“Pouring from my alabaster jar with love for You,
I anoint Your head with tears.
For You, my God, have paid the price, the sacrifice.
Taking away all my fears.
And as my love flows down to Your feet;
With sweet perfume
My sorrow You meet -
And as I realize You are the Prince of Peace,
I worship You.
An now I stand in Your presence face to face;
Upheld alone by Your amazing Grace -
And as I gaze into Your awesomeness,
I worship You.
Jesus.”
According to the social climate of New Testament times, it was polite to welcome guests into one’s home by anointing the invited guests’ heads with oil, washing their feet, and greeting each guest with a kiss.
This welcome was commonplace with everyone who was invited to an important meal.
An illustration of such custom was indicated when Jesus was invited to Simon, the leper’s, home.
By contrast, though, it seems in this case that the host is totally ignorant, by inadequately expressing respect!
For this reason, it was left to the insight of the uninvited guest, who communicated silently what others were either lacking in intellectual acuity or were refusing to accept.
As a consequence, the characters in this scene became the talk of the day.
Yep, the talk of the neighbourhood and beyond!
The extreme significance of this woman’s expression with her visible symbolic intent was to show that Jesus was no common guest, and even the run of the mill pleasantries were not enough!
What is more, the woman wanted to demonstrate the extent of her belief in Jesus in a manner that could not possibly be interpreted in the wrong way.
She was pre-anointing His body for burial.
By anointing Jesus with very expensive perfume, she displayed feelings of ardent, impassioned love.
Wow!
Such intense emotion, engendered from her heartfelt love for Him!
Nothing was good enough for Jesus!
Anyhow, leaving no room for insinuation, she proved her sincere dedication to the ministry of Jesus.
By pouring the valuable contents of the alabaster jar over His head, she emphasized her commitment to faith in Him by the extravagance of her worship – a desire & impulse that choreographed her performance – bowing her heart in passionate surrender to the Lord Jesus.
Today wherever this confident message of Jesus Christ is proclaimed throughout the World, it communicates what she did and is told in recognition of her.
Amazing!
Mark 14.