Tine touching story of Mary in John 20 is familiar to almost every one. It is a striking instance of
ignorant, yet genuine affection. She might have known His glorious resurrection. She ought to
have remembered His words, "After three days I will rise again." But though her faith and
intelligence were defective, her heart beat true to it’s object and her treasurer. Contrast her with
Peter sad John, and does she not stand on a platform far above them? They can return to their
home, satisfied that Jesus’ body was set in the tomb, though they knew not where He was. This
was not enough for Mary; her loyal heart pants to know where He is, and finding Him not, is
ready to break with grief. She stands without at the sepulcher weeping, stooping to gaze at the
spot where they laid Him. Unperturbed by the angels, disconcerted in no wise, there she lingers,
and there her heart most be_beautiful instance of genuine though ignorant affection, and the
amazing power of one object when the affections are governed thereby. They have taken away
my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him…. Sir, if thou have born Hm hence, tell me
where thou hast laid him, and I will take Him away.”

How was she rewarded? Most surely according to the desires of her heart towards Himself. First,
He allows her to hear her own name on His risen lips. Wonderful moment for Mary! Wonderful
moment for Jesus! Was not every pulsation of her devoted heart met, and more than satisfied,
when His blessed voice caused her to look into His own ace, her Master and her Lord? I am bold
to say that two hearts were made glad that daybreak_hers who could find no home where He
was not, and His who gave His life for worthless rebels like us. And I am bold to say further, that
it gave Him greater joy to own her as His sheep, calling her by name, Mary! than it did her to be
so owned and called. But this was not all, for He commissions her now to carry the most
wonderful message ever entrusted to human lips, (see verse . 17)_“Go to my brethren, and say I
ascend, unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." He sends her forth to
proclaim the victory of His love, not only that He had triumphed so gloriously, that every enemy
was under His feet, but that He, the risen man, was Head of a new race, that, "both He that
sanctified” and they who are sanctified are all of one for which cause He is not ashamed to call
them brethren, saying, I will declare Thy name unto my brethren" (Heb. 2:11,12). He sends her
forth out of the second garden, where the mournful history of the first garden (Eden) had been
more than wiped out by the glories of His triumph, to say to poor trembling hearts like ours, that
He Himself had not only won a new place for them, but that he had positively brought them into
it in Himself:“He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one,” which does not
mean that He was degraded to their level, but that He, by His death, His glorious triumph and
victory, had elevated then to the heights of His own new place before His Father and God.

What grace I wondrous grace! He passes by angels that excel in strength, and comes down to a
poor weak woman upon the earth, owns her as His sheep, and then sends her forth to wipe the
tearful eyes, and comfort the trembling hearts of His own, by announcing unto them the
conquests of His love. Who can say now that Jesus does not delight to reward the devoted heart?
And who can deny that in thus rewarding it, He gratifies His own changeless affections?

Let us now turn to Mark 14. It is the only instance recorded in Scripture of any one having
intelligent sympathy with Christ:It is a wonderful scene; every one is thinking of death. Jesus has

the vision of death before His spirit. How must the passover, with its lamb whose blood was
shed, have brought forward death, before every mind? There were the type and antitype face to
face as it were_the chief priests and scribes, with a hatred to Christ which nothing but his death
could appease, seeking how they might take Him by craft, and put Him to death. Thus we see
bow death filled all thoughts; but there was present one, a poor weak woman, too, whose heart
kept company with all that was passing through His; she alone was in full sympathy with His
feelings at the moment, and entered into the thoughts of God concerning the beloved Son.

It has been remarked that the account with which Mark furnishes us of the close of His blessed
mission of love, presents Jesus more solitary in it than any other; incidents and circumstances
which are recorded more or less in all the other gospels, are absent from Mark. If this be so, how
strikingly significant is the record of this act of Mary’s in the house of Simon the leper! Her heart
and her affections, in true and genuine sympathy, traversing with Him the dreariness and
loneliness of His path, as well as marking her sense of the utter worthlessness of all around in
view of His agony and death; on one side intelligently apprehending not only who and what He
was in Himself, but likewise His value in the eyes of His Father; on the other, making use of His
comb as a burying place for every valuable thing of helps on earth. For her, if Jesus dies, He
carries all of hers down in the grave with Himself!

In Matthew and Mark, the blessed Lord is consciously in man’s hand, in the closing hours of His
life. This indeed characterizes these gospels in their record of His death, His cross; which was
both the fruit of the counsel of God in view of redemption, as well as the fruit of Jewish enmity,
and man’s revolted, reprobate, heart. How blessed it is then to see Mary here at such a moment,
marking her sense of the glories of His person in the face of the accumulated hatred of both devil
and man! ft is a blessed sight, in the intelligent apprehension of faith, the homage of one willing,
loving heart, thus laid at His feet one solitary soul in that rebellious land owning Him Lord of ail.
All this sheds its light on His own words, "Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout
the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.”

Let us now look at the facts, as they are here recorded, a little more in detail. Mary’s affection, net
intelligent sympathy, takes the precedence of the treachery of Judas. Her love to Jesus was of that
order and character, that it secured for Him that which was suitable to Himself at such a moment,
and that which entirely met His heart and thoughts. "The box of ointment of spikenard very
precious," answered to all that was around Jesus, in the hatred and malignity of man, in that hour,
but it also coincided with all that filled His soul; and it was, as well as, community of thought
with the Father concerning the Son of His bosom. It is a sight of surpassing blessedness to gaze
at Him as He sits there; to see Him accepting, and vindicating, too, the affection and sympathy
which His own Person had created and called forth; to see her, too, fruit as she was of His grace,
expending on Him to whom she showed her all_that all, as another has touchingly and blessedly
expressed it. Mary, as it were, says by this action of hers, “While the King sitteth at His table, my
spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.”

There is another point of solemn interest in this affecting scene, namely, how opposite the
thoughts of men are to what suits the mind of God and His Christ; the most that some could say
concerning Mary’s act was, that it was marked by waste. Oh, how little He was in their eyes, who

measured the service rendered to Him after this fashion! For it is the person to whom the service
is rendered, that is the true measure of its value.

Jesus, the eternal Son of the Father; Jesus, the spotless and perfect Son of God; Jesus, the willing
and ready friend of need, and want and sorrow, stood so low in their estimate, as to call forth the
expression of waste in regard to that which was voluntarily expended upon Him. It is the same
today; the present is but the offspring of the past; the family character is not wanting in either; the
heir-loom of indifference to God’s Christ, and no sense of who he is or what He is, passes on
from generation to generation; and today, with all its boasted light, superiority and advance, the
poor, the perishing, the destitute, and the oppressed, have their friends and allies, but Jesus, the
precious, blessed, wondrous Saviour, is forgotten and neglected only remembered to be slighted
and despised.

There is a bright spot in this dark cloud; turn your eye upon it for a moment:Jesus vindicates her.
How blessed! The eye under which this act was performed discerned its value, and the heart that
had caused to spring up affections so suited to Himself her Lord, measures out its appreciation of
all that was expended on Himself; and He lets every one know what he felt and thought of this
manifestation of her devotedness to His Person.“Let her alone, she hath wrought a good work on
me; she hath done what she could; she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.

Verily, I say unto you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world,
this also that she hath done, shall be spoken of for a memorial of her." Oh, the joy of being
vindicated by Jesus, and the satisfaction of knowing that, however feebly, we have truly
ministered to the longings of His heart?

The Lord gave His saints in these last days more genuine affection for, and true sympathy with,
our Lord Jesus Christ, and His interests, that nothing may be able to divert their hearts from Him,
engage their powers but Him, satisfy their souls but Him!