We cannot remove death from this passage. Jesus announced it, the priests plotted it, the perfume prepared his body for it, and Judas began looking for an opportunity to arrange it. Jesus was only days from the cross and between this moment and his death, he would suffer betrayal, beatings, and abandonment.

Into this scene, shadowed as it s by death, a woman enters and suddenly the atmosphere is filled with the fragrance of a “costly perfume.” When Jesus defended her from the unkind criticism of the disciples, he interpreted her actions in a way that no one would have guessed, “For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial” (v. 12). In those days, spices were sprinkled in the cloth that was wrapped around a body before it was buried. This was the final kindness shown to a loved one. As far as Jesus was concerned, the woman had done “a good deed” for him.

The woman chose to do something for Jesus and him alone, and it upset the disciples. Jesus was always the giver and never, until now, the receiver. Finally there came to him someone who was not asking to be healed, forgiven, blessed, or to looking for the secret to eternal life. Her only desire was to love Jesus and give him the best that she had to offer. And the disciples called it a “waste” (v. 8).

Lord Jesus, we realize that there are many different Christian traditions in this world and we do not all share the same form of worship. By Your Spirit, remind us of this woman if we are tempted to call someone else’s act of love a waste, excessive, undignified, too emotional, too ritual, or too sentimental. Let us see their reverence through Your eyes, hear their prayers and songs through Your ears, and feel their devotion to You with Your heart, so that even if their actions seem strange from our point of view, we recognize the good thing they are doing for You. As for us, may we learn from her to give You the best we have to offer–to give You everything.

“The least” is the easiest person to overlook; they make the smallest contribution, yet they have the greatest needs. The least could be someone who is poor and unattractive, someone shy and friendless, someone disabled or deformed, someone always in trouble, someone not bright, pleasant, or considerate. The least is the person who can be ignored without suffering personal loss or damage to the institution. The least can disappear and no one misses them or asks what happened to them.

The Lord Jesus was not interested in good deeds performed for important people; there is no reward for a kindness shown to a superior. Jesus’ heart is for the least important people, for they are his brothers and sisters. In fact, his concern for them is so great, he is willing to stake our eternal destiny on our care for them. At the end of this parable, whether we march into life or are thrown in the fire depends on our treatment of the least.

Where in the gospels do we find Jesus telling us, “You must receive Me into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior?” What we hear him say is, “Feed the hungry, help the stranger, clothe the naked, visit those who are sick and in prison. Take care of My brothers and sisters, especially the least among them.”

Forgive us, O Lord, for being so enthralled by wealth and beauty, for catering to the whims of the high and mighty while turning our backs on the weak and lowly. We watch You touch the leper, show compassion to the blind, and take time for the children to hold them in Your arms. Open our eyes to the person we have trained our minds to not see. Create in us an eagerness for that next opportunity to do something for You by doing it for the least of Your brothers or sisters.

Jesus measures the work he gives us, matching our resources to our ability. He will not demand of us anything we cannot give him nor will he set us up to fail. If our ability is equal to two talents, he will not give us five; if our ability is limited to one, he will not give us two. But if he gives us one, he knows we are able to produce something more with it.

We cannot concern ourselves with the resources Jesus has given to other believers or envy their talents. If he knows they are capable of doing and managing more than we can do or manage, then we can trust his wisdom, accept our humble role, and rejoice in the successes of those whose work in God’s kingdom is greater than our own.

The first slave was wise to “immediately” put his talent to work. The absence of the master is what creates the tension and temptation in the story. It is also what makes the present moment so critical, because once the master returns (v. 19) and the door is shut (v. 10), there will be no more opportunity to make something of this life. We do not want to die with money in the bank, unwritten books in our minds, or unfulfilled intentions to do good in our hearts.

O Lord, it is clear that mere talent or money is not Your primary concern and that You have already given us everything we need to please You. We learn from Your teaching that the “real deal” is not the person who works wonders, but the person who does good for others. Walk with us, Lord, and when we are tempted to be “wicked” or “lazy,” bring someone our way who can use our love and help.

In this passage, Jesus tells the first of three stories that illustrate and illuminate the last section of Matthew 24. Ten virgins took their lamps and ventured into the night to meet the bridegroom. When he arrived, he was going to usher them into the wedding feast. But then Jesus introduced a complication into the story, “the bridegroom was delaying.”

The bridegroom’s late arrival exactly describes our experience. Although Jesus told the disciples that no one knew the “day or hour” of his return, they certainly expected it to happen in their lifetime (Mt. 24:32; Acts 1:6). Many of Jesus’ predictions in Matthew 24 were fulfilled within forty years of his death and resurrection. But other predictions, now some two thousand years later, remain unfulfilled.

When someone is a little late for an appointment, we get impatient. If they are very late, we get worried. If they are unreasonably late, we give up hope that they will ever arrive. When Jesus told this parable, did he know a day would come when many would despair of his return? If so, what is he telling us? Just this, that it is our wisdom to adjust to the tension of our situation by behaving as if he were going to return tonight and preparing as if he will not return in our lifetime.

O Jesus, we are relieved that You did not find fault with the ten women for falling asleep, but only with the five for not being “on the alert.” To our way of thinking, it seems You should have arrived by now. It seems that our prayers for enlightenment to Your will, a stronger resistance to sin, and a closer relationship with You should have been answered by now. Give us grace to live with delays without losing our edge or missing the opportunities to notice Your daily movements through our world when You do pass our way.