ALMS - MATTHEW 26:6-13

6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. KJV

The Apostle Matthew records an event that he witnessed during the earthly ministry of Jesus. We can never exhaust all the information contained in the Holy Bible but we can emphasize certain points that are clearly revealed in the scriptures mentioned above. First, we will notice that Jesus was in a house, not a synagogue, when this event took place. This speaks to us about being godly no matter where we are because where ever we are God Is. In church we should be open to what the Lord speaks to our heart but we should also be open to the Lord's direction in our home or the home of another. The next verse states that the woman poured some very precious ointment upon the head of Jesus. There are a few things that must be mentioned for further explanation of this alms. One the woman did something very unorthodox by pouring the ointment right on top of the head of Jesus without His permission. This means sometimes we may need to walk by faith, trusting God that what we are offering to someone else will be accepted by them. Notice that the term "when Jesus understood it" was used in verse 10 to imply that when this event initially happen the Lord did not understand what was being done to him. This will surprise some Christians that Jesus had to trust God to give Him understanding and knowledge while He walked the earth but that is exactly what the Holy Bible teaches. We must remember that Jesus was a man upon the earth walking by faith in God, not God visiting the earth in all His Divine glory and splendor. Another thing we will point out is that the woman owned the alabaster box of ointment. This brings to mind that we should only give of that which we possess. When considering an alms gift, use the thing you have in your possession not something that belongs to someone else. This may seem like a mute point but there are some people that will take a possession that belongs to someone else and give that gift to another which is ungodly according to 2 Samuel 12:1-6. This can be thought of as not robbing Peter to pay Paul. If you have purposed to give alms toward feeding orphans do not take that donation and transfer it to the building fund by thinking it really does not matter. Alms matter before God and one should use alms deeds to help people in need knowing that how you give your alms is just as important as what you give. What ever you give concerning alms you are giving unto the Lord so please be respectful and kind and loving when you give because the Lord is watching and the Lord is ultimately the one responsible to render a return back unto you. Another point to highlight in this account is that everyone will not always be blessed by your personal alms deed. We notice that those who had nothing to do with the gift became upset with the distribution of the gift. Not just one person but rather several disciples got very offended. Yes, even our Christian brothers and sister can turn against you when they don't agree with your decisions. This is another reason why we should do our alms privately when at all possible. What the disciples thought was a waste of money was indeed a blessing unto God. It is interesting that what some thought evil about the Lord recorded it as a memorial for her unto Jesus forever. This is another reason why it pays to obey God, she probably had this on her heart and then just did it. She did not know before she did that act of kindness toward the Lord that where ever the Gospel of Jesus was preached her deed would be preached also according to verse 12. This is an example of doing what ever we do unto the Lord of not unto men. A one-time act of kindness ("An Alms") may bring forth an eternal reward from God. In verse 10 Jesus calls this a "good work" which tells us to maintain good works because every good gift (good things included) comes from God according to James 1:17. We can look back now and see that it is obvious that this ointment was poured for the preparation of Jesus death but who at that time fully understood that Jesus needed to smell good when He presented His resurrected body to the Father in Heaven. Notice that when the disciples mentioned giving money to the poor Jesus replied that the poor are always here. The Lord specifically states that this was a special alms under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit not to be confused with someone deciding to do a good deed. We can glean from that statement that there may be times when the Holy Spirit of God will prompt your heart to do a "good work" for some one else. Thus, if you have a thought about giving a specific "alms" to someone you know and you think the ideal is from God, by all means obey your heart. There will also be times when you just know God is speaking to your heart about blessing someone else, please obey this prompting with a clear conscience because like in this example this was done outside of the church establishment. We know that God loves all people and the Lord is always looking a head of our natural foresight. Therefore simple obedience to the Spirit of God in love is all that is required to satisfy the longing of your heart to do God’s Will. If you would like to give an "alms" to some one you know or know about from the kindness of your heart that is acceptable also when done in humbleness and privacy. The Lord always favors good works done for the people of God in the Name of Jesus just as long as we don't do good works for the purpose of gaining God's approval. So give freely to someone in need when you have some extra, following the leading of your heart. Remember that when you give an "alms" to a Christian you are indeed pouring oil upon the Head of Jesus, thus bestowing a blessing upon Him personally. For if you have done it unto the least of one these My Children you have done it unto Me saith the Lord in Matthew 25:40. Amen!

In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster

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