It is a well-known truth that Scripture never occupies us with our love to Christ, but rather with His love to us. Some of us well remember an old brother, long since with the Lord, who used to remind us, “Never try to love the Lord any more than you do; just think of how much He loves you!” This is important, for occupation with self in any way, except to judge ourselves, does not honor God and is not the path of blessing.
However, there are a number of Scriptures that, while not occupying us with our love to Christ, would remind us of how much He appreciates any response in our hearts to His love. One very precious incident concerns Mary of Bethany, when she anointed the Lord before He went to the cross. The account is most explicit in John 12:1-91Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 2There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. 3Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. 4Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, 5Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. 7Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. 8For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always. 9Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. (John 12:1‑9), but the accounts in Matthew 26:6-136Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? 9For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 10When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. 12For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. (Matthew 26:6‑13) and Mark 14:3-93And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. 4And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? 5For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. 6And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. 7For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. 8She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. 9Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. (Mark 14:3‑9) are very likely the same occasion, although Mary is not named; she is simply identified as “a woman.” Perhaps this would show us that the privilege of such an act of worship is not limited to Mary, but could be performed by any devoted believer.
It will be recalled that Mary was the one (Luke 10:3939And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. (Luke 10:39)) who sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. Likewise, she was the one who was most in the current of God’s thoughts when her brother Lazarus died (John 11). When it came time for the Lord to go to the cross, again it is she who understands, perhaps more than any other, what was going to happen. It is she who responds with real devotedness and, more than this, according to the mind of God.
The Ointment of Spikenard
Apparently it was customary for young, unmarried girls of that day to try to acquire some of the expensive ointment of spikenard (or nard) to be kept until they used it on their wedding day. It was very costly, as it was grown in the Himalayas and had to be imported. The price mentioned in Scripture would represent approximately a year’s wages for a laboring man. It was sometimes mixed with olive oil, and the bride would use it as a perfume. It is mentioned several times in the Song of Solomon in this connection.
It is likely that Mary was initially reserving her pound of this ointment for the day when she might marry, but when she saw her Lord and Master about to die, she used all of it to anoint Him instead. In her act of doing so, she recognized the Lord Jesus in His two distinctive characters — as the rightful King and as the sacrifice for sin. Because she knew Him to be the rightful King, it is recorded in Matthew and Mark that she anointed His head; because she knew He would suffer for sin in His humiliation, it is recorded in John that she anointed His feet. “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich” (2 Cor. 8:99For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)). While the disciples might not understand when the Lord told them He must suffer and die and while Judas (and perhaps others) might complain of the waste of the ointment, Mary understood fully who the Lord was and what He must do. Her act exhibited both spiritual intelligence and heartfelt devotedness.
The Value of Her Act
When objections to Mary’s act were made, the Lord defends her in a touching way. The poor were always present, and none felt for them as did the Lord. There would always be ample opportunity to help them. But here was an occasion that would not present itself again, and Mary had seized that opportunity. The Lord’s response to her is most touching and encouraging, for it shows how much He valued her act. He says, “In that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her” (Matt. 26:12-1312For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. (Matthew 26:12‑13)).
The gospel of the grace of God was about to be preached, as the blessed result of the Lord’s work on the cross. The love of God was to be shown out at the cross as never before and the heart of God revealed as it had not been in the Old Testament. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:88But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)). What would be man’s response? Sad to say, many would spurn God’s offer of mercy and prefer to remain in their sins. But even more sad, those who would accept it and be brought into eternal blessing with Christ would sometimes fail to appreciate the cost involved. All too often we who are the Lord’s tend to react like the nine lepers in Luke 17, who enjoyed their healing, but had no heart to return and give thanks.
The Display of Deepest Gratitude
Mary’s act would not necessarily be used as a gospel testimony to lost sinners; rather, it would be mentioned because her appreciation of the person of the Lord Jesus and the depth of His love for her called out from her the deepest gratitude. His love, enjoyed in her heart, caused her to give what was perhaps the most precious possession she had, in order to show her appreciation of His love.
Her act was individual, but it was done in the presence of others, and it is thus perhaps a picture of the remembrance of the Lord, which He later instituted. The ointment was poured on Him and was for Him, yet we read that “the house was filled with the odor of the ointment” (John 12:33Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. (John 12:3)). Our worship is not for ourselves; properly, it flows up to God through Christ. But all who are present will feel the preciousness of it, for all that Christ is and all that He has done will overflow for our enjoyment too.
The Lord Jesus was God, but He was a perfect man too, with all the thoughts and feelings natural to a man, “yet without sin.” He remains a man in the glory and appreciates any small response of our hearts to His love. The enjoyment of His love in our hearts will surely produce this, for “we love because He has first loved us” (1 John 4:1919We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19) JND).
W. J. Prost