In Psalm 45:88All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. (Psalm 45:8), we have those beautiful words, spoken prophetically of our Lord Jesus in His pathway through this world: “All Thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made Thee glad.” The psalm brings before us prophetically the Lord Jesus in judgment and then exaltation, yet the verse we have just quoted shows us that for the Messiah, the pathway to the throne lay through the cross. The garments of our blessed Lord were characterized by each of the spices mentioned, and surely each one has a distinct and precious meaning for us.
Myrrh—Fragrance Through Suffering
There can be different meanings attached to these spices, but I would suggest that myrrh speaks of fragrance and beauty. Myrrh is obtained from a small thorny tree, but it is necessary continually to “wound” the tree by cutting deeply into the bark in order to have the sap “bleed” out. It then forms a gummy, fragrant resin which has been considered very valuable throughout the world’s history.
In Scripture it is mentioned as one of the components of the holy anointing oil (Ex. 30:2323Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, (Exodus 30:23)), and it was also one of the treasures offered to the Lord Jesus by the wise men who came from the East to worship Him (Matt. 2:1111And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)).
It was in suffering that this “odor of a sweet savor” came forth and ascended to God the Father. While this beautiful fragrance was doubtless exhibited throughout our Lord’s earthly pathway, it was most markedly seen in His sufferings on the cross. All that He suffered, not only from man, but especially during the hours of darkness, only served to bring out the beauty of that supreme sacrifice. The deeper the suffering, the greater the fragrance and beauty that issued from that blessed One.
Aloes—Fragrance in Bitterness
Second, we have aloes mentioned. This is an unusual spice, again extracted from the wood of a tree. It has the unusual characteristic of being bitter in taste, yet yielding a beautiful fragrance. It is mentioned a number of times in Scripture, particularly in connection with the burial of the Lord Jesus by Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus.
Once again, we are reminded of the bitterness of the suffering our Lord endured. For the same reason, the Passover was to be eaten with bitter herbs. While the myrrh may represent the sweet savor of the burnt offering, the aloes brings before us the bitterness of the sin offering. Yet once again the suffering yielded the most beautiful fragrance, for the result of all that bitterness and suffering was to settle the whole matter of sin before a holy God and provide a way for the removal of sin, not only from those who believe, but eventually from the entire universe.
Cassia—Healing and Comfort
Finally, the Lord’s garments were permeated with cassia, a spice that is extracted from the twigs and bark of the cinnamon tree. While it has a strong and pleasant aroma, it was well recognized for thousands of years as having medicinal and healing properties. Many continue to use cassia oil today for this same purpose. It is likewise mentioned in Scripture a number of times and was a component of the holy anointing oil, along with myrrh.
I would suggest that cassia speaks of healing and comfort, and it is mentioned last as being the result of the sufferings typified by myrrh and aloes. If there was to be any healing of the sorrow and heartache that sin had brought into this world, our Lord’s suffering had to take place. This healing and comfort is now available to the believer in a spiritual way, for although the believer may still suffer bodily, even now he is released from the bondage of his sins and also from the bondage of his cares. When the Lord comes, the believer too will enjoy a changed body, no more to suffer from the effects of sin. In a coming day the whole of creation will be freed from “the bondage of corruption” and be brought into “the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:2121Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:21)).
The Burial of Jesus
We have already mentioned the burial of the Lord Jesus, when two wealthy men, Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus, came forward and gave the Lord Jesus a rich man’s burial. “He was with the rich in His death” (Isa. 53:99And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. (Isaiah 53:9) JND). It is recorded that they brought “a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight” (John 19:3939And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. (John 19:39)). This was an amazing amount of such spices, at an enormous cost, but God would have it that way. When once the work of atonement was finished, God the Father never allowed wicked hands to touch the body of His Son again. He must be accorded the honor that was due to Him.
But some have wondered why the cassia is left out. If it is clearly mentioned as pervading His garments, why should it not be present at His burial? I would suggest that there is a most precious truth here. Without the resurrection, there could be no salvation and no healing and comfort. Precious as was His work on the cross, it would not have sufficed to take away sin, had He remained in the grave. It is in resurrection that we have the cassia, perhaps best described in John 20:1717Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17): “I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God.” The cassia is not specifically named, but the result is clear. We are brought into favor and into relationship, not only with God, but with God as our Father. Never had this relationship existed before, for while God was always, in one sense, “one God and Father of all” (Eph. 4:66One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:6)), yet He had never before been known to man as Father, in the intimate sense of that relationship. It is indeed a relationship from which healing and comfort flow.
Our Lord’s work on the cross—and its results both Godward and manward—is beyond our understanding. However, by using fragrant and expensive spices, God has illustrated to us something of the value of His beloved Son and His work for us.
W. J. Prost