After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead He is found in Bethany where Lazarus lived and there He attended a dinner that was held in His honor. Perhaps the dinner was to celebrate the raising of Lazarus. At the dinner, Martha is serving the guests while Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus. While sitting at His feet, Mary uses an expensive oil to anoint the feet of Jesus. From this account, we see several important things regarding the anointing of Jesus.

                The Purpose of the Anointing. Jesus stated in verse seven to: “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”^[1]The anointing of Jesus by Mary was a foreshadow of His death and burial. However, the primary purpose for Mary was to demonstrate her love and devotion to Jesus. In doing so, there are several interesting things to point out. (1) The humility of Mary. It takes a certain level of humility to wash someone’s feet. In Jesus’ day, servants would wash the feet of those entering the house. Mary, humbled herself as a servant. Both Mary and Martha did the work of a servant. Martha served the guests, while Mary bowed at the feet of Jesus. Such humility showed that Mary understood who Jesus was. She knew that He was the Messiah. She knew that He was the Savior of the world. She knew that He was in the incarnation of God. Therefore, she humbled herself in an act of worship to her Lord and King. When we come before the throne of God in worship, it requires humility. Who are we to enter His throne room? Who are we to come into His presence? We are depraved sinners. We are underserving of Him. Therefore, when we come to worship, we do so in all humility. (2) The vulnerability of Mary. As Mary took the oil to anoint the feet of Jesus, she wiped His feet with her hair. This is indeed very significant. Women in Jesus’ day would never let down their hair or uncover their hair in public. To do so would be improper. Those in the room were most likely taken back by the fact that Mary would do such a thing. It was shocking, even scandalous. By letting down her hair and wiping the feet of Jesus, she opened herself up. She was completely vulnerable in that moment. When we come into the presence of the Lord and truly worship Him, we become vulnerable. Lifting our hands to the Lord or bowing before Him in front of others is an act of vulnerability and complete unashamed worship. Like Mary, we should not worry what those around us are thinking. Our entire focus should be on Jesus. Mary anointed the feet of Jesus for one purpose only, and that was to humbly worship Him no matter what others may say or think. Her one desire was to simply worship Jesus.

                The Purity of the Anointing. The oil that Mary used to anoint Jesus was a very special kind of oil. It was typically only used for very special occasions. The oil was a very pure oil that had a beautiful fragrance. It came from the roots and stems of a special herb from northern India. It was imported in an alabaster box or flask. As Mary used the oil on Jesus’ feet, the aroma no doubt filled the room and created a lovely fragrance and atmosphere in the room. The purity of the oil is symbolic of our need to present ourselves to the Lord in purity. Romans 12:1 in the Holman Christian Bible says, “Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you  to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.”^[2] To truly worship Jesus, we must do so in purity. We are to present our entire life to Him in holiness. Living a holy life is pleasing to the Lord. Offering ourselves to the Lord as a pure sacrifice is the greatest act of worship we could bring. Only those offerings which are pure are accepted by the Lord. This why Jesus told us that if we are not right with Him and not right with others then our worship will not be accepted. Unless our vertical relationship with God is right and our horizontal relationship with others is right, our worship is in vain.

                The Expense of the Anointing. The oil that Mary used to anoint Jesus was also a very expensive oil. Look at verses 4-6. “But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.”^[3] The value of the oil was an entire year’s wage. Can you imagine? Pouring a bottle of perfume on someone’s feet that was worth an entire year’s wage. Mary could have sold the bottle and went on a vacation for a year. She could have sold it and invested the money. She could have used it to start her own business. There are many good things that Mary could have used this expensive oil for; but, she poured out the whole bottle and anointed the feet of Jesus. Talk about a sacrifice! There is no gift or act that we could give that is worthy enough of Jesus. Everything you give to Him is worth it all. He is worthy of it all.

                The Effect of the Anointing. Notice how this passage concludes in verses 9-11. “Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.”^[4]There were two opposite reactions to Jesus’ visit at Bethany. The religious leaders responded negatively. They not only wanted to put Jesus to death, they also wanted to put Lazarus to death. Jesus was crossing a line, in their mind. He had gone too far. They were losing control as more and more people began to follow Jesus. On the other hand, there were many other people who believed in Jesus that day. They saw Jesus raise Lazarus. They saw Mary’s act of worship. This solidified in the minds of many people that Jesus was indeed the Savior of the world. Therefore, many believed in Him.

                Just like the different responses from the religious leaders and the people; we have two basic responses. We can either believe in Jesus and worship and follow Him or we can reject Him. The choice is ours. However, both choices have consequences. To follow Jesus is to experience complete joy and an eternal home in glory. To reject Jesus is to experience eternal death and separation from God. Will you believe and follow Jesus like many of the people did in Jesus’ day, or will you reject Him and oppose Him like those religious leaders of Jesus’ day?

^[1] The New King James Version (Jn 12:7–8). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

^[2] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (Ro 12:1). (2009). Holman Bible Publishers.

^[3] The New King James Version (Jn 12:4–6). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

^[4] The New King James Version (Jn 12:9–11). (1982). Thomas Nelson.