On Good Friday, the most sophisticated religious system of its time, allied with the most powerful political + military empire on the planet, aligned themselves against one solitary man—the only perfect man who has ever lived.
God in the flesh. Jesus, a thirty-something-year-old man from a town in the middle east known as Nazareth.
But, that’s getting ahead of ourselves. We’ll take an in-depth, “behind the scenes” look at what happened during the week that changed the world + the events that changed eternity.
The final week of Jesus’ life includes a flurry of activity. So, we’ll journey together over the next 40 days, as we count down to the cross.
Now, let’s back up + begin one week before the events of Good Friday.
The Friday or Saturday, one week before Jesus’ execution—began with an intimate moment of worship. Six days later, the week would culminate with an unbelievable act of murder.
Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served + Lazarus was among those who ate with him. 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard + she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.
4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold + the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief + since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself. 7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
9 When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him + also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. 10 Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, 11 for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them + believed in Jesus. —John 12:1-11 NLT
On the heels of Lazarus being raised from the dead, Martha, Mary + Lazarus hosted a dinner party for Jesus in their home.
In the aftermath of a family miracle, Mary decided to crash the party + take a jar of expensive perfume—worth the equivalent of about a year’s wages (12:5). In that era an ordinary worker worked six days a week, approximately 12 hours a day, to make a living that in today’s economy may be the equivalent of approximately $27,000. The equivalent of a year’s salary was gone in one 15 to 45 minute act of worship.
Mary took the equivalent of a year’s worth of income that may have represented her life’s savings, her dowry, or her portion of some kind of inheritance + she poured it out on the feet of Jesus.
One author described this act of worship as “extraordinary love.”
Joanna Weaver wrote in her excellent book, Having A Mary Heart in a Martha World:
“The kind of love that disregards everything else so it can focus on one thing alone: the object of that love. The kind of love that sacrifices everything, only wishing it had more to give. Nothing is too precious. Nothing is too exorbitant . . . When Mary anointed Jesus at the banquet given in his honor, she gave her very best. In fact, she may have laid down her very future when she poured the perfume on his feet. For that jar of perfume . . . may have very well held every hope + dream she’d ever had.” [1]
The perfume inside the jar was pure nard. It was made from the root of a plant grown mainly in India. It has to be imported, which meant it was extremely rare + very expensive. It was a perfume used for anointing the dead for burial, anointing priests + anointing + honoring kings. Mary’s inspiring act of worship indicates at least three things:
- She knew Jesus was King.
- She knew Jesus was a Priest.
- She knew that Jesus was the Savior who would die for our sins + in our place.
Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume, made from essence of nard + she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. —John 12:3 NLT
Notice that Mary even took her hair + wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair. Why? Why did Mary kneel at the feet of Jesus + wipe His feet with her hair?
Perhaps because she wanted everyone in the room to know that the very “least” of Jesus is worthy of the best of us.
Why didn’t Mary use a clean, soft towel?
In that era a woman’s hair was a treasured part of her identity. In fact, a woman would only let down her hair in the presence of her husband.
By wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair, Mary seems to be saying something like: “My hair is the most beautiful + pure thing I have. It represents who I am. But if it can serve to magnify the beauty + purity of Jesus, then it would be an honor to turn it into a rag to dry Your feet.”
Verse 3 indicates that the “house was filled with the fragrance.” I love that detail that gets included in the text.
It’s a reminder to me that authentic, God-centered, Jesus-obsessed, extravagant worship may be personal, but its impact isn’t always private. It has a way of changing the atmosphere + environment.
It has a way of influencing, affecting + changing everyone in the vicinity.
Today’s Verse: Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume, made from essence of nard + she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. —John 12:3 NLT
Today’s Prompt: How do you express your worship to Jesus?
Today’s Gratitude: I am grateful that I don’t have to express my worship like anyone else + Jesus accepts + loves my personal + specific form of worship.
Today’s Prayer: Father, I pray that my worship is not only a pleasing aroma to You, but it has the power to fill the room where I stand + has a way of influencing, affecting + changing everyone in the vicinity. May it always point to You + give You glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
[1] Joanna Weaver, Having A Mary Heart In A Martha World, page 159.