Mark. 14:3-9

“While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 

“Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. 

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.””

What a waste! A whole year’s wages, a dowry, an investment, a life’s savings…gone! Soaking into a man’s hair, clothing, down His face, onto His hands, feet…dripping onto the floor, all that wealth only a spreading stain on the ground! 

(In another rendering of the story, it was the disciples who had a lot to say about her action). 

The people were aghast! What was she thinking? What was she doing? One spokesman protested, this time probably Judas Iscariot, since he usually had money on his mind, measuring everything in terms of silver and gold. They all joined in. What a waste! What about the poor? Why didn’t she do something about “the poor” seeing she was so willing to part with her wealth?

Jesus saw right through their hypocrisy. What did they really care about the nameless, faceless “poor”? They had every other day to do something about the poor. Did they do anything?No! 

This is was an opportunity to go on the attack, especially on a woman who was a nothing in society. Perhaps this was even a subtle way of insinuating that they were better than her. 

Anger rose up in Jesus’ heart, intense sadness at their cruel, heartless indifference to her real motive. These were His people, but all His years with them, painstakingly teaching them about love and mercy, went up in smoke in a moment. Their hearts were exposed. Remember…what you say is what you are!

He retorted with a stinging rebuke. “What do you really care about the poor? Leave her alone. She has done something so great that history will mark her deed as special, to be remembered until the end of time!”

Jesus saw both their hearts and her heart, not with criticism, judgement, measuring actions by worldly standards but reading her love and their absence of love that directed their responses to Him. 

This woman had no name. She was just a woman off the street. Some even wrote her off as wicked, a sinner, an undesirable! What did she want in that company anyway? How had she managed to gatecrash the party? 

It seems that she has crept in with one overriding intention. Armed with her greatest treasure, she suddenly stood up, took the lid off, smashed the priceless alabaster, box and doused Jesus with its contents. 

As the oil slowly dripped from His head to His feet, its fragrance began to fill the room. The odours    of bodies, the memories of toil and hardship, the feelings of loneliness, emptiness, frustration…the things that occupied the thoughts and took up the lives of the onlookers were momentarily drowned by the subtle perfume, enfolding them all in a quiet calm. 

Jesus read even deeper into her action. She had no idea what she was doing, but He did. Always with His mission in mind, with its encroaching suffering He was to endure for all mankind, He saw her deed as an act of pure worship, a celebration of the mercy that would touch everyone who believed, herself included. 

In that moment of intense spiritual interaction, Jesus accepted her sacrifice and the woman received His gift of grace. She would return home a new person despite whatever anyone else thought or felt. Her past was gone, her future bright with hope because of this man whom she had honoured by her faith, knowing deep in her heart that He was who He said He was, the Son of God and the Saviour of the world.