“Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to Him with an alabaster flask of a very expensive ointment, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table” (Matthew 26:6,7). “Then Mary took a pint of pure spikenard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” (John 12:3)
This flask of perfume was estimated to be worth one year’s wages. What a treasure for Mary to have! Think of all she could’ve done with it! After all, it was stressful times. Rome ruled over Israel with an iron fist. The tax burden upon the citizens was suffocating. Did she ever dream of escaping it all? Maybe renting a beach-side cottage, and buying exquisite food for a year? She had the money to, but love compelled her to spend this rich oil on worshipping her Savior.
It’s as though this flask was more than just a beautiful alabaster box that had to be broken to release the elixir, but it was her heart, broken, laid open, before Him. The liquid flowed as hot tears, pent up and precious, poured out to Him. She first anoints his head, showing He is The High Priest, the King of kings. Then she anoints His feet, the very feet that will soon walk the weary path to Calvary, under the weight of, not just the cross, but our sin. These precious feet, now unmarked, will soon willingly receive the spikes that nail Him to the cross. Oh, how precious this moment was! Anointing the Lamb of God before His sacrifice. Priceless!
Dear Ones, we all have hearts full of offerings, but what will we spend it on? It’s tempting to try to numb ourselves with the pain of life with costly distractions. But there is nothing that will satisfy our longing, aching hearts more, than to pour out all we have onto our Loving Lord. This offering lingers... the fragrance filled, not only the room, but remained with Jesus until the day of His crucifixion (Matthew 26:12). This precious offering of worship also lingered with Mary. Her hair would’ve carried the scent for weeks, reminding her of this precious moment in time, where she gave all she had to the only One who is worthy of such adoration and worship.
May our time with Jesus change us. May it leave us blessed, refreshed and fragrant to a world that is marked by the stench of sin. It’s precious and priceless.
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