Essentially Oils
Mark 14:4-9
"There were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they scolded her. But Jesus said, Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."
The religious authorities already wanted to arrest and destroy Jesus because of his teachings. They worked behind the scenes to kill him in a way that wouldn't cause an uproar among his followers. Some of Jesus' disciples wanted to argue with him about how he was conducting himself. They didn't appreciate his methods and some of the people he welcomed into his works. And one disciple in particular, Judas, plotted to betray him to the religious authorities.
But before that happens, we have this encounter with the unnamed woman with the alabaster jar of very expensive spikenard perfume. In the ancient times women would carry this small alabaster jar on their person so that they could subdue any obnoxious smells they might encounter in their day-to-day activities. In those ancient days things were often smelly. Especially in gatherings of people in close proximity to one another. And so, you would cope by scenting yourself with perfume to cover the smell or maybe you'd scent a scarf or something you're wearing so that when an offensive smell hits your senses, you can then cover your nose and smell the perfume instead.
So, this unnamed woman comes into this dinner and doesn't just bless Jesus with a dab of perfume, she breaks the jar over his head and massages his hair with the ointment. The entire house must have smelled like spikenard.
Now of course, me being a horticulturalist I'm going to pause here and dig into the perfume itself. Spikenard is a plant that grows in India and the Himalayan Mountain regions. It's also known as valerian root. It's thought to have spiritual properties, and if you're familiar with Hindu mythology you know that it is among a very large group of herbal "gods" that are venerated by those who follow the Hindu traditions. Another of these Hindu "gods" that gets mentioned in the gospels is Hyssop, an herb that was offered to Jesus at the cross to help him deal with the pain.
Spikenard today is popular among so called "essential oils". It's appreciated for its calming effect and aromatic properties. It can also be used for skin care and has other health benefits. This ointment wasn't exclusively used in Hindu religious rituals, In the Old Testament, spikenard is mentioned multiple times as a fragrant oil and ointment. It was a highly valued commodity and was used in various Hebrew religious ceremonies.
Proverbs 27:9
"Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel."
So it wasn't uncommon for a person to welcome a visitor into his home for dinner with a splash of spikenard as a kind of friendly blessing. And of course this helped deal with any potential body odor offenses. And its fragrant aroma was thought to be pleasing to God as well, so a spiritual dimension is applied in its application.
In the gospel of Luke we learn that it was used by Mary of Bethany to anoint Jesus’ feet. Whether this occurred in a different context is hard to confirm, but I believe Mark is indeed telling about the same story here in chapter fourteen. Why? Because I want to believe that.
Jesus sees her devotion and extravagance as a preparation for his burial. And as I said earlier the fragrance would have filled the entire house. And of course, Judas Iscariot, the thief, catches wind of it and criticized her for using such an expensive oil instead of selling it and giving the money to the poor. Jesus shuts Judas' objections down and goes even further saying that her devotion story would be told throughout the ages.
And I suppose that's true, seeing as how I'm doing exactly that more than two thousand years later.
What is her story?
We have her act of offering as a symbolic example of complete surrender and devotion to God. Her offering represents the costly and sacrificial love she had for Jesus. Her perfume, spikenard, symbolizes the spiritual and physical healing that Jesus brought to the world through his life, death, and resurrection. And Jesus confirms that symbolism.
"She has anointed my body beforehand for burial."
Now we know that one does not pre-anoint a person for burial. Obviously, Jesus would end up being a complete mess after his anguish in the Garden, his arrest, trial, scourging and execution. So obviously this is a symbolic gesture. Her offering showed that she recognized Jesus as the Messiah and was willing to sacrifice something of great value to honor him.
In religious ceremonies spikenard was used to consecrate objects and to anoint the heads of priests and kings. But I think as for Mary of Bethany, this offering was her expression of love and devotion. And on a more personal level she wanted to soothe Jesus' tired head. She wanted to bring him some peace after such a long and tumultuous journey that they've all been on. The significance of her story lies in the fact that she recognized Jesus’ impending death and wanted to honor Him before it happened. Maybe she had been listening to where the boys had not. She understood Jesus when he said he was going to his death. Meanwhile the men are concerned about the logistics of things, and the practical implications of everything Jesus was doing.
She understood the good things.
They focused on all the unimportant issues.
She worships Jesus.
They try to manage him.
She sacrificed herself and her wealth.
They're selling Jesus out.
Mary’s gesture was an act of love and devotion that symbolized Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for all who love God and love one another.
May we all have a heart like hers as we go about our lives trying to follow Jesus and do honor for his gospel.