The Witness of Sweet Perfume

In John 12: we read that Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus, took a whole pound of spikenard to anoint the feet of Jesus and then wipe his feet with her hair. This seems like a very strange and easily misunderstood act. What was she doing? And why?

 Spikenard Aralia racemosa, 

Spikenard is an aromatic flowering herb native to the Himalayan Mountains of India and Tibet. It was highly regarded in India as a perfume, a health-supporting herb, and a skin tonic. It is a relaxing and soothing oil for the skin. In Biblical times it was exported to the Holy Land in boxes carved from alabaster.

Spikenard was one of the most precious oils in ancient times, used only by priests, kings, or high initiates. A pound was literally a litra in Greek, equal to about 11.5 ounces or 327 grams. Judas, the treasurer of Jesus' disciples group, asked, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"In those days an unskilled workman could make about a denarius per day (Matt. 20:2). So given today's federally dictated minimum wage in the USA of $7.25 an hour times say an eight hour day, a denarius would be worth around $60-70 in today's terms. Multiply that by 300 and you have a jar of perfume worth at least $18,000!  

John tells us that Judas asked his question, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag, he used to help himself to whatever was put into it. Indeed, this would have been a sizable chunk of money to access. 


Jesus' reply to Judas is also interesting. "Leave her alone," he said, "because she has done a beautiful thing to me. For the poor you always have with you, but you don't always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her" (Matt. 26:10-13).

Several questions arise from this narrative. Ordinarily one would expect Mary and Martha—probably still quite young—to be married. Why weren't they? They were certainly affluent, given that they had such an expensive product in their home. Some have conjectured that they were in business with the fishermen of Galilee. No one knows the background of this fascinating family, closely tied to Jesus and his followers.

Here's a simple observation for all of us who have been entrusted with wealth of any sort. It does not belong to us even though we may claim to have earned it (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Mary understood this. She gave her heart to Jesus and with that all her wealth. The ointment was a token of her devotion. In turn, her action teaches us that wealth of any sort is given to us so that we may witness to the gospel that proclaims Jesus' death and resurrection. This is a fitting reminder to us believers as we enter Holy Week to follow Jesus to the cross and from there to the open tomb of Easter.