Hello everyone! My name is Elise Brooklyn and this is Scattering Flowers, a podcast where we scatter flowers of faith.
I’m so happy to be with you reading the daily gospels together.
Let’s get started! Today is Monday, April 14th, and we’ll be reading John 12, 1-11.
Follow along in your Bible if you have one.
Now let’s read John 12, 1-11.
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethsaida, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
There they made him a supper.
Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at table with him.
Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.
And the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.
But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, he who was to betray him, said, Why was this an ointment not sold for three hundred dinari and given to the poor?
This he said not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief.
And as he had the money box, he used to take what was put into it.
Jesus said, Let her alone.
Let her keep it for the day of my burial.
The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.
When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only by account of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also.
Because on account of him, many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
Mary loved Jesus very much, and she wanted to show him in a special way.
She used a sweet perfume to anoint his feet just to show him how much she cared.
It was a gift from her heart, because it was probably very expensive.
If pouring perfume on someone’s feet sounds weird, wiping it up with hair probably seems even more odd.
Today’s gospel story shows us two things to think about.
Jesus' preparations of being crucified and anointed for burial.
And like Mary, we can show our love for Jesus through simple actions.
No gift is too small or weird to give him.
What’s a better time during Holy Week, week this week, to give him something small of ourselves, because he gave us something big himself?
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Thank you, Jesus, for giving up yourself and for dying on the cross to help us and give our lives back, even if it’s something small to show you love.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
I’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.
See ya!