Mary's Alabaster Box

by Barbara J. Cicognani

“Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment” (John 12:3).

Mary’s anointing of Jesus yields insight into the depth of her spiritual understanding. That Mary was interested in spiritual things we know, for Jesus said as she “sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word,” that “Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:39,42).

Her conduct after the death of Lazarus revealed her faith, for Martha ran to meet the Lord, “but Mary sat still in the house” (John 11:20). However, when she received the summons from Jesus, “she arose quickly, and came to Him” (v.29). Her words expressed her heart-felt belief that “if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (v.32).

After Jesus raised Lazarus, “many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on Him” (v.45). Something drew them to Mary for spiritual enlightenment.

By the time of the anointing mentioned in our text, Mary’s spiritual understanding and faith had matured. The ointment, worth the equivalent of a year’s wages (Matthew 20:2), had, according to the Lord, been diligently preserved by Mary “against the day of (His) burying” (John 12:7).

This brief statement makes us wonder how much Mary understood, as compared with the twelve. We know that they struggled with the idea of His death, and that none of them comprehended the resurrection until it was accomplished. Did she sense that her burial ointment would be of no use if not used that day? Who can say? The fact remains that the only burial-anointing Jesus could and did receive was prior to His death. Would that our spiritual eyes were as open as Mary’s and our actions guided by faith such as hers. BJC