What Can I Give

In Mark 14:3-9 and Matthew 26:6–13 we are taught about a woman who anointed the Savior with “very precious” (costly) ointment. Why did she do this? What did she understand about the Savior? Why did some of the disciples feel indignant and call her action a “waste”? To understand this story we must start at the beginning.

There are some people who recognized Jesus as the Savior of all mankind. They were familiar with the scriptures and knew that he would be sacrificed to save us all. The woman in this story understood this. She recognized Jesus and the role he would play for the world. Because of this she came and anointed his head with very expensive oil. In those days it was the tradition to anoint the body with oil after death. This was her way of honoring the Lord and acknowledging her testimony of him.

Some of the disciples were upset with her actions because they did not understand not only why she did what she did but also that Jesus was the Christ. This lack of clarity caused them to jump to conclusions and to even judge the woman. They accused her of not caring for the poor by selling this valuable oil and donating the funds to a good cause.

Jesus explained to his followers that she had done a good thing and she would be remembered for it so the whole world could learn from her example. So what can we learn from this humble woman? Perhaps the lesson is to give to the Lord through our tithes and offerings. This shows our faith in him and allows his stewards to care for his kingdom on earth as is needed. 

Jesus made a point of saying that they poor would always be with them but he would not always be there. To me this means that there will always be a good cause that we can contribute our time and money to but the most important cause is remember Christ in all we say and do and making him the focus of our lives. We do this by devoting our time, money, and talents to building his kingdom.

For me, my time and my money are of value. I can show my love for the Savior by paying a full and honest tithe of ten percent of all my income. I can also pay a generous fast offering so that my bishop can use those funds to help others. I can share my time and talents with my family and community to help bring the gospel into their lives through my example. I can spend my time doing as the Savior would have me do including serving others and showing love. How will you emulate the woman who anointed the Savior?