Let me set the stage for you. Jesus’s feet have just been washed with tears and expensive perfume by a woman named Mary from Bethany who came into the house of Simon the leper. The perfume was all she had of great value. She poured over a year’s wages (in today’s terms, approximately, $40,000 to $50,000 dollars.) Mary of Bethany’s story is one of the most extravagant displays of surrender in all of Scripture. She broke the flask and poured out her offering, in a sacrificial act of worship to the Son of God. Such unhindered, lavished, sacrificial worship had not been seen among men. Her act of worship literally offended the disciples. They rallied together and became “indignant” (Matthew 26:8) at her act, proclaiming the money could have been used more wisely; maybe, even the poor could have been helped.
This offense triggered an open door of doubt, greed, pride, jealousy or just unbelief in Judas Iscariot, the root we will never know. However, from this act, he had seen enough and in the gospel of Luke it says, “Satan entered him (Luke 22:3). Judas wasn’t the only one offended at that table. Eleven other disciples were upset at the act of sacrifice and honor. I’m sure the fact it came from a woman was even more disturbing to the faithful men who had given up everything to follow Jesus.
Jesus, after this occurs, does something we would never have imagined. He introduces to His disciples what has become known as the “Lord’s Supper.” Literally, before Jesus was about to be crucified for the sins of the whole world, He gifts his disciples with a pre-invitation of redemption as He leads them to dip their bread in wine, representing His broken body and His spilled blood, that is about to be broken and poured out. You see, in eternity Jesus had completed his redemption, but in time, He was manifesting the will of His Father. His disciples are offended; Judas has already begun his secret betrayal of Jesus; when Jesus invites them to the table of forgiveness. The table where what is about to take place, is being pre-displayed, so each of the disciples would know His desire for them to walk in His deep love and forgiveness.
Jesus is about to walk His darkest hour on earth and yet He is lovingly preparing them for their darkest hour as well. The hour they would betray him publicly and one would fall away forever.
After they ate and drank, Jesus prophesies Zachariah 13:7: “I will strike down the Shepard and the sheep of the flock will scatter.” Jesus declares they will each fall away this night.
Peter, full of devotion, declares, “Even though all fall away because of You, I will Never fall away.” (Matthew 26:33)
Twice Peter declares this, then in the gospel of Luke we read:
“Satan has desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat,
but I have prayed for you that your faith would not fail.”
We know the story. Peter does fall away and denies Jesus three times. But as the rooster crows, he remembers the Lord’s words and weeps bitterly. (Luke 22:62)
As I read this account, I am encouraged that even in my failure, struggles, or blind sightedness to Truth, Jesus not only prayed for Peter, but He prays for my faith to not fail. For his & my faith to endure the doubt, the disillusionment, the religious accusations, the disappointment, and even the disloyalty from those closest to him and me.
The Bible says we have a High Priest that prays for you and for me. We have a high priest that is interceding for us. He is invoking covenant rights on our behalf to release from Heaven the strength we need to stand firm in Faith. God values prayer so much and refuses to act apart from it, that He LITERALLY BECAME the high priest to INTERCEDE for US (You & Me), so that our FAITH WOULD NOT FAIL. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Matthew 11:6 says, “Blessed is the man who is not offended by me.”
If Peter was going to have lasting faith, he had to decide what he would do with his offense and his failure. Sometimes we think our offense is with people. Many of the disciples were offended over the perfume, but what they were really offended at, was not Mary, but Jesus allowing her to pour such expensive perfume over him, when the needs outside among the poor was not met. They didn’t yet know the value of the man they called Messiah. But when the sifting came. When the enemy struck, when the circumstances shifted suddenly, they had to let go of their indignation and decide to cling to the One who could save their soul.
You and I must do the same. To have Faith that won’t fail, we must trust God with the value of the perfume we pour out. To follow Jesus will cost you and I our most extravagant gifts. Our reputation, relationships, and reliance’s. The things we hold closest must not be more valuable than the One who calls us to follow Him.
We must choose to not be “offended” with what feels like God is wasting, because He sees and knows the value of His will more than we do. Lasting faith means we walk the process of what doesn’t make sense in the natural to sit at His table of forgiveness and break bread dipped in wine, when we don’t understand what God is manifesting in time, that has been completed in eternity.
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