The Hebrew word for ARK is also the same word for BOX.
There are 2 words for ark in Hebrew:
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One is ARON meaning chest, as in treasure chest/container.
Strong’s Hebrew: 727. אָרוֹן (aron) — a chest, ark
Chest, Box, Ark In the Scriptures, the ark was originally a golden chest designed to reside in the innermost chamber of the mishkan (tabernacle) and then later in the bet hamikdash (temple).
Another word for ark is tebah/tevah תֵּבָה pronounced (tey-vaht); a noun, feminine word and is the “her” of this word. מִבַּיִת ( mee-bah-yit )
The base word is בית (bah-yit) meaning a house but in the context of this verse about Noah it means ‘inside’.
Strong’s Hebrew: 8392. תֵּבָה (tebah) — a box, chest
The literal meaning of the Hebrew word teivah is container or box and it is used for two objects Tevat Noa’h – Noah’s Ark.. (Noah’s Ark is tevat gofer; literally a box of gopher wood) ..and Moses Papyrus basket.
The meaning – literally – the container/the box of life!
Teivah also means word. Words are containers: they package ideas, feelings, sentiments and convictions.
Thus a student of the Torah is prompted to’ go into the word,’ the sacred task of discovering hidden meanings enfolded into each tevah!
This is about 2 boxes – 2 arks – one arc was in Bethany,
(Greek name Βηθανια, Bethania, which in turn comes from the Hebrew name Beth-aniah;)
the town near Jerusalem at the foot of the Mount of Olives where Yeshua/Jesus stayed.
Derived from the Hebrew Bet t’eina (possibly meaning: house of affliction/misery, or house of figs/dates) –
but what is the nerd in it?
Was it Martha’s sister Mary/Miriam/Miryam in Hebrew
or
Mary Magdalene/Miriam/Miryam of Magdala –
(מרים המגדלית)
who washed Yeshua/Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair?
What about the Anointing of Yeshua/Jesus by Miriam and an unnamed woman?
מָשַׁח – anoint 
The episode is particularly confusing because there are four different accounts with varied details in each of the four gospels. So It takes some detective work to analyze the information about the various Miriams/Marys mentioned in the gospels.
In the events of what we call ‘Holy Week’, there are two different recorded occasions when a woman anoints either the feet or the head of Yeshua/Jesus.
Many scholars combine both events because of their similarities; however, by studying them as two separate events, we can learn of some notable symbolism.
The amazing thing about this account presented during Yeshua/Jesus’ final week, was that Mary was symbolically doing the same thing that Yeshua/Jesus would later do for all of mankind on the cross.
Mark and
And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. … Mark 14:3-9
Matthew both mention an unnamed woman who anoints Yeshua/Jesus’ head with either nard or ointment.
Matt 26:6-13
Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. …
Luke tells us of an unnamed woman
“who was a sinner”
who bathed Yeshua/Jesus’ feet with her tears,
anointed them with ointment,
and dried them with her hair.
One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” …
Luke 7:36-50
Then, to add even more confusion,
John describes Mary of Bethany,
aka Martha’s sister, anointing his feet with nard and wiping them with her hair. Only in John’s gospel is the woman named as Mary of Bethany.
Chart comparing both anointings.
To understand the significance of these anointings, we first must understand that the word
Messiah in Hebrew, and
Christ in Greek both mean
‘the anointed one.’
In other words, Jesus Christ would actually mean Jesus the anointed. Yeshua Ha Mashiach.
In the Old Testament, there were three groups of people referred to as being anointed, that of prophets, priests, and kings.
The first anointing, as recorded by John…
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?”
John 12:1-8
…took place on Saturday, six days before the Passover, in an unnamed home in Bethany by Mary, the sister to Martha and Lazarus wherein she anointed only the feet of Jesus.
Following the chronology of John and placing the anointing on Saturday, it may be that John was trying to foreshadow how Yeshua/Jesus, being anointed the day before the triumphal entry, was symbolically being anointed as the king of Israel. We should remember that one of the reasons it was so significant that Yeshua/Jesus rode in to Jerusalem on a donkey was because when Solomon was recognized as the king of Israel, he likewise rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (see 1 Kings 1:32-34.)
The second anointing, as recorded by Matthew 26:6-13
6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
and also by Mark 14:3-9
And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. …
This instance apparently took place on Wednesday of that Week, two days before Passover,
in the home of Simon the leper in Bethany, (2 miles east of Jerusalem),
by an unnamed woman who anointed only the head of Yeshua/Jesus.
Simon the Leper in Bethany: We know almost nothing about this man, but evidently he had suffered from leprosy, and Yeshua/Jesus had healed him or no one -would have been permitted in his house. Some scholars say the word meant pot-maker rather than leprosy.
Mark doesn’t mention the name of the woman, but John identifies her as Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. John says that Martha was serving at this gathering and that Lazarus was sitting with Yeshua/Jesus.
If we follow the chronology of Mark and Matthew and place the anointing by the unnamed woman on Wednesday, the day before his Last Supper, it may be that Mark and Matthew were trying to show that Yeshua/Jesus was being anointed as the great High Priest, who would intercede on our behalf as He entered the garden of Gethsemane?
The high priest wore a breastplate with 12 stones, and two shoulder stones engraved with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel representing that Israel was always to be near his heart, and that he was to carry the burdens of Israel upon his shoulders at all times (see Ex.28:29 & 28:12).
What a perfect description of Messiah because in Gethsemane He took our sins and sorrows upon Himself.
Some believe in this one of the 2 incidents, that this perfume which Mary of Bethany, brought in her alabaster box may have been her dowry.
If that is true, it was probably all that she really possessed.
אָלָבַּסְטֶר, בַּהַט alabaster noun
דומה או עשוי מאלבסטר, מבהט alabaster adj.
The Greek word translated “alabaster box” in the KJV, as well as “flask,” “jar” and “vial” in other translations, is alabastron,
which can also mean “perfume vase.”
Strong’s Hebrew: 7893. שַׁ֫יִשׁ shayish alabaster
Phonetic Spelling: (shah’-yish)
Strong’s Hebrew: 3537. כַּד kad – a jar
Strong’s Hebrew: 7184. קְשָׂוֹת (qasah or qasvah)
jug, jar
alabaster box תיבת בהט
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What is an alabaster box?
The Bible speaks of an alabaster box in the two incidents involving women, one of whom was Mary of Bethany, who brought ointment in the box to anoint Jesus. The Greek word translated “alabaster box” in the KJV, as well as “flask,” “jar” and “vial” in other translations, is alabastron, which can also mean “perfume vase.”
Alabaster historically was a symbol of
purity and great honor.
It is also thought to have been associated with the Egyptian Goddess Bast (hence alaBASTer).
Alabaster boxes were originally Egyptian vessels made of a peculiar stone, a kind of soft white marble, it is a translucent carbonate of lime formed on the floors of limestone caves by the percolation of water. It is of the same material as our marbles, but differently formed.
It is usually clouded or banded like agate, hence sometimes called onyx marble which was supposed to be specially adapted to preserve the odor of perfumed ointments. The Greeks named the vessels from the town of Alabastron the place in Egypt where it is found. It occurs only in (Matt. 26:7; Mark 14:3; Luke 7:37).
The ancients considered alabaster to be the best material in which to preserve their ointments.
This white mineral was easy to carve and polish, so Israelites used it to make beautiful jars, vases and very easily wrought into boxes.
The alabastra were of various shapes and sizes bored with a drill by the Egyptians and hollowed out with a chisel by the Palestinians. Ancient traders often sealed costly perfume in an alabaster jar, allowing the scent to escape only gradually through the jar’s porous shell over many years.
The fragrance of some ointments is said to have remained in the alabastra for hundreds of years.
At the time Yeshua/Jesus was on earth there was a custom among the Israelite women.
When a woman reached the age of availability for marriage the family would purchase an alabaster box for her and fill it with precious ointment. The size of the box and the value of the ointment would parallel her families wealth.
This alabaster box would be part of her dowry.
When a suitor came to ask for her in marriage she would respond by taking the alabaster box and break it at his feet.
This gesture of anointing his feet showed him honor.
We must take our alabaster box to Jesus/Yeshuas feet
and
break it in His presence
for He is worthy of such honor
and as our bridegroom
we show Him we are indeed the bride
for whom He paid the ultimate price.
The woman had an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume, made of pure nard.
Mark 14:5 says that this box of ointment contained a pound/ = approx. 0.45 Kg. /or 12 ounces of pure nard, was worth more than 300 denarii, equal to a year’s salary (300 pence, in Mark 14:5). A pence is considered to have been a day’s wages. It would be around 40.000 U.S.Dollars/30,500 GBP of today’s money. No wonder the disciples (Mt. 26:8), Judas in particular was the most vocal, responded with dismay at what they deemed such a waste.
They claim that Mary has wasted this precious perfume, and that she should have sold it and given the money to the poor instead.
Imagine how Mary must have felt, after pouring out everything she had as an act of worship, she gets criticized and ridiculed by the disciples of Yeshua/Jesus. Surely her heart must have been broken just like the alabaster box that had contained her perfume.
Nard (Spikenard) was most likely the content of the jar because alabaster itself was such a pricey item, not like a clay jar that stored more common items like olive oil.
Ointment, oils and perfumes used to be put in vessels made of alabaster, which kept them pure and unspoiled. Alabaster was a strong enough substance to keep the oil or perfume completely contained until the time of its use. allowing the scent to escape only gradually through the jar’s porous shell over many years.
The boxes were often sealed or made fast with wax, to prevent the perfume from escaping.
The woman “broke” the vessel; i.e.,
she broke off, as was usually done,
the long and narrow neck so as to reach the contents.
When Mary broke open her alabaster box,
“the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” John 12:3
Quite suddenly, Mary moved towards the Lord. She was holding in her hands a beautiful alabaster box which contained very precious delicately perfumed ointment, and to the surprise of everyone there, she broke the box and poured its contents over the head (Mark 14:3) and the feet (John 12:3) of our Lord and anointed Him.
When Mary of Bethany broke her alabaster box/jar of spikenard John 12:3 and bathed the feet of Jesus with the oil, she, too, wanted only the best to define her love for Him.
It has been speculated that this jar may have been Mary’s dowry or her inheritance. In other words, this jar of spikenard ointment may have been all she had of value, and she poured it out on Him.
Her extravagant gift is a picture of the kind of offering expected of each of us. Only the best was worthy of her Lord, and she was willing to give everything as an act of worship.
The same should be true of us (Num.18:29).
The fact that both women carried an alabaster box of ointment with which to anoint Jesus as He was eating a meal has given rise to a certain amount of confusion about these two separate incidents involving two different women. Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, and John 12:1-8 all speak of the same event involving Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus, at the home of Simon the leper, probably a leper who had been healed by Jesus and had become one of His followers.
This event occurred in Bethany just days before the crucifixion, which is why Mary came to anoint Jesus for the event to come. “She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial” Mark 14:8. Mary is never referred to as a sinner in any of the accounts of her. Nor does it say she was weeping.
On the other hand, Luke 7:36-50 speaks of the house of Simon the Pharisee rather than the house of Simon the leper. This event occurred about a year before the crucifixion in the area around Galilee Luke 7:1,11.
Is this a third event?
Luke 7:37 When a sinful woman from that town learned that Jesus was dining there, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume.
Luke 7:39 When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him–for she is a sinner!”
Luke 7:38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
The woman here was forgiven of many sins, but her name is not given.
While Mary of Bethany may have possessed insight as to the upcoming death of Christ, the woman of Luke had no such insight; she exhibited just loving worship of the One who forgave her of her sins and her many tears were witness to her repentant heart knowing from what she had been forgiven and redeemed.
Standing behind at His feet weeping.
She came to our Lord, as He reclined at table; standing by Him, leaning over His feet, her tears of penitence began to flow, and thus she began to wet His feet with her tears.
And stood at His feet behind Him
…Messiah lay upon a bed, or couch, as was the custom of the ancients, both Jews and others, at meals, with His feet extended out behind; and between the couches and the walls of the room, there was a space for servants to wait and serve, and such are therefore said to
“stand at the feet”;
and the phrase is used, as descriptive of servants in waiting;
in such a situation this woman put herself, as being also ashamed and afraid to come before Him, and look Him in the face; and here she stood weeping for her sins, and melted down with the love of Yeshua/Jesus to her soul, and at His discourse:
and began to wash his feet with tears: which fell from her eyes in such abundance upon his feet, as she stood by Him that they were like a shower of rain, as the word signifies, with which His feet were as it were bathed and washed; His shoes or sandals being off, as was the custom at eating so to do, lest they should daub the couch or bed, on which they lay.
Her tears she used instead of water; for it was the custom first to wash the feet before they were anointed with oil, which she intended to do; and for which purpose she had brought with her an alabaster box of ointment:
it is said of one, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head; which were long, and hung loose about her shoulders, (here it says), it being usual and comely for women to wear long hair? (1Cor. 11:15). That which was her adornment and beauty, and which she took great care of to nourish and put in proper form, to, render her desirable, she uses instead of a towel to wipe her tears off her Lord’s feet.
“and kissed his feet”, ywlgr qvnw.
This was not an unusual practice with the Jews;
and anointed them with the ointment;
which she brought with her.
This same custom was also used by the Greeks and Romans among their civilities, and in their salutations.
THE PRECIOUS OINTMENT
The ointment mentioned in the text by Mark is called
ointment of spikenard,
probably because that costly aromatic plant was one of the principal ingredients.
Spikenard is one of the most precious spices of the Bible.
The Hebrew for it is NERD;
the Greeks called it nardos.
Spikenard in the Bible (3 verses). Hebrew: נֵרְדְּ, nērĕd, H5373
Strong’s Hebrew: 5373. נֵרְדְּ (nerd) — nard nard plants perfume
Transliteration: NERD
Phonetic Spelling: (nayrd)
It grew extensively in northern India, and has been found high in the Himalaya Mountains.
It grows small with many, spikes on one root, bearing pink blossoms; thus it is sometimes called the Indian spike. Perfumed oil is extracted from these spikes..
Taken from the root of the Species Nardostachys jatamansi From the botanical family Valerianaceae. The plant grows to about 1 meter (3 ft) in height and has pink, bell-shaped flowers.
The word spikenard is found in the King James Version; other translations simply say “pure nard.”
Spikenard had a strong, distinctive aroma, similar to an essential oil, that clings to skin and hair and continues to give off its heady perfume.
It was also thought to have medicinal properties.
Spikenard had a unique fragrance, and
the presence of its aroma was an indication that
the very best had been offered.
One of the early aromatics mentioned in the bible In the Song of Solomon 1:12, 4:13-14, spikenard is mentioned in reference to the love between bride and groom. In song of sol 1:12 the bride says, “While the king was at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.”
Those words imply that, despite all other fragrances in the room, only his bride’s would matter to the groom.
The presence of spikenard represented their passion for each other and their desire to have only the best define their love.
THIS IS
THE NERD IN THE ARK
and it was very precious!
The receptacles for this expensive perfume have been found by archaeologists under the debris of walls, among the ruins of patrician houses, and in royal palaces.
Both women used ointments valuing 300 or more pence, both took place during a dinner; and both women were criticized by a disciple for their acts of service towards Yeshua/Jesus.
If a person bought an alabaster box, it was only used for very important purposes. So the Pharisees considered it a waste when a woman poured perfume from an alabaster box on Messiah’s head in Matthew 26:7-9.
Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. …
Just imagine the look on the disciples’ faces? Their mouths open in shock as they watched a crazy scene unfold. A woman, unreservedly, empty over a years wages, (tens of thousands of dollars today,) all over Him for apparently no reason.
In their minds she should have given that to the poor and they complained that she was wasting a precious scent which could have been enjoyed for years.
No doubt they were waiting to take delight in Him rebuking the woman, which did not happen.
Yeshua/Jesus puts a stop to their criticism. He tells the disciples to leave her alone, because she has done a good work for Him. He says that they can help the poor anytime they want, but that they will not have very many more opportunities to show their love for Him in person.
He had told His disciples on several occasions that He was going to Jerusalem to be put to death, and now He claims that Mary’s act of devotion will serve as the anointing for His death. Although Mary probably didn’t intend for her actions to be interpreted this way, the custom was to first bathe and then anoint the body of a dead person.
After the body was anointed, the flask that contained the ointment was to be broken and laid with the body in the tomb.
Yeshua/Jesus knew that He would be put to death as a criminal, and that He would be buried without the proper anointing.
When Judas rebuked Mary for wasting such a precious ointment John 12:4-5, Jesus silenced him: “Leave her alone. . . . It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial”John 12:7.
Only He truly understood what He was saying; knowing that in a few days He would be arrested, tried, and crucified.
Could it have been that, as He felt the whip lacerate His flesh, as He felt the nails pierce His hands and feet, He could also inhale the fragrance of that gift of spikenard and remember why He was doing this?
Mary’s gift may have strengthened and encouraged Him, even throughout His horrific ordeal, as its strong scent still clung to His skin.
Mary had not known it at the time she offered her valuable gift, but she was the first to anoint the Son of God as He became no longer simply their teacher but the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world. (John 1:29; 2 Cor. 5:12).
Yeshua/Jesus rebuked the disciples, praised the woman, and the house where they were was filled with the fragrance of the precious ointment (John 12.3)
We are the vessels now sealed by Holy Spirit/Ruach HaKodesh. and in our brokenness we release a sweet smelling fragrance to those being saved and the fragrance is also filling our house, our bodies/being.
Each of us is specially made to be a vessel of honor. We are all different shapes and sizes, all precious in His sight, we are to give forth the fragrance of Messiah from our lives.
Sometimes that fragrance just escapes gradually; other times, it comes gushing forth!
The woman who brought her alabaster jar of perfume had to crack it as an act of worship in order to spill out its contents.
The only way the perfume can been released to anoint Messiah is if the jar is broken.
FRAGRANCE COMES THROUGH BROKENNESS
The perfume is a symbol of the spirit or the inner man.
The alabaster jar is a symbol of the outer man or the soul.
As David The Psalmist says, The Lord is near unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves those of a contrite spirit (Psa. 34:18).
How vitally necessary it is that we are truly sorry for our sin, a sorrow that works repentance and turns us totally around.
It causes us to stop doing the things that grieve Jesus and begin to live in a way that pleases Him.
Such was the contrite spirit of the woman–
John calls her Mary–
who broke the alabaster box of precious ointment on Yeshua/Jesus.
When she was broken because of her sin;
Yeshua/ Jesus forgave her,
and she experienced a gratitude
deeper than words could express.
Being a young woman in the presence of so many men, she was not allowed to vocally express herself. Such a privilege was not permitted women of that day, so she did all that she could.
She acted by arising and going after the most precious gift she could think of–a very costly bottle of perfume.
She wanted to show Him her love, but how?
By giving.
She gave it to Him in a way that He would know that at least one person truly loved Him and believed Him to be the Messiah.
When Mary (Magdalene)? washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and dried them with her hair, she also anointed them with expensive ointment. For this token of devotion, Christ forgave her sins then proceeded to remind his host that he had not been extended the same courtesy as would be appropriate to a welcome guest.
Foot bathing signified the status of an honored guest and put them at ease and comfort.
Foot washing, when undertaken by anyone other than the lowest servant in the household, took on significant symbolic importance.
Most authorities recognize this humble action as deliberate act of humility, a mark of respect or deliberate self-humiliation.
FRAGRANCE COMES THROUGH SACRIFICE
Mary worshipped the one who had set her free by giving herself and all that she had. The Apostle Paul wrote: I beg you … by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God …(Rom.12:1).
A sacrifice is a gift of something precious, meaningful, and the best. In the Old Testament, God’s people gave the first and the best from among their flock as an offering to God. When the Lord smelled Noah’s offerings, they were a scent of satisfaction to His heart, and caused Him to have mercy on His people (Gen. 8:21).
The same thing happened when Yeshua/Jesus smelled the sacrifice that Mary gave Him that memorable day.
His heart was turned toward her.
He not only accepted her sacrifice, but her act of giving became a learning point to all those who looked on.
After Mary broke the box of precious ointment, she poured the perfume over Jesus’ head (say Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and feet (says John), and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.
“The anointing which you have received of Him abides (lives) in you” (I John 2:17). Therefore, “out of your innermost being springs and rivers of living water shall flow continuously”(John 7:38).
We are His vessels and contain His fragrance which will bubble up like fresh spring water and overflow into the lives of others.
This pouring forth brings the anointed message of Yeshua/Jesus to all those it touches. It is His fragrance, His anointing, His oil, His precious ointment that will fill the place. He said,
The spirit of the Lord is now upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19).
Now if the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, what do you do? Jesus answers this question:
“Verily, I say unto you … the works that I do shall you do also, and greater works than these shall you do…” (John 14:12).
Of Mary who poured the precious ointment on Him, He said,
“Wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman has done, be told for a memorial of her” (Matt.26.13).
FRAGRANCE COMES THROUGH LOVING
Mary knew that the anointing came from being
at His’ feet–in His Presence.
She wasn’t moved by the critics around her but continued to pour the precious ointment on Him. Yeshua/Jesus rebuked her critics and made her famous throughout the centuries right into our lives today.
Our love for Messiah, like Mary’s, is a commitment that is not swayed by what other people say or think.
It is the deep expression of gratitude that comes from a heart that has experienced His forgiveness. The fragrance of such gratitude is a sweet smelling savor in the nostrils of our Lord.
Imagine the scene:
The words from the song by CeCe Winans helps to paint the picture…
The room grew still As she made her way to Jesus She stumbled through the tears That make her blind She felt such pain Some spoke in anger Heard folks whisper There’s no place here for her kind
Still on she came Through the shame that flushed her face Until at last she knelt before his feet And though she spoke no words Everything she said was heard As she poured her love for the master From her box of Alabaster
[Chorus] And I’ve come to pour My praise on Him like oil From Mary’s Alabaster Box Don’t be angry if I wash His feet with my tears And I dry them with my hair You weren’t there the night He found me You did not feel what I felt When He wrapped His loving arms around me And you don’t know the cost Of the oil in my Alabaster box
I can’t forget the way life used to be I was a prisoner to the sin that had me bound And I spent my days Poured my life without measure Into a little treasure box I thought I found Until the day when Jesus came to me And healed my soul with the wonder of His touch
So now I’m giving back to Him All the praise He’s worthy of I’ve been forgiven and that’s why I love Him so much
WHAT FRAGRANCE COMES THROUGH US?
Everyone gives off some kind of smell through our actions, our attitudes, and our words. Like it or not, we smell like the people in whose company we are. If they are smokers, then we and our clothes will smell like smoke. If we hug those who wear strong perfume or aftershave, the fragrance stays with us.
Whether we like it or not, we smell like the foods we eat. Eating garlic, we will smell like garlic, likewise peanuts, we’ll smell like them. Attempting to cover up the odors usually makes it worse.
Whether we believe it or not, we will begin to speak like the people with whom we spend our time. Should they use slang words, we soon hear ourselves repeating them yet in a positive way, if they use praise words and scripture, we respond and echo them. It is important to know just what do others smell when they are near us?
We are not to hide behind a false aroma or use something to mask who we really are
we must be genuine,
be real with the Lord, with others and with ourselves. Nothing is hidden from Him anyway!
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. 15 For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one, we are an odor of death and demise; to the other, a fragrance that brings life. And who is qualified for such a task?…2Cor.2:14-16
We are a sweet smelling fragrance – when we are broken alabaster boxes.
Mary set aside pride and embarrassment in order to demonstrate her love and faith in Messiah. How far are we willing to go in order to show our love for Him?
When we fellowship with Yeshua/Jesus in worship, in prayer, and by reading His Word. Then in our brokenness, in our sacrifices, in our pouring out into the lives of others, and in our expression of love for Him, we’ll smell like Him, talk like Him, and spread His fragrance wherever we go.
There certainly are many similarities in these incidents that have caused some confusion, one of which is the presence of the nerd in an ark, an alabaster box, in both accounts.
When the Pharisee expresses disgust that such a woman, who, it is inferred, is a prostitute, or certainly a sinner, should be allowed to do such a thing, Messiah rebukes him and points out that since the woman has entered, he has done nothing but minister to him while the Pharisee, whose name is Simon, has done nothing.
“foot” (Hebrew רֶגֶל regel)
Since the Israelites, like all other Oriental peoples, wore sandals instead of shoes, and as they usually went barefoot in the house, frequent washing of the feet was a necessity. Hence among the Israelites it was the first duty of the host to give his guest water for the washing of his feet (Gen. 18:4, 24:32; Judges 19:21);
to omit this was a sign of marked unfriendliness. It was also customary to wash the feet before meals and before going to bed; to abstain for a long time from washing them was a sign of deep mourning (2 Sam. 19:24).
The other part of her action that may have raised eyebrows, was the wiping of his feet with her hair. Apparently, Jewish women did not let down their hair in public. This expression of devotion may have come across as quite improper and even too intimate an act in public, just as it would in most other cultures.
He then turns to the woman and pardons her of all her sins for her great devotion.
A final thought…
Many think Mary Magdalene was a prostitute who came to the Lord.
Mary means ‘wise woman/lady’. It is a Greek form of the Hebrew Miriam or Mariamme, and was the most popular woman’s name at the time
Mary Magdalene (/ˈmæɡdələn/ Hebrew: מרים המגדליתoriginal Biblical Greek: Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή),
Literally translated as Mary the Magdalene or Mary of Magdala. Mary came from a now-vanished town called Magdala, on the western side of the Sea of Galilee.
Pope Gregory the Great was the first to link her to the prostitute who wept at his feet. All we really know is that the scripture records that Mary Magdalene had demons and was delivered by Messiah. We don’t know whether she was a prostitute or sexually immoral.
But no one questions it. She’s become the world’s most famous prostitute.
Imagine that you come to the Lord and for generations you’re known as the world’s most famous prostitute which may not even be true!
However it doesn’t matter what people think of you. (Most of the time they’re wrong anyway.) It only matters what Messiah thinks of you and that you’re with Him now.
Since Pope Gregory the Great, this woman has been identified with Mary Magdelene and so she is often portrayed as carrying an alabaster jar. In fact she is referred to as Mary of Bethany in another Gospel. But then Gregory also identified Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdelene! More confusion!
Throughout the centuries, Mary Magdalene has been erroneously portrayed as a reformed prostitute: was she confused with the woman with the alabaster jar who was nameless described in Luke 7:36-50?
The woman with the alabaster jar is called a ‘sinner’, but she was not called a prostitute either; Luke uses a different word when he describes an actual prostitute in 15:30 .
Mary Magdalene had a serious illness, but the nature of the illness is unspecified; later celibate male writers linked Mary’s illness, her ‘demons’, with her sexuality. The seven demons were more likely to have been connected to her physical ailments.
What we are seeing is how, in fact, the Woman with the Jar is much closer in her spiritual attitude to Jesus… Further, the Alabaster Jar is linked to the image of the Ark.
It is the receiving vessel, into which the Holy Spirit pours and the individual can be transformed.
Here it is filled with ointment. The woman is not just washing Messiah but ANOINTING Him. And remember that the word Christ means ‘Anointed One’. So the Jar and the woman who carries it are VERY significant in terms of understanding the inner meaning of Messiah.
Mary Magdelene was a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, and probably one who shared her substance financially! It is unlikely, that she was a reformed prostitute, but medieval painters seemed to like to to show her as such.
She was the first witness to the Resurrection, and is called ‘Apostle to the Apostles’, since the risen Messiah told her to ‘go and tell’, apostellein in Greek.
The idea of women as primary witnesses does not seem unusual to people in the 21st century, but it was a revolutionary concept at the time. The testimony of women was not given the same weight as men’s, either personally or in a court of law. Mary’s witness to the Resurrection reversed this idea. When the Christian stories described Mary Magdalene and the other women as the first witnesses of the Resurrection, they were saying something important about the nature of women: that they were capable of being as fully Christian as men.
That said, none of the accounts suggest specifically by name any involvement by Mary Magdalene.
So, was there only one woman that anointed Jesus during Holy Week?
The gospels record there was an event of a woman anointing Messiah in a particularly extravagant way, it seems we will simply never know for sure who it was that enacted such a loving gesture for Jesus. Perhaps it was Mary, Martha’s sister, or perhaps it was done by another woman whose name has been lost to us forever.
What we do know is that Mary, and perhaps this unnamed woman, will always be remembered for the incredible service they gave to their Lord and Master. A service, that perhaps, pointed to the Savior’s most often used title, that of Christ/Messiah, the anointed one.
“I tell the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she had done will also be told, in memory of her.” Matt. 26:8-13.
We are part of fulfilling that prophecy as we read these scriptures.
The scripture doesn’t tell us how long she had been holding on to her jar. We are not told what she was saving it for.
She could have hoarded it or saved it for a rainy day. She could have been selfish and kept it to herself.
None of her family objected when she gave everything she had quietly away to the one that she adored.
Mary loved Jesus so much that she wanted to give all that she had to Him.
Forgetting what people thought, how she would look or the practical needs she would forgo. Her sole desire was to give everything she had to Him and she did it cheerfully not knowing what her future would be. Her love and dedication to Messiah made her life truly fragrant.
How do we become “fragrant for the Lord?”
When we do all that we do with the idea of presenting our very best to the Lord, we become fragrant.
What is Yeshua/Jesus worth to us? For Mary, He was worth everything that she possessed. For Judas He was worth 30 pieces of silver.
Mark includes this story here to contrast it with the story of Judas. Judas was so incensed after witnessing this act of incredible waste was it then that he conspired to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver? The tipping point?
Verses 1 and 2 tell us that the religious leaders were plotting to execute Jesus and were looking for a way to do it that wouldn’t cause the crowds to riot. Some believe that Mary’s act of devotion was the thing that caused Judas to decide to switch teams. John says that Judas was the most vocal of the disciples in criticizing Mary for what she had done, but it wasn’t because he was concerned for the poor, it was because he was the treasurer of the group and had taken some of their money for himself. Judas wanted to get his hands on that money. So when Jesus condemns the disciples for criticizing Mary, Judas decides to get his money another way…by betraying him. Verse 10 says that Judas went to the religious leaders and promised to hand over Jesus for a price.
As we read we can learn several things.
First of all, the alabaster box of ointment contained something that was very precious, it represented the life of the owner, TEVAH it was like a small house with the sum total of her future hopes inside it;
but as long as it stayed in the container, it didn’t benefit anyone.
When she released it did all the unspoken Teivah, words, ideas, feelings, sentiments and convictions, pour out also?
Yeshua/Jesus called the act a good work, and the original Greek actually means “a beautiful thing.”
God has given each one of us a spiritual gift. It may be great faith, acts of service, hospitality, teaching, or some other gift.
But if we keep that gift to ourself, it benefits no one.
It is our responsibility as a Christian to identify what our gift is, and then to use it for the glory of God and the benefit of those around us.
When Mary wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair, she walked away smelling like Jesus did!! When we have been close to Him we will smell like Him too!
When we use what we have for Jesus, others can sense that we have been with Him. If your gift is compassion or mercy, you display the same that Jesus showed to us when He died in our place. If our gift is evangelism, then we display the love that Jesus has for sinners.
The use of our spiritual gifts causes others to sense Yeshua/Jesus’ presence in our lives.
Mary couldn’t keep the Jewish leaders from falsely accusing Him. She couldn’t keep the soldiers from crucifying Him, or the crowds from mocking Him.
But she could show her love and devotion by sacrificing the most precious thing that she possessed.
When Messiah is the object of our affections, those who have received His pardoning love
will not stop to calculate the value
of the alabaster box of precious ointment.
and the remaining ?’s are…
what’s in your alabaster box?
and
What’s the cost of the nerd in your ark?
It can only be used once!
We only have one life, so lets make them ones that are poured out for His glory; we are broken only to be made whole again, just as Messiah Yeshua was broken for us.
Restored – a new creation – far better and stronger than before!
Shalom!
Don’t leave this page before breaking your ark and releasing the nerd within…
