John 12:3-8
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
Genesis 37:5-11
Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Ezekiel 18:4
For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.
Matthew 4:17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Matthew 3:8
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
Acts 3:19
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
Romans 2:5
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
Ezekiel 18:30
“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.
Mary’s Story (John 12)
According to her faith, Mary poured perfume on Jesus’ feet. Mary came to truly love Jesus, and she was able to break a seal regarding the highest love that no one had even thought about then. The disciples tried to stop her, but Jesus knew Mary’s heart and stated in verse 8 that he wouldn’t always be with them. Despite the opposition, Mary continued to pour out her love for Jesus. Mary’s act of love is still being told wherever the gospel is preached.
Pouring the perfume represents pouring out one’s heart and thoughts toward one’s beloved. How terribly grieved Mary would have been if she had listened to the disciples and not poured her perfume on Jesus with all of her heart, thoughts, and life even after realizing all the grace and fiery love she had received from Jesus.
Like Mary, we should also have such pure and intense love for God and Jesus.
Do Not Shatter Your Love
People in this time period who would have been saved but rejected the love of God and Jesus instead, spend their love and youth according to their own ways or follow other people’s opinions. So Satan uses them for the world, and they will be unable to turn back. These people will lament forever. If you shatter your love with God and the Savior, you will suffer for a lifetime wherever you go because you have shattered Heaven’s love.
Sin and Repentance
There are thousands of types of sin and only when you know about sin can you repent. People may say, “I have no sin”; however, not having done the work you should have done before God is also sin. Not having repented is also a sin. Some examples include the sin of ignorance, not loving God, not praying, not reading scriptures, doing things while being self-centered, being lazy, slandering, sexual acts, being lewd, handling things according to one’s own emotions, tormenting the righteous, not knowing God and the one sent by God, not believing in the Messiah properly, badmouthing your brothers or sisters of faith without knowing the situation properly, and many more. We must not steal love, time, or money from God, or else he will expose those things and not give you material blessings for your entire lifetime.
Repentance is as terrific as love. It is something that helps to remove and wash away your sin(s). There are many other great reasons to repent:
- You can travel the path of eternal life without needing to carry heavy loads of sin
- Satan and evil people will not bring accusations against you since you will be closer to God and Jesus
- You will be spared from judgement and receive more love from the Trinity
You should ask the Holy Spirit to help you think of the remaining things you still need to repent for. True repentance is to not re-offend. When you repent, you feel joyful, and you will fulfill the ideal world with Heaven’s side. Therefore, we must all repent.
