There are two stories in our Bible about two different women who anointed Jesus. One of the women is unknown, but sinner, for He forgives her sins when she anoints Him; the other woman is Mary of Bethany, Martha and Lazarus' sister. Both times the gift is costly. Both times they offer the gift because of the love in their hearts for their Teacher, their Rabbi, their Savior. Both women give us examples of how to approach Jesus.
Scripture references for Mary of Bethany are Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8 all of which take place at Simon the leper's home in Bethany. The other Scripture reference in Luke 7:36-50 takes place at Simon the Pharisee's home in Galilee.
Two different men, two different homes, two different women, two different scenes, two different intentions, two different receptions.
Though the first man is referred to as Simon the leper, because he has a home within city limits of Bethany, we know that he is no longer a leper and become aware that it is Jesus who has healed him. Simon would always give Jesus a warm welcome in his home. As we who are healed by Christ,also receive Him warmly into not only our hearts, but into our lives and in essence our homes, for this is where we live the life we have offered Christ.
The second man is Simon the Pharisee, who was perhaps one of the Pharisees in the previous verses who had rejected the lessons they were hearing from Jesus. Though he recognized Jesus as a knowledgeable Teacher, in his heart he questioned Jesus' wisdom in allowing this woman to touch him (Luke 7:39). My Bible cross-references verse 37 with Luke 8:2, referring to this second woman as Mary Magdalene, who had been possessed by seven devils, but was now delivered. The pain of this torment would have caused her to cry out, hurt herself and be considered unclean by all who came into contact with here. Nevertheless, no one offered her help until Jesus came to her rescue and healed her illnessess and called out the evil spirits within her. Now, she faithfully, along with other women in the city, ministered to Jesus' needs. And at this time, one year before His crucifixion, this anointing in Galilee was an act of worship.
Her heart healed, her mind clear, her sins forgiven her, Mary of Galilee purchases an alabaster jar filled with nard, spikenard or cassia as it was referred to. Weeping, not crying out, but weeping silently she enters Simon the Pharisee's home carrying this alabaster offering. Tears running down her face, she kneels at Jesus' feet, while He rests at the dinner table. As she bows her head over His feet, her hair tumbles down around Him and she just reaches out and uses the strands of her hair to dry His feet: feet which were dirty from all His journeying but are now clean from her tears. Opening the alabaster perfume jar, she begins to anoint His feet with it.
After this, He continued His journey into villages and cities, preaching the gospel. Usually on foot. His feet were rested and comforted. Our Bibles tell us that the feet of they who preach the gospel are beautiful. Here is Jesus, preaching the gospel, and we know that His feet are indeed beautiful. He walked in most of these places. Though the wheel had been invented, it was used for carts and chariots and He had neither. Sometimes He was able to use boats to get from one piece of land to another, but mostly He walked. On His feet were sandals, strips of leather fastened together both on the foot and up the ankle. Useful for protection from the heat on the surface of the ground, but not to keep the elements or the dust off.
I tell you all this as a preamble to this: you and I are both the oil and the box. In the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 3:16 we are asked "Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God lives in you?" When we accept the grace of God and receive His forgiveness on our sins, and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God who reigns forever, Jesus lives in us through The Holy Spirit. We become God's temple, God's house.
We become strong and holy through sanctification and submission to God's will for our lives. And God has many wills for our lives. The primary will of God is for all to be saved. Salvation is #1 on the list of God's will for our life. Sanctification is #2; for the Bible tells us God says, "Be holy, for IAM holy." And in Matthew, resting comfortably in the middle of The Beatitudes sits this verse, Bless are the pure in heart for they shall see God." We all want to see God. And we all will. But only some of us will live. For to see God when a person is not holy is to see death. As we begin our new life in Christ, we enter the sanctification process and work our way to becoming a vessel of honor to God. We learn to be more Christ-like, not only for ourselves, but also towards others.
Verse 13 says "Every man's work shall be made manifest, meaning revealed,: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." What we have done for Jesus is our oil. The more we offer of ourselves to Christ, the more we surrender ourselves to God's will, the greater our sacrifice of self is evident. For we will have surrendered our all to Jesus, He who surrendered His all to us and gave of Himself everything He had. That is the oil we pour out on Jesus' feet, when we kneel before Him. Everything that is of great cost to us, is of great worth to Jesus. What sacrifices must we make to be closer to God? What must we surrender to God willingly that there would be more of Jesus in us and less of us in us? For each one of us it will be something of personal value, even if it is not of a monetary value itself, the cost to us will be evident and criticized by others.
After all, that is what happened when both women offered their costly purchases to Jesus. Mary of Bethany purchased an alabaster flask of sweet perfume, one pound of spikenard equivalent to a year's wages, to anoint Jesus with. This anointing took place six days prior (John 12:1) to His crucifixion. This was in preparation for His burial (John 12:7). But Judas Iscariot protested this anointing, because he wanted the money to go into the group's treasury, of which he was in charge. Though he decried that the money could have been used for the poor, in actuality he took from the funds as
he needed it, not as
the poor needed it. Mary Magdalene's actions were condemned by the homeowner, Simon the Pharisee, because she was a wicked sinner who had the audacity to touch the Prophet's feet.
Mary, Lazarus and Martha's sister, was preparing The Lamb for sacrifice. Are you prepared to sacrifice to The Lamb? Have you brought your offering to the altar with clean heart, clean hands and a clear conscience? Do your actions towards the people in your life, even the passersby, whom we seldom meet but once or twice, render your offering invalid? Or can you, after searching your heart and your mind, willingly and knowingly, submit your offering to God and be prepared to receive what God has for you when you do so?
Will what you have done for Jesus make it through the fire and stand with you? Or will you stand alone having had your actions burn up completely in the fire of God? I can only answer for myself. I do not need to know your answers but you do.
The oil, the sweet perfume, which was stored in the alabaster box was kept pure and untainted because of the alabaster's ability to maintain that which was stored within it. It was a heavy decorative stone, precious, costly, rare and strong. Are you able to maintain that which is, or will be, stored in you? The seal on the alabaster box was made of wax; this prevented the perfume's aroma from leaving the box. A reminder to us that the seal is temporary. That by which we have been sealed will be removed at that time when God opens our boxes and pours out our offering before Him, in His presence, in His holy fire. SO, I ask you again, are you ready? Will you be ready?
We had an amazing altar service this past Sunday morning. And while, I was in the Spirit, I was given another song, which is simply titled: The Oil.
we are the oil
we are one
we were picked
we were chosen
to be crushed
to be broken
we are the oil
we will be poured out
on the Son
onto His head
like a crown
we lay here
on the Son
pouring onto
His garments
running down His face
down His shoulders
onto His feet
His beautiful feet
we are mingled
with her tears
she cried on the Son
for she is broken
she is broken
like the alabaster box
where we lay
with her tears
and with her hair
she washes His
beautiful
beautiful feet
we are the oil
we are one
we were picked
we were chosen
to be crushed
to be broken
for this purpose
our work is done
our work is done
and we are one
in the Son
