Yesterday, I had the honor to teach the weekly Encounter service at the house of prayer where I’m on missionary staff, The Prayer Room Missions Base! I was asked to teach on Mary of Bethany–which is so perfect because ever since God dramatically called me to the Mary of Bethany lifestyle, just to “waste” my life sitting at the feet of Jesus, I’ve spent the past 12 years studying her life and praying through what makes her so unique. (She was even the inspiration behind the name of this blog!)
Mary appears in three scenes in Scripture:
- She sits at His feet and listens to His word in Luke 10.
- She falls at His feet and weeps in John 11.
- She pours out her perfume at His feet in John 12.
In all three seasons, accusations come against her, saying this is a waste of time, waste of resources, and she needs to get back in her place. Mary consistently chooses to push past those accusations, set her eyes on Jesus, and give Him lavish worship.
In this message, I walk through all three chapters and the accusations in each, taking us on a journey of discovering the heart of a woman who radically loved Jesus and of whom He said:
“Wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”
(Mark 14:9)
If you have the time to listen, I really think you’ll be blessed. One of my co-leaders at the house of prayer commented after the message, “She had so many insights to Mary that I think most people if not everyone did not know about – so helpful to understand her and her sacrifice!”
You can download or stream the message, and I also have a PDF of the notes available.