Meanwhile

Reading: 2 Samuel 17; Psalm 71; Matthew 26 6 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. 7 While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. (Matthew 26:6-7 NLT) Meanwhile: Look at all that’s going on here! The leading priests and the political leaders are meeting at the Jerusalem home of Caiaphas to plot how to capture and kill Jesus without starting a civil war; Jesus and his disciples are at a dinner two miles away in Bethany at the home of Simon whom Jesus had healed of leprosy; A woman (John’s gospel tells us this was Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus) worships Jesus and honors him by pouring precious perfume on him; Jesus’ disciples (Judas specifically) complain that this is a frivolous waste of money, Jesus praises her act of devotion; Judas makes his decision to betray Jesus to the Jews for thirty silver coins. Meanwhile:

At any given time, there’s more going on than I’m aware of. There’s always a “meanwhile.” While Simon was showing hospitality, while Mary was worshipping, while Jesus was preparing for the hour of his greatest suffering, and while the clock was ticking toward his betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion, what would I have been doing: Plotting like the Jews, complaining like the disciples, or checking out like Judas did? Meanwhile: In some sense, every day contains its “meanwhiles.” I want to learn to be aware and sensitive to the reality that my own little moment in my own little world is not the whole picture. In the mix of all the things I could be doing “meanwhile,” I want to be doing something that really matters. I want to be honoring Jesus, encouraging others, showing kindness, being a blessing, doing something that has eternal value. Prayer: Father, Please help me not to get on the wrong side of “Meanwhile.” Help me to spend my “meanwhiles” in doing things that really matter—not things that are against the flow of grace, not things that are meaningless, not things that are selfish. I want my “meanwhiles” to count. Amen.