What would you give?

This week I chose to learn more about the woman who anointed Christ's head with an expensive ointment and got some flack from some other followers of Jesus, but praise from Him.

This woman understood something that some of His closest followers did not, that He was soon to die and so she was preparing Him for His burial. In a way, I think that she was saying her goodbyes to Him. What a respectful and sorrowful thing it probably was for this woman to do. Often the Savior spoke in parables and so when He was direct about soon dying, I think His apostles and other followers were assuming it was a figure of speech and not literal.


Sometimes our “righteous” actions are not always best. I love the talk by Elder Oaks about choosing the “good, better, best.” I think that in this situation of the woman anointing Christ with her expensive spikenard ointment, she chose best. She recognized who the Savior was and His divinity. The disciples had good intentions of selling the ointment for money for the poor, but they failed to see the honor that this woman gave to the Son of God, her personal Redeemer.

We all look for ways that we could possibly repay our Lord for His eternal sacrifice for us. This woman understood who He was and what He came here to do for her and for all. She was openly acknowledging her gratitude and love for Jesus Christ. We all wish we could give back something to our Savior to show our gratitude and love for Him and His atonement. Her deed will stand as a memorial of her because that is the love and devotion we ought to strive to give our Lord. If all would worship Him and understand His matchless gift He gave, as this woman did, we would all be saved and our lives would be made so much better through our remembrance of Him.
This woman most likely used her most precious and expensive possession to honor the Savior. What would we give to Him? Our time? Our talents? Our possessions? Our money? I just sat back and thought about what I would do if the Savior was a guest at my house. What would I do for Him? How would I serve Him? I wouldn’t be using paper plates and plasticware! I think I’d fix the finest meal I could. I would make sure my home was comfortable. I would make a great dessert. I would bust out my finest china and try to make it all worthy of the Son of God. I don’t have much of value, but what I have, I would freely give.