A Unique Demonstration of Devotion. Mark 14:3-9.
And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 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.”
Dear Servants of the King of Kings,
There is a connection between the plot to kill Jesus (v. 1-2) and this story. Unlike most people, this woman sensed danger and realized that there was not much time. Some of us have a sensitivity to such things but most people are completely oblivious of anything but the obvious.
Cost (v. 3). Jesus was at dinner in the house of Simon the leper. This was probably a leper whom Jesus had healed and cleansed. The woman came with a bottle of very expensive perfume. Alabaster is a kind of stone common in the Middle East and which can be carved and fashioned, much like soapstone, but harder. Such bottles would have stoppers, but the woman broke the bottle instead of removing the stopper. She was sparing no cost. She poured all of the ointment over Jesus’ head.
Criticism (v. 4-5). Some people never see even the obvious. Jesus was the greatest thing to happen in the land of Israel since Moses, so no expense on him was wasted, but greed can blind one to all but material gain. A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer, so if one considered 50 Sabbaths in a year, this perfume would have been worth a year’s wages. They criticized the woman for what they saw as a wasteful extravagance.
Commendation (v. 6-9). But Jesus not only defended her, but he also commanded her. She had realized that time was short, that Jesus would probably be killed and she would not have an opportunity to pay her respects and anoint his body with perfume and spices, as was the common practice. Jesus’ statement, “You always have the poor with you” could be doublespeak. It can mean that there always will be poor people among us, which is the natural reading, or it could be tongue-in-cheek – that the minds of the critics were on the poor, probably for show, instead of on Jesus. Jesus promised that the woman’s noble deed would be remembered everywhere the gospel was preached. The critics are also remembered, but negatively. How do you want to be remembered?
Your Loving Pastor Chris.