Oil Of Spikenard

John 12:1-8

With John 12 there comes a shift in emphasis away from Jesus’ public ministry, culminating in the resurrection of Lazarus; to Jesus’ private ministry (principally to the disciples), which concludes with His own resurrection.

In John chapters 1 to 11, we have a prologue, then a record of Jesus’ three years of ministry. Now we embark on the week leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection, before the book concludes with a short epilogue mapping out the way ahead for the Church of Jesus Christ.

We begin with Jesus again coming to Bethany — ‘house of dates’ (also translated as ‘house of affliction’) — and it has been suggested that this implies a place of ‘spiritual goodness’ in a deep way (presumably because dates were a much prized fruit). Whatever the interpretation, it seems to have been a place of significance for Jesus, a place where He ‘felt at home’, particularly in the house of Martha and Mary.

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.
There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.
Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said,
“Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”
This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."
[John 12:1-8 NKJV]

Jesus had already spoken to His disciples about this coming hour. This was the last moment that He would have with friends around Him, before the events foretold would come to pass. We are not told if Mary acted spontaneously; but she took a pound of very expensive oil and anointed Jesus’ feet.

Usually it is the head that is anointed, which would be inappropriate here, as Mary would have been placing herself in a spiritual relationship which she did not and could not have — a subject cannot crown a king — and thus anointing Jesus’ feet was accepting her right relationship to her Lord; at the same time preparing His feet (in the spiritual sense) for the hard walk to and through the cross which awaited Him.

More than this, Mary accepted her lowly status by wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair — a type of her spiritual covering — in acknowledgement of her servanthood. The release of fragrance; a sweet-smelling savour shows the deeper significance of this moment. Now is the sacrificial lamb being placed on the altar of incense in preparation to enter the Holy of Holies.

And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
[Ephesians 5:2 NKJV]

Jesus makes plain the importance of this moment, when he silences Judas’ objections. Judas and maybe all of the disciples failed to grasp the cataclysmic pivotal event which was unfolding; an event that reshaped everything.

We could find no video of a relevant song for this post. This is one we have sung often in our gathering…

We’ve come to the altar of incense
No longer the many but one
We’ve come to the evening oblation
To be offered in the fullness of The Son.

Burn thou fire till Christ be offered up
And we enter into the Holiest of All
Burn thou fire till Christ be offered up
And we enter into the Holiest of All

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When the Baptism in the Holy Ghost came upon the early disciples it made them the living epistles of what they taught, and it is to be the same with us.
Jesus Christ is always infinitely mightier than our faith, mightier than our experience, but our experience will be along the line of the faith we have in Him.
[from ‘The Psychology of Faith’]

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“Oil of Gladness/I Will Rejoice/I Love To Praise Him” (medley) — David Butterbaugh

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