Matthew 26:11

A few days before his crucifixion, Jesus was at dinner in Bethany when a woman poured expensive perfume over his head as an act of deep devotion. Some disciples were upset — the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus defended her, and this verse is part of his response. His words echo Deuteronomy 15, a passage that actually commands Israel to be generous to the poor — so Jesus was not dismissing the needs of the poor. He was pointing to something unrepeatable: his physical presence among them was ending, and this woman had recognized the gravity of the moment when no one else had.

Jesus, you were present with us in a way the world had never seen. Teach me to be present with you — not always planning the next thing or calculating the cost, but fully here with you now. Don't let me miss what you're doing. Amen.

There are moments you can't redo. The last dinner before someone leaves. The hour before a diagnosis changes everything. The quiet Tuesday afternoon you didn't realize was the last ordinary one for a long time. This woman somehow sensed that something momentous was happening, even while the disciples argued about the budget. Her act of pouring out a year's wages in perfume wasn't impulsive waste — it was the most spiritually present thing anyone did that week. She read the room when everyone else missed it entirely. Jesus's words here are sometimes pulled out of context to justify indifference toward poverty — but that's a serious misreading. He clearly expected his followers to care for the poor; he assumed it. What he's drawing attention to is a woman who was fully present to him in a way the others weren't. The question for you isn't whether to serve those in need. The question is whether you're paying attention to what God is doing right now, right in front of you today. Some opportunities to respond to Jesus simply won't come around twice.