Anointed with Oil

March 25 Anointed with Oil John 12:1-11

“The anointing which Judas blames is defended on the ground that it is for His burial. Christ therefore does not approve of it as an ordinary service one which should be commonly used in the Church… God certainly does not care for external display… He excuses Mary on the grounds that she had rendered Him an extra-ordinary office…” John Calvin “Commentary on John” Vol. 5:26

On the Saturday before the Passover a meal was held at which Jesus was the guest of honor. For it, Jesus and the disciples returned to Bethany, the scene of the raising of Lazarus. They, therefore, put themselves back within the circle of authority of the Pharisees. Jesus realized that the hour of His death was almost upon Him, so He came. Lazarus, also, put in an appearance, thereby bearing witness to Jesus. We hear little of Lazarus after the startling events in which he played such a major, if passive, role. Perhaps he was still recovering, or perhaps he simply shunned the limelight. He did not want to be made into a curiosity or a celebrity; Jesus was the one who deserved to be center stage. And so Lazarus came, to the house of Simon, the leper whom Jesus had healed. The meal was an opportunity for Lazarus to express his gratitude formally.

Martha served the meal as her guests reclined at a low table. She demonstrated her servant heart by using her gifts to supply their needs. In contrast, Mary’s gift was not at all practical. She took an alabaster jar, containing a liter of spikenard, an expensive, imported perfume. Gently breaking the neck of the flask she poured the contents over Jesus’ feet. The other Gospel writers say that she anointed His head. She could easily have done both. Soon the pungent perfume filled the house. As she knelt, Mary wiped off the excess oil with her hair. It was a simple expression of utter devotion. This man had saved her brother’s life; He had probably also saved them from financial ruin. More importantly, He had stirred something deep within her soul. It is not an exaggeration to say that Mary had discovered that she loved Jesus. But this was not mere human infatuation. Her heart responded not only to Jesus the man but also to Christ her Savior. Her devotion represents that of those, throughout the ages, the response of those who have found in Jesus Christ something “altogether lovely.”

Not everyone was enamored by the scene. Judas, and others, may have been disturbed by the fact that Mary had loosed her hair. At that time, a woman with loose hair was usually a woman with loose morals. It probably scarcely occurred to Mary. What occurred to Judas was that she had used an inordinate amount of money to perform her act of devotion. Three hundred denarii, the cost of the oil, was a year’s wages for a laborer. Surely, the money could have been put to better use? Hindsight made John suspect that Judas wanted the money to line his own pocket. But Jesus rebuked Judas: he may have had a pronounced understanding of financial values, but Judas clearly did not understand human values.

In anointing Jesus, Mary unwittingly prepared her Lord for His death. In the same passage we see both the heights of her love and the depths of jealousy. There could be no going back, not for Jesus, nor for those who wished to be rid of Him.

For further reading: Psalm 119:41-56