A Beautiful Thing

“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.”
—Mark 14:3

Jesus was at the home of Simon the Leper one evening during Passion Week, reclining at the table eating dinner, when a woman entered. She was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha (John 12:3). Many were there, among whom were her brother, Lazarus, who had just been raised from the dead only days before, and her sister, Martha, who served those present (John 12:3). She came with an alabaster jar, full of pure nard—an aromatic perfuming oil from an Indian or Arabian root that was used to anoint the head, valued at 300 days’ wages for a laborer. She broke the flask, poured it over Jesus’ head and onto His feet. She unbound her hair, a highly unusual act, because a Jewish woman rarely unbound her hair in public. She then proceeded to wash his feet with her hair. The response of those in attendance was indignation—specifically for Judas Iscariot, who said that her act was a waste, and the money acquired from the sale of the nard could have been used to feed the poor. Judas really didn’t care about the poor, but he kept track of the money and was a thief who used to help himself to it whenever he wanted.

It was an act whereby Mary anointed Jesus’ body for burial, and He called it “a beautiful thing.” Mary was no stranger to Jesus. She loved Him. She had sat at His feet when He had been at her home teaching—even earning a commendation from Jesus for choosing to be in His presence rather than serve as her sister Martha did (Luke 10:42). Her devotion and love for Him only increased when He arrived after her brother had died. Lazarus had been buried in the tomb for four days when Jesus arrived. Jesus wanted to know where he was buried, and after being shown the location, Mary fell at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died”—John 11:32. Deeply moved, Jesus commanded the stone over the tomb be rolled away and then did the unthinkable—He commanded that Lazarus come out of the tomb. To everyone’s amazement, Lazarus stepped out from the tomb—alive. Whether it was in response to the raising of her brother, or simply her love and devotion for Him as a teacher, or likely some combination of the two—she unbound her hair and wiped his feet. It was an act of deep love and humble devotion. It was a symbolic act that Jesus used to point to His approaching death. Such an action earned Mary a place in Gospel history to be remembered for all eternity. As Jesus said, “And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her"—Mark 14:9.

Mary’s story is in many ways our story—a story of a loving disciple showing one’s humble and pure devotion to Christ. We give of our treasures, broken and poured out at His feet. We do not care about the cost, or for what it may look like socially. We do not care about how we might be judged by those around us; we simply must show our thankfulness and love for who He is and what He has done. Jesus is the Lord of Life and the Chief Shepherd of our souls. We are His sheep and He lovingly guides us to safe pastures, still waters, and goes with us through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23). As His children and His sheep, we show our love and appreciation by casting ourselves at His feet in pure and heartfelt devotion, knowing that our act, like Mary’s, will be remembered by Him for all of eternity (2 Corinthians 5:10). No act that we do for Him will go unnoticed. Even our common and seemingly insignificant acts will be remembered by Him, shown in the theater of eternity as testimonies of praise to His grace and mercy shown in our lives (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18; 10:42; 25:40).

Today, take a moment to recall the blessings and mercies that He has shown you. Bow at His feet in humility and prayer, thanking Him for loving you so much that He would die on the cross for your sins. May He give all of us strength to take greater steps of faith for Him, despite the discouragement or rejection we might experience from those who would mock or complain about our acts of genuine and wholehearted devotion. May His presence be seen in our lives, and His praises upon our lips, so that all may know that He is the Christ, the one true Son of God who came to die for our sins. Amen.