Jesus washed the feet of Judas Iscariot as well. Though Jesus is the Creator God, he came to this earth clothed in the form of a servant and washed the dirty feet of his disciples. The washing of feet signifies the cleansing of what is unclean — being forgiven of sin and clothed in purity. This foreshadows Jesus being crucified and dying in their place for their sins.

God extends the hand of his love and grace to every person. From birth to the moment of death, God continually leads people to enter into the embrace of his grace and receive eternal life. Look at Judas Iscariot! He was called as one of Jesus' twelve disciples and spent three and a half years with him, receiving the grace of seeing and hearing up close everything he taught and all the signs and miracles he performed. More than anyone else, he experienced firsthand and directly the countless moments of mercy and compassion that Jesus showed without fail.

Yet not once did he open his heart and receive God's compassionate love. Through healing the sick, declaring the forgiveness of sins, and washing the feet of his disciples, Jesus was hinting at his coming crucifixion, death, and resurrection. More specifically, Jesus spoke directly and repeatedly about his imminent death and resurrection.

Yet to Judas Iscariot, Jesus was only a person who had come as an earthly messiah to overthrow Rome — the enemy — and establish what he imagined to be a Davidic kingdom. But Jesus did not fulfill his expectations in the slightest. In the end, from the very beginning Judas had never received Jesus as the suffering Christ prophesied in Scripture, and he refused him to the very end. Jesus said it would have been better for that man if he had not been born. Jesus came to this earth to receive the baptism of death.

The Last Supper (Matt. 26:26–30; Luke 22:15–20; 1 Cor. 11:23–25)

22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." 23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them. 25 "Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." 26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (Mark 14:22–26)

At the Passover supper he shared with his disciples on this earth, Jesus told them to eat and drink his body and blood. Today, when we eat the piece of bread and drink from the cup in the Lord's Supper, we are commemorating the torn flesh and shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Bread and drink are the nourishment that sustains our bodies. Therefore, eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Jesus means that this is the driving force that sustains both our physical and spiritual life.

What do people live by? Food is necessary, but more than that, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). We must eat not only the food of the body but also the food of the spirit. Food is something we depend on. We become what we eat. The person who depends on God's love and forgiveness becomes such a person. On the contrary, the person who feeds on hatred and resentment becomes a person of hatred.

What does it mean to eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus? It is to believe in God and his Son Jesus Christ and to depend on and trust in him completely. Above all, we have been forgiven of our sins through the blood of Christ, and through that blood we are renewed day by day and clothed in new life. This life is the life of Christ, clothed through the power of the resurrection. Now in Christ, relying on the word of God — that is, his power and authority — we obey the word of his new commandment.

Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus also means abiding in him and receiving him so that he abides in us. It means entrusting everything we are to Jesus. We do not have the power and authority to live on our own. We were created from the very beginning to depend on God and to live within him. Apart from God we can do nothing (John 15:6). We were created through him and can live only by his power and strength.

"Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you... Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me." (John 6:53, 56–57)

Amen!

September 27, 2026

Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2026, David Lee Ministries ©2026 – All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotes are from the NIV.

 

A Woman Anoints Jesus (Mark 14:1–9)

 

A Woman Anoints Jesus (Mark 14:1–9)

What is the greatest of all things a person can do? There is nothing greater than receiving salvation. For without salvation, one faces eternal punishment. This is because people have fallen for the deception of the cunning Satan the devil. God purposed before the ages that he would restore Adam, who had fallen into sin, through the woman's offspring — through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came as the Son of Man.

In Mark 14:1–9, Jesus received with delight the act of the woman who broke open the costly perfume and poured it on his head as the greatest of all things. This is because it was a preparation for the death and burial of Christ. Jesus came for that very purpose — to be the sacrificial offering that hangs on the cross and atones for the sins of this world. Therefore, whoever believes in the merit of Christ's death receives eternal life.

The Plot to Kill Jesus (Matt. 26:1–5; Luke 22:1–2; John 11:45–53)

1 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 "But not during the festival," they said, "or the people may riot." (Mark 14:1–2)

The time had now fully come for God's Son to drink the cup of sacrifice — it had risen all the way to the throat. God's wrath came upon the children of the devil, whose hearts were hardened and rebellious, and they could no longer delay the arrest and condemnation of the Son of Man. They did not fear God — they feared people. So they plotted to arrest and kill the Son of God, deliberately avoiding the Passover festival when great crowds would be gathered.

The Jewish religious leaders had been grinding their teeth in their desire to arrest and kill Jesus of Nazareth for the past three and a half years. They had attempted to stone him to death on several occasions and had tested and challenged him at every opportunity to trap him. Their hearts had hardened like stone, and even though they witnessed with their own eyes the good and life-giving work of Jesus Christ, it was like reading the Scriptures to a cow — it went in one ear and out the other.

God would have been entirely justified in judging them at once. Yet in his patience he continued to lead them through truth and love, that they might turn back, repent, and come to salvation. Jesus taught them with the word of truth in unchanging love, in spite of all their tests and accusations. God stands all day long with arms spread wide, longing for his people to return to the embrace of the love of God their Creator (Rom. 10:21).

Yet they did not repent. Why, then, was this the moment? Because God leads and moves all things according to his will and purpose. At times, it seems to us that God is slow, as though he is doing nothing. But that is not so. With the Lord a thousand years are like a day, and a day is like a thousand years (2 Pet. 3:8). God created all of heaven and earth according to his will and purpose, and he governs it without the slightest deviation. God's time comes like a thief, suddenly arriving at a time no one expects (1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10).

For now we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is seen dimly will be seen clearly (1 Cor. 13:9–10). We do not yet see all things in submission to the Lord God who is sovereign over all, but on the day when the Judge of all things comes, we will see everything bowing down and submitting at his feet (Heb. 2:8). But until the day of the Lord comes, all these things remain hidden — yet we see them, believe them, and hold to them with the eyes of faith.

"Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2)

Jesus Anointed at Bethany (Matt. 26:6–13; John 12:1–8)

3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly. (Mark 14:3–5)

This event is recorded in all four Gospels. However, it can be viewed not as one event but as two. Luke's Gospel is seen as recording a different event from the other three Gospels. In Luke's Gospel, a sinful woman appears, whereas in the other three Gospels it is Mary or an unnamed woman. The three Gospels differ in location and name, but in all of them the people viewed the pouring of the perfume as a waste, while Jesus said it was a preparation for his burial.

Why then did this woman pour such expensive perfume on Jesus? It was probably not with the intention of preparing for his burial. It was to offer gratitude and worship for the great grace she had received (Luke 7:40–42). We have had a debt cancelled that we could never repay (Matt. 18:24). It is a debt that is utterly impossible to pay back. Sin demands death (Rom. 6:23). There is no other way apart from death. Yet God made his Son the sacrificial offering in our place and atoned for our sins.

God first made Christ his Son — who gave himself up without sparing his own life — the sacrificial offering (Rom. 5:8). This was not because we had performed righteous acts before God. He had compassion and mercy on us who had fallen into sin, who could not see ahead and were groaning in the chains of darkness. He displayed on the cross a love that sacrificed the Son without reservation, and he gives eternal life to everyone who believes.

Now God has commanded us, in response to his love, to love the Lord God with all our life, will, strength, and heart, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. God so loved the world that he did not spare his one and only Son but gave him up (John 3:16). Love is obedience. Obeying God's word is the proof of love for the Lord. Following the example of Jesus who died on the cross, we love our neighbors to the point of death. This woman gave everything she had for the Lord.

Then some of those present were indignant and rebuked the woman, asking what kind of waste this was. Matthew mentions the disciples, and John identifies Judas Iscariot — the one who later betrayed Jesus — as the one who spoke (Matt. 26:8; John 12:4). They were angry and indignant that the expensive perfume had not been sold and distributed to the poor. But in reality, it was not out of concern for the poor but out of greed for money. Judas Iscariot was in charge of the money bag, and he was a thief who used to help himself to what was put into it (John 12:6).

To judge and rebuke the pouring of the perfume as a waste was a complete failure to understand the woman's motive and sincerity. Those who are enslaved to their own greed do not hesitate to judge and rebuke people carelessly. In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you — for this sums up the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 7:12). For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged (Matt. 7:2).

She Has Done What She Could

6 "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." (Mark 14:6–9)

Jesus looked at the motive at the center of her heart and received with delight the woman's pouring of the perfume as preparation for his own imminent burial. Jesus knew that his death was near. It was for this very purpose that he had left the heavenly throne, been clothed in the form of a servant, and was incarnate on this earth. Now God's time had fully come and the moment to offer his body as a sacrificial offering had arrived. Because Jesus came precisely for this — to bear the sins of this world and die — he commanded that the pouring of perfume on his body be remembered wherever the gospel is proclaimed.

Jesus had to die. For without his death there is no forgiveness of sins and no salvation. Without the blood of Jesus, no one can be freed from sin and death. And if one is not freed from sin and death, trouble and distress never cease; true satisfaction, peace, and rest cannot be found; and ultimately one falls into the eternal fire of hell (Rom. 2:9; Isa. 66:24; Mark 9:48). The life that is under sin is never filled no matter what it eats, and never finds fulfillment no matter what it does (Mic. 6:14; Isa. 9:20).

No one has true peace and joy until they are clothed in the righteousness of God. But when one is washed by the blood of Christ, they are freed from sin and enter into the rest of God's glory. And those who have been freed from sin are now at last able to do good.

"There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile." (Rom. 2:9–10)

How does one put on the righteousness of Christ? We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God whom God sent, shed his blood and died in place of the sins of this world. We believe that Christ's death is an atoning death that stands in place of my sin and is the payment for my sin. God frees us from the heavy yoke and chains of sin and death the moment we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not because we are worthy — it is through faith in Christ the Son alone.

Putting on the righteousness of Christ happens only through the spiritual and holy grace of God that belongs to heaven. We respond in faith with gratitude for the grace God pours out on us — and that faith itself is also a spiritual and holy gift that comes down from heaven. Faith belongs to heaven, and so does righteousness. Nothing is our own. Therefore, receiving forgiveness of sins and salvation in Christ is entirely by God's grace.

Then how does one do good? No one is good except God alone. Therefore, only God can do good. We cannot do good (Rom. 7:19). The ability to do good comes from being clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Whoever is clothed in the righteousness of Christ has Christ dwelling within them. When by faith we offer up our bodies — just as Christ offered his body as a sacrificial offering — Christ who dwells within us does good through us.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Gal. 2:20)

Jesus commanded that the preparation for his burial be testified to wherever the gospel of salvation is proclaimed. This is because without the death of Christ there is no forgiveness of sins. To enter into eternal life, one must be washed by the blood of Christ. God is pleased to receive our offering of our lives. This is because the debt of sin has been atoned for through the death of Christ.

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Heb. 9:22)

Amen!

September 20, 2026

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Scripture quotes are from the NIV.