The Anointing of Jesus

“Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the whole world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Jesus, Mark 14:9

“I want a relationship with the Abba of Jesus, who is infinitely compassionate with my brokenness and at the same time an awesome, incomprehensible, and unwieldy Mystery.” Brennan Manning

 

  • Today we are going to be learning more about the story of the anointing of Jesus. Isn’t it awesome that we get to meet with God today? Take a second to be still. Be ready to hear His voice and dive into His Word!
  • Ask God to speak to your heart as you read Mark 14:3-9. Take a moment to write down anything that pops out to you!

Let’s begin by doing a short recap of today’s verses: A woman entered the home of Simon the Leper and found Jesus reclining there. She carried an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head. Some of the people there scoffed at her, saying that her gesture to Jesus was wasteful. They even rebuked her! They thought she should have sold her perfume and used it to give money to the poor instead.

Let’s take a moment to realize the value of this perfume. The vial holding the oil or “nard” was from a plant found in the Himalayan Mountains. It was very hard to get and very expensive. In fact, it was worth 300 denarii. Why is this noteworthy? Because the daily wage of the average working man per day was only one denarius! The oil this woman poured on Jesus was worth an entire year’s wages! This specific oil was used for a few different reasons in Jesus’ time: to anoint a priest or king, to be given as a gift fit for a king, or to anoint the dead for burial. I don’t think it was any coincidence that this was the oil the woman chose for anointing Jesus!

I love what Jesus says to those who were critical of her:

“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 anytime 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 14:3-9, emphasis added on “beautiful”)

If I can glean a few assumptions from this passage, the most important is that this woman loved Jesus. She loved Him so much that she wanted to give Him the best of the best. She didn’t hold back on anything she had to offer. I would imagine it took quite a bit of bravery for her to walk in there and anoint Jesus, maybe even knowing she would be ridiculed. However, I don’t think she cared. She had one thing on her mind: Jesus. She wanted to show Him her adoration and her respect by honoring Him with the best, most valuable thing she could get her hands on! I think when Jesus said that this woman’s story would be told in memory of her, He was speaking of her wholehearted devotion to Him. She was in awe of Him and wanted to give Him her best. It was a genuine act of worship. I imagine she wasn’t worried about what it would cost her to anoint Jesus that day; she was only concerned with showing Jesus her adoration. And, as Jesus said, it was beautiful in His sight!

Blessings and Love,

Krystle

Questions to Ponder

  • When you consider Jesus, do you give Him your best? Do you come to Him unashamed and unafraid of what others perceive about you as you worship your God?
  • What are a few ways that you can acknowledge God for who He is and what He means to you today? Is it carving out some extra time to sit and be still while listening to worship music, reading your Bible, or praying? Make this your own–ask God to show you how you can worship Him with your whole heart!

Faith-Filled Ideas

As part of our ministry as moms to our children, Jesus wants us to tell them about these precious stories that He has laid out in Scripture for us. As I thought about this story, I came up with a hands-on way to share it with our children. Grab some oil (whatever you have—essential oils, olive oil, etc.). Read your children the story of Jesus’ anointing in Mark 14. Explain to them that the woman loved Jesus so much she wanted to show Him! She was brave and in awe of Him. Sit your kids down and show them what this could have looked like. Take it as an opportunity to shower them with your love for them. Rub their feet with the oil. While you do it, tell them about how much you love them. Tell them what you love about them. Finish by telling them how valuable it is when we extend this kind of love first to God and then to others.

Get personal & journal! Come before God with an open heart. Tell Him about the things He has done for you. Don’t hold back, and don’t be reserved. If it takes you writing for 20 minutes or until your hand gets tired, record your adoration towards Him! The story of this woman acknowledging Jesus was one that was very important to Him. What is the story Jesus will tell of you? Hopefully, your story will be one of coming before Him, acknowledging Him, lifting Him up, and being brave enough to show it in front of anyone that comes into your path!

Easter day 15

 

Krystle Porter
Latest posts by Krystle Porter (see all)

14 Comments on “The Anointing of Jesus”

  1. I enjoyed reading the story of the anointing of Jesus’ head by the woman in Bethany (Matthew 26: 6 – 13), whose faith and respect for Jesus was an act of selfless devotion. One can read a very similar story of another woman with such faith and devotion for Jesus in the book of Luke 7: 37 – 50. I have learned over time that everything we do, should be done with a selfless heart; as Jesus gave His life for each one of us.

    Each day as I wake, I look up and thank God for another day on this earth with my loved ones. Once a week, I log into my computer and read all the postings and stories on the “Help Club for Moms”. I have passed on the link to many of my younger co-workers and employees. Most of them are new mothers. Thank you all for creating this site.

  2. I love the Brennan Manning quote. It’s so amazing how God can be so intimately personal as well as an unwieldy mystery.

  3. Krystle, thank you so much for sharing your insight into this precious act of trust and worship. I really love this point in your study: “I would imagine it took quite a bit of bravery for her to walk in there and anoint Jesus, maybe even knowing she would be ridiculed; however, I don’t think she cared. She had one thing on her mind: Jesus. She wanted to show Him her adoration and her respect and honor Him with the best, most valuable thing she could get her hands on!”

  4. I love this touching story! I’m trying to imagine giving a whole years salary away…what a self-less act of love to anoint her Savior in this manner in front of a disapproving crowd.. Money meant little to her in comparison to her being forgiven and her adoration of Jesus. Very very compelling and convicting -thanks for your wonderful insight Krystle!

  5. This is just the way I want to love Jesus! Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom Krystle. This devo was such an encouragement to my heart!

  6. I love this faith filled idea! My kids get so excited when I use my essential oils on them, so I’m sure they will love this lesson!!!

  7. This story is so close to my heart because of her lavish love for Jesus. Such an amazing idea to do with our children❤️

  8. I love your first question to ponder. I am sitting here in my kitchen really pondering this! Jesus deserves our best all the time. He deserves our beautiful, unshamed love and the woman in the story from today is such a great example of this. Thank you for focusing on her and showing us how much Jesus appreciates our acts of worship towards Him! 🙂

Leave a Reply to Rachel Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.