However, not everyone does it this way. Some don’t even get up out of their chairs. We think something is terribly wrong with the relationship, if no one walks you out to the beginning of your travel home. We think this time is precious and what you say as you leave important. The last words are what you remember most!

I think of our long, (possibly too long, especially in the minds of kids) goodbyes as I read about the last days of Jesus on earth. I’m considering what He must be thinking as he tries to get His best friends he has walked with all this time, His disciples, to understand what He knows is about to happen. At the end of all His story examples about how to invest wisely in the Kingdom, live life to the full, blessing others by loving everyone, telling them HE is the Way, the Truth and the Life, He now begins his goodbyes.

Also, in the next few paragraphs, betrayal and an act of sacrificial love are presented to us and our emotions run the gamut of anger to weeping. With this dichotomy of thinking it reminds us to evaluate where we are in our own lives. There are only two choices, you know. Are we with Jesus or against Him? No middle ground here.

Matthew 25, The Message

THE BEGINNING OF THE GOODBYE…
26 1-2 When Jesus finished saying these things, he told his disciples, “You know that Passover comes in two days. That’s when the Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over for crucifixion.”

MEANWHILE…
3-5 At that very moment, the party of high priests and religious leaders was meeting in the chambers of the Chief Priest named Caiaphas, conspiring to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him. They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week. “We don’t want a riot on our hands,” they said.

WRONG FOCUS…
6-9 When Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper, a woman came up to him as he was eating dinner and anointed him with a bottle of very expensive perfume. When the disciples saw what was happening, they were furious. “That’s criminal! This could have been sold for a lot and the money handed out to the poor.”

PRECIOUS TIME LEFT REVEALS THE HEART
10-13 When Jesus realized what was going on, he intervened. “Why are you giving this woman a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives, but not me. When she poured this perfume on my body, what she really did was anoint me for burial. You can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she has just done is going to be remembered and admired.”

THE BEGINNING OF THE BETRAYAL…AS PREDICTED.
14-16 That is when one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the cabal of high priests and said, “What will you give me if I hand him over to you?” They settled on thirty silver pieces. He began looking for just the right moment to hand him over.

Where is our heart focus? Time is precious, no matter how much time we think we have left. Time belongs to God. Only HE knows the time we have left here on earth. He owns every minute whether we choose to give it to Him or not. Choose well…for our own sake.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you, once again, for revealing Yourself to us through Your Word that proclaims Your unconditional love, mercy and grace for us. We repent of wasted moments of precious time. Help us move on, with an even greater focus of heart, mind and soul for You and for others. Make me a blessing to You by the pouring out of my soul, like a rich perfume, over someone else today. In Jesus Name, Amen