A Little Bit Of Oil

I have plug-in fragrance bulbs throughout the house.
Inevitably they need to be changed around the same time.
I will notice the warm cinnamon smell dissipating a bit.
I look and find that sure enough the bulb is empty.

As I was taking the lid off the new fragrance bulb, I noticed my hand felt oily.
A little bit of the oil was leaking around the wick.
I wiped it off with a tissue.
The fragrance lingered on my hand.

Even though I washed my hands, the fragrance still lingered.
Just a few drops of oil left a cinnamon smell on my hands for most of the afternoon.
The aroma was warm and inviting.
I welcomed the few drops of oil that produced so lovely a smell.

Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill Him. “But not during the feast,” they said, “or the people may riot.” While He was in Bethany reclining at the table in the home of a man known as 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. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Mark 14:1-9)

This woman is the one we always see at Jesus’ feet.
This woman is the sister of Martha and Lazarus.
This woman chose the better place to be as she listened attentively to Jesus.
This woman took to heart all that Jesus preached and taught.

That is why this woman is the only one who knows that Jesus is going to die.
All the others seemed to selectively hear what Jesus had to say.
They picked up bits and pieces of His teaching.
They failed to connect the dots and understand what He tried to tell them.

But Mary heard.
Mary acted.
Mary gave an extravagant gift to Jesus to prepare Him for His burial.
The spikenard in the fragile jar was probably a family heirloom.

To Mary, there was nothing too extravagant for Jesus.
The perfume was kept in the alabaster jar so it would be preserved and stay cool.
Mary did not waste anything when she anointed Jesus.
Nothing was too good for Him.

The indignant attitude of those around her revealed the state of their heart.
Their feigned worry concerning the poor was not lost on Jesus.
Jesus cares greatly about the poor.
Jesus was not diminishing the plight of the poor by way of His comment.

But one of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray Him, objected. “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. (John 12:4-6)

Jesus always knows the difference.
Jesus knows the extravagance of the gift.
That extravagance has nothing to do with the cost of the gift.
The extravagance of the gift has everything to do with the heart.

We fail to read God’s Word if we read the words only.
We have to engage our minds and our imaginations.
We have to picture the people, the setting, and the action.
We should engage Scripture with all of our senses.

I thought of the woman who anointed Jesus when the fragrant oil was on my hands.
I thought about the way the room must have smelled when she broke the jar.
I imagined the smell as the oil dripped down on Jesus’ head.
I am sure the fragrance lingered long after the room was empty.

I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.

We are still remembering this woman.
We are still talking about what she did for Jesus.
Jesus said that we would.
Mary understood because she listened.

She heard the truth as Jesus preached about the Kingdom.
She listened to all Jesus said when everyone else only heard bits and pieces.
Sitting at Jesus feet was the better place to be.
She counted the cost and Jesus was worth all she had.

Can you smell the fragrance?
Can you see this precious woman giving away a family heirloom?
She gave away an earthly heirloom knowing she has a heavenly inheritance.
She understood Kingdom things because she listened.

Can you see her there?
Is that the place you long to be as well?
Can you hear Jesus teach about the Kingdom?
After being at Jesus’ feet, you will walk away with the lingering fragrance of Him.