Scandal
You set a table for me
right in front of my enemies.
You bathe my head in oil;
my cup is so full it spills over! ~ Psalm 23:5 (CEB)
Jesus was in Bethany. He was at the table in the home of Simon, who had a skin disease. A woman came with a special sealed jar. It contained very expensive perfume made out of pure nard. She broke the jar open and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.
Some of the people there became angry. They said to one another, “Why waste this perfume?...
“Leave her alone,” Jesus said. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ~ Mark 14:3-4, 6 (NIRV)
Indeed, Lord Jesus, the festive table was set for you as your enemies looked on. They couldn't believe that you might be so anointed -- and by a woman! What a scandal! I confess that I worry too much over the appearance of scandal. I want to associate with good and proper people because that makes me look good and proper. But I need to get beyond what is culturally accepted. I need you to make me more like Jesus -- willing to eat and fellowship with "unclean" diseased people -- people everyone else considers lower caste. I desire to become extravagant in my worship of you. I'm going to move forward assuming that you will change me into such a person -- a person who is made in your image. Amen.
*ABOUT THE
DAILY TEXTS
The Daily Texts have been published by the Moravian Church since 1731. In 2011 I started posting these Bible verses for my spiritual formation students at Pacific Islands University. In the process of responding to the verses, I found the rhythm of looking for a common thread and writing a prayer based on that key idea to be helpful for my own soul. The prayers are more or less modeled on the TRIP method, which is what I ask my students to do in their journaling. ~ Brad Boydston
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase -- a freestyle biblical adaptation -- somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
