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WEEKLY
Volume 2 Number 9
29 July 2007
Anointing the Lord Jesus Christ
(Message delivered by Rev Hien
Nguyen at the Sunday Worship Service, 2 pm, July 22, 2007)
Text:
John 12:1-11
We know that our Lord Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed Saviour. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn” (Isa 61:1-2). This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who read that Scripture text and said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:18-19, 21).
Our Lord Jesus was anointed by God, and in His ministry on earth recorded in the New Testament, Jesus Christ was also anointed by human beings twice, not by men, but by two ladies. One anointing is by an unnamed woman
(Luke 7:36-50) at the house of Simon, a Pharisee. She wept “and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment” to show her love and gratitude for her sins forgiven. The other is by Mary of Bethany at the house of Simon, the leper. She “brake the box, and poured it on his head, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair:” (Mark 14:3; John 12:3) to anoint Jesus’ body to the burying (Mark 14:8).
I am sure we have learnt the story of Mary’s anointing the Lord Jesus Christ several times already, but it is still good and encouraging for us to be reminded of some precious lessons from her, as our Lord Jesus Christ says, “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 26:13).
Having a Heart Devoted to Jesus
Mary was the sister of Martha and Lazarus. In Luke 10:39-42, we see Mary and her sister Martha receiving Jesus into their house. Mary “sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word,” and this shows how her heart was devoted to the Lord! How she greatly admired the Lord and highly respected His Word! She not only highly esteemed the Lord but also
loved Him more than herself and above all. She had chosen the good part, the “one thing needful…which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42). She had chosen the Lord and His Word as her portion and inheritance. How about you and me? Do we treasure the blessed time at Jesus’ feet and hear His Word in our daily devotion? Have you and I loved, chosen and highly respected the Lord and His Word as our portion and inheritance (Ps 16:5; 73:25-26; 119:111)?
Mary also showed her quick response and great honour to the Lord when she was informed that Jesus came and called for her, “she arose quickly, and came unto him…“fell down at his feet” (John 11:28, 29, 32). How about you and me?
Anointing the Lord Jesus Christ
The anointing of Mary is recorded in the Gospels written by Matthew (26:6-13), Mark (14:3-9), and John (12:1-8), and the Holy Spirit has used His servants to write this incident in these three books to give us a complete story from which to learn.
This incident took place on Wednesday before our Lord was crucified on Friday. In John 12, the Lord said that “she kept” this ointment for Him, and not for herself nor anyone else. She had planned to use it to anoint Jesus some day and waited for the good timing. She highly valued the Lord Jesus above her name, her reputation and her treasure. What was her treasure? It was her very precious alabaster box of very costly spikenard. The box was a globular perfume flask carved from alabaster. Alabaster is from the Arabic al bastraton, a whitish stone, or from Albastron, the place in Egypt where it is found. The ancients considered alabaster, which was very delicate and beautiful, to be the best material in which to preserve their ointments. The term alabaster occurs only in Matt 26:7; Mark 14:3; Luke 7:37. It was made without handles and had a long narrow neck so that it might be broken
in case someone wanted to pour out the perfume. Spikenard is a highly prized, very aromatic ointment or perfume which was extracted from spikenard, a highly aromatic plant growing in India.
Mary had bought the pure spikenard and stored it up to a “pound” (about 327.45 grams, John 12:3). Judas Iscariot valued it for 300 pence, i.e., denarii, and a denarius was a day’s wage of a labourer (Matt 20:2), so a pound of spikenard was around a year’s wages without any expenses for food, garments, medication, etc. Then, it must have taken Mary several years to store such a pound of spikenard as her treasure. Surely, it was “very precious” (this term only has two occurrences, all for the anointing of Mary in Matt 26:7; Mark 14:3), and it was “very costly” (this term only has two occurrences, one is in John 12:3, and the other is in Matt 13:46 about a pearl “of great price”). However, to Mary, whose heart was devoted to the Lord her Saviour, nothing was too costly if it was for Him. The Lord was worthy and He deserved her best, so she was willing to break her precious alabaster flask and “poured it on His head” (Matt 26:7; Mark 14:3) and “anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair” (John 12:13). Let us picture the scene of the feast that night, two days before our Lord was crucified. The Lord Jesus was reclining at the table having dinner with Lazarus and His disciples. Many others also “came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead” (John 12:9). Then Mary took the alabaster flask of pure spikenard and quickly broke it as she wanted to pour it upon Jesus’ head without any waste of time. Then she knelt down anointing Jesus’ feet and using her hair to wipe them before the eyes of many people! The woman’s long hair is “a glory to her” (1 Cor 11:15), and Mary used it for the Lord’s feet! She did not feel ashamed to humble herself before the Lord Jesus in public, breaking her treasure and pouring out
what she had and anointing the Lord Jesus! Her name, her reputation, her treasure, and her all were for the Lord! How about you and me? Is the Lord Jesus Christ worthy in our eyes and deserving all our best? Shall we anoint Him now by doing everything for the Lord alone according to His will without any shame in public?
Facing Opposition
Mary never thought it was a waste to do her best for the Lord, while some of Jesus’ disciples were angry and murmuring against her, asking, “Why was this waste of the ointment made?” (Mark 14:4-5), and Judas, Iscariot, the betrayer, said, “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?” (John 12:4-5). We usually use the term “waste” when something such as money, time, energy or skills is not used in a way that is effective, useful, or sensible or when it is used for someone unworthy or some work unnecessary. My friends, how do you feel when you come to my home and hear me saying to others that it was a waste to do something for you? How did the Lord feel when he saw His disciples’ anger and heard His disciples saying that it was a waste of costly perfume for Him? They not only failed to anoint the Lord their Saviour but also exposed their dishonour to the Lord! How sad the Lord is when He hears that it is a waste of time to seek Him in prayer, to study His Word, to worship Him, or it is a waste of life to live for Him and serve Him!
My friends, if we do not know our Lord personally, we will not love Him or highly respect Him, and will think that it is a waste to do something for Him. May the Lord help us know more about Him and appreciate Him, and when we are constrained by Christ’s love to do something for Him, we should not be surprised at the opposition or criticism from others, even from our friends and loved ones. When I gave up my good job to join the Far Eastern Bible College for
my theological training, my friends, my relatives and loved ones said, “It is a waste of time to study the Bible for such a long time! It is a waste to give up your good job for uncertain future! You have wasted your life!” However, I did treasure each blessed day of studying God’s Word at FEBC, and I give thanks to the Lord for His grace and spiritual blessings, helping me count all things but loss and never feel regretful at all.
Doing a Good Work for Jesus
Despite the angry criticism from Jesus’ disciples, Mary just humbly kept quiet, and the Lord Jesus “understood it” (Matt 26:10), defended her and spoke well of her, “Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me” (Mark 14:6-7). When we do anything for the Lord alone, not for ourselves or for man, our Lord, who knows, understands and appreciates it, will defend us and encourage us, “You have done a good work for Me!” “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt 25:23). That will be much more precious than anything in this world that we have sacrificed, and we shall surely never regret!
Taking the Opportunity
Our Lord continued to speak well of Mary, “She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying” (Mark 14:8). The Lord did not expect her to do what was beyond her ability, she just did what she could but she did her best without missing the golden opportunity. “Aforehand” means “before, to take before another, to anticipate and do before another.” Four days later, on the first day of the week, several women came to the tomb, “bringing the spices (aromatic oils) which they had prepared” (Luke 24:1), but it was too late and they could not anoint nor pour it upon the risen Saviour! My friends, when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back again, we may want to pour out what we have even our lives for Him, but it will be
too late, and we shall greatly regret that we have not done our best or what we can for the Lord while we are still living on earth. We have missed many golden opportunities! May the Lord graciously help us take opportunities to live for Him, for His glory and for His Kingdom in whatever we do.
The Reward
“The house was filled with the odour of the ointment” (John 12:3). Several drops of a precious perfume are enough for everyone in the house to detect its aroma. Here, how much more aroma with a pound of pure spikenard that Mary poured on Jesus’ head and anointed His feet! Moreover, what Mary had done was recorded in the Bible and the aroma of her sacrifice has been spread everywhere throughout ages, “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 26:13; cf. Mark 14:9). When we are willing to sacrifice our lives for Jesus, God will make “manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish” (2 Cor 2:14-15) and what we have done for Him will be recorded in His book, “and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name” (Mal 3:16). Truly, our
"labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor 15:58).
Conclusion
My friends, the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and our Maker, has loved us and sacrificed His life for us. Shall we not give our lives to Him? He left His glorious Heaven, humbled Himself to be a man, even a servant, despised the shame, took up the cross and obeyed His Father unto death for the salvation of mankind, even for yours and mine. Shall we not be willing to suffer for Him, endure all things for Him, and deny ourselves to obey Him and live for Him? We have grieved Him so much when we keep back our lives for ourselves and think that it is a waste to live for Him or to serve Him. May the Lord graciously help us know more about Him and His love, and may His love constrain us to love Him and do everything even do our best and do what we can for Him alone as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable unto Him day by day. May the Lord help us not miss any opportunities to anoint Him before He comes. Amen.
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