A Fragrant Oil: The Cost of True Worship
I am enamored by the smell of coffee. Though I very rarely consume it, even the faintest whiff of warm brown sugar draws me in. The smell of coffee will recall the sweetest memories in my mind. Waking up in the Smoky Mountains watching the sun rise, or feeling a gentle breeze in the middle of summer that makes the water sing. The aroma is forever intertwined with my senses and will always be noticed by me. Do you have a scent like that? No matter where you may be in this world, the smallest trace of it and you are completely undone? That is what our worship is like to Jesus. This is something Mary, sister of Martha, understood and we will unpack.
“And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that He was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’” Luke 7:37-39 ESV
“Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” John 12:3 ESV
When I think about oil and the Bible, my mind typically goes to the story of the ten virgins. Five were wise, prepared for the coming of the king. Five were foolish and did not have any oil for their lamps to light the way. In this story, the word for oil in the Greek is elaion which translates to olive oil. Elaion was the oil used when referring to healing the sick, the oil in fuel lamps, or the oil for anointing the head and body for feasts. Elaion was a common oil used by many, because of its effectiveness. This however is not the oil Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with.
Mary used nard which is a thick, expensive, fragrant oil. If you read a little further in John 12 it says the oil could have been sold for 300 denarii, which is equivalent to a year’s worth of wages. Now, Mary could have brought Elaion to anoint the head and feet of Jesus. She would have never been ridiculed for using Elaion in the way it was intended. Just like any other Rabbi, Elaion would have been used to anoint their head. In fact, when Jesus begins to address the one hosting Him in Luke 7:44 - 46 it says, “Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil {Elaion}, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.’” Using Elaion was the bare minimum, but Mary gave everything she had.
“Mary was not asking for anything from Jesus, she just wanted to worship Him.”
In John 12 it says when she anointed the feet of Jesus the house filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Mary was completely overtaken by love and she knew He was worth far more than what was customarily poured out. The word in the Greek for fragrance here is Osmē. This word only occurs 6 times in the Bible and each time is used when referring to worship or a pleasing sacrifice to God. At that moment, Mary was not asking for anything from Jesus, she just wanted to worship Him.
Mary boldly walked into a room full of people who knew the things she had done; people who openly called her a sinner, and who even judged Jesus for allowing her to touch Him. But for Mary, maybe pouring out her oil was in response to how Jesus loved her despite who she was. Nothing else mattered at that moment. This was the same Man who took the time to teach her in a society where women were expected to be in the kitchen. This was the same Man who raised her brother from the dead. He was worthy of her adoration no matter the cost. Mary drew Him in with the fragrance of her worship and He saw her. The aroma of what she had to pour out shifted the atmosphere. The house was filled with her worship in such a way that no one could ignore it. While others worried about what the oil was worth, she wept at the feet of the one who is worth everything.
As we step into this new year, think about whether your worship to God is fragrant. If God is truly captivated by what you have poured out. So often we get fixated on what others think about us, which can hinder what we are willing to give God. A fragrant oil is costly and true sacrifice to the Lord costs us something. For Mary, she sacrificed a year’s worth of wages, her pride, and her public image. For me, it was my career, the plan I created for myself, and my comfort. It is through sacrifice that we get the opportunity to understand laying down our lives. It is through sacrifice that we achieve a deeper level of intimacy with our Heavenly Father. It is through sacrifice that the aroma of our worship is pleasing to God.