Dennis Joachim Ignacious, a Malaysian-born diplomat and author once remarked: “When we lift our hands in praise and worship, we break spiritual jars of perfume over Jesus. The fragrance of our praise fills the whole earth and touches the heart of God.” Romans 12:1 confirms: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Worship is defined as the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. It is a way of showing gratitude and respect for everything that God has given us in life. However, it should be noted that worship can include idolatry. It has often been said that people can worship anything or everything. If they don’t worship the true God, they will often find something or someone else in life. It could be money, food, an idol, special places that provide fond memories or just about any other article deemed of worthiness.
Worship is important to many. It often creates a meaningful focal point in life. Everyone needs something or someone to revere with admiration or endearment. However, that should never supersede God. Hebrews 12:28-29 states: “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
Worship can take many forms, it can include praising God in church on a Sunday morning or possibly the presentation of gifts, no matter how simple or inexpensive they may be. If they are given with love, from the heart and with willingness, they can mean more than all the riches in the world.
In the Bible, John 12:1-8 tells the story of Mary anointing Jesus at Bethany. It states: Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
Everyone likes to receive a present, no matter what the occasion. Giving a gift of perfume is often associated with love or affection. It is a special and personal gift that usually has its own distinctive fragrance. However, it also symbolizes reverence. After the birth of Jesus, the three wise men brought gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to the infant child. Frankincense and Myrrh were considered costly incense and perfume. Myrrh was also used after the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross, to prepare his bodily remains for the tomb where He would be placed.
Most people, no matter what gender they may be, often have a preference for a particular perfume or fragrance. Depending on the cost, it may be worn on a daily basis as a matter of routine or, if it is particularly expensive, only on special occasions unless money is not a prevailing factor. It can not only identify individuality in a person, but it may also reflect their personality. Depending on the chosen fragrance, it can give an indication as to the persona of a person.
Exodus 30:33-37 states: “Whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’” The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you. And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the Lord.”
Anointing serves three distinctive purposes in life. It is used in consecration, bodily health and as a token of honour. In addition to masking bodily odours when using an aromatic substance, when it is combined with bathing, the oil significantly aids the closure of pores. The bodies of deceased persons are also sometimes anointed for sanitary or religious purposes.
If we delve into the quoted Bible passage a little further, it is interesting to note that Jesus had already raised Lazarus from the dead. This act not only signified death in a mortal, but included resurrection, which is vastly unusual. This story is probably commensurate with the death and resurrection of the Messiah which will transpire very shortly, but how much more significant is the death and resurrection of a divine one as opposed to a simple human being? Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, anoints the feet of Jesus with a costly perfume. This indicates her true love and respect for Him. She is worshipping Him in her own particular way, but with a hidden meaning of the things to come.
This annoys Judas Iscariot, who openly voices his criticism, as he deceptively believes that it should have been sold to make money to give to the poor, but Jesus identifies the relevance and deeper connotations behind the gift for its future intended use after His death.
Spikenard, also known as nard, nardin and muskroot, which is reputedly the oil used to anoint the feet of Jesus, is an extremely expensive amber coloured oil that is formulated from the highly aromatic roots and oily stems of the spikenard plant which originates in India from the flowering plant: “Nardostachys Jatamansi.”
The gift of perfume or oils not only signifies worship, love and affection, they also make a statement. They may be given as a sincere thank you for a kindness previously shown. Most people use perfume not only to smell nice, but it can also boost confidence and provide self-reassurance. If a gift of perfume is given and the recipient wears it, that assures the donor that the token of affection has been accepted and that the present was not given in vain.
Mary Gaitskill, an American novelist once remarked: “The appeal of perfume is that it is at once ephemeral and empowering. It creates a shimmering invisible armor that lingers in a room long after its wearer has gone and infuses our imagination with a subtle power, hinting at a hidden identity.” Ephesians 5:1-33 reminds us: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
Amen.
