The Anointing at Bethany begins the Lectionary reading for Palm Sunday. It's a small story at the beginning of a very long Gospel. While I remember well the telling of Jesus' Passion and Death, I mostly recall this first scene as flickers of song from an Andrew Lloyd Weber musical.
Today, I notice the woman, her alabaster jar, and a costly spikenard perfume.
This woman, some consider Mary Magdalene, others Lazarus' sister, performed a ritual act. With precious oil she anointed Jesus' head and feet, defining her love and devotion. But the results of this act likely lingered far longer.
Still used today, spikenard is the root of an Indian plant that grows primarily in the Himalayan mountains. The oil derived from its root has been used for medicine, incense, and perfume. It has a long history of being highly valued. Spikenard was an expensive oil. The cost for the anointing described in this passage would be equivalent to around $12,000 today. A generous offering indeed.
But there is something even more interesting about this oil and its mention here. Spikenard has a strong scent. It clings to the skin and hair continuing to give its aroma long after it has been applied. Jesus tells his disciples that this woman has done a good thing for him.
She has done what she could do. She has anticipated anointing my body for burial ~Mark 14:8
The oil the woman used to anoint his head and feet would have lingered on Christ's skin for the next several days. As Jesus was arrested, as he was beaten, as he was crucified, and as he died, wisps of compassion from this moment would have overcome him. Each turn of his head, each fall to the ground a memory. A drop of balm for every step. A reminder he was loved, a comfort he was not alone.
For us, perhaps a lesson. Share with abandon. Offer mercy, comfort, compassion, concern. Don't tally the costs. Do what you can do. Anticipate the needs of another.
Our actions linger, often in ways we could not know and will never fully understand.
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