Jesus told Judas and the disciples who criticized Mary of Bethany’s act of love that her anointing Him with oil before His burial would be spoken about her for generations to come.. and this is one of many “tellings” of her beautiful act.
Mary paid a fortune to purchase expensive nard from the perfume salesperson ..three hundred denarii which was equal to three day’s wages. For her, Jesus was worth the price to pay.. and she was all but constrained for that special moment when she could show her love toward Him.. by anointing His head with oil. The Psalms say, “He anoints my head with oil,. my cup runneth over. How prophetic this very verse of David was of Jesus at that moment!
Breaking the flask, she crept up behind Him and poured the oil over His head.. it ran over His hair onto His robes, and body.. and you can imagine how utterly touched in His heart our Lord was – looking at her with eyes of love. “Don’t bother her, He said to Judas and the disciples, as He remained looking into her eyes. She has anointed my body for burial. the poor you will have with you always, but you will not always have Me.”
At that moment, there was an air of silence. John , watching this scene, kept all of what occurred in His heart the remainder of his life. The scent of nard permeated the air, and no doubt remained on Jesus’s robes until the day they stripped Him of all His garments to cast lots for them.
What is striking to me is that Mary paid for Jesus.. was willing to pay the PRICE for Jesus Ten times Thirty.. a fortune of great price in that era. Judas , who scorned Mary’s act SOLD Jesus for only thirty pieces of silver.. the price of purchasing a slave.. while Mary purchased Him beforehand with three hundred denarii.. her act of love atoned for Judas’s act of hate. It was not forgotten by Jesus and one of the extremely rare moments of genuine affection He received in His exile on this Earth..
Jesus- King in Exile 