Not My Glory, but Yours

Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. 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 odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

Within the week proceeding Jesus’ crucifixion, the Gospels tell us of two separate instances when Jesus was anointed with oil in preparation for the crucifixion. The first was done by Mary as noted in John 12 and the second is done by an unnamed woman in Simon the lepers house just two days before the “Last Supper” (Mark 14:1-9, Matthew 26: 6-13). For this weeks’ study, we will be meditating on the anointing of Jesus by Mary, Lazerasus’ sister.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus prophesies of His own death a multitude of times, yet remarkably, as we read all four Gospels we are left with the impression these prophesies fell on deaf ears. We do not know intimately if these two women understood that Jesus was going to the cross proceeding His anointings, but it does show us an example of the working of the Holy Spirit within them preparing Jesus for the cross. Jesus Himself acknowledges that Mary had done this for the day of His “burying” right in front of her, and this forces us to recognize that in some way spiritually she understood what she was doing, even if those around them were left unaware or unable to acknowledge the profound nature of what was occurring. Mary seemed to have been listening to God in a way that many others were not. That listening lead her into this sacred moment with Jesus, though in a room full of people, we are left with the impression that only the two of them understood what was occurring.

For a Jewish woman, her hair was, and still is today, a symbol of her glory, beauty, and value. Her hair was not just hair, it was something she cared for and carefully maintained, and it was something that clothed her in dignity and value. Her hair was deeply personal and intimate. So much so, that after a Jewish woman is married her hair is reserved for only her husband. I don’t mean this to insinuate she was being sexual towards Jesus, but rather that she was taking her most valued offering to Him and serving Him by wiping His feet with her own hair. We could say, she washed His feet with her glory. She offered up her most prized natural gifting to serve Jesus.

Not only did she do this with the natural gift of her hair, she used an oil that is estimated to have had the value of over a year of wages. She offered up her most valuable resources financially and naturally to honour Jesus. What greater sign of humility, sacrifice, and reverence.

This brings my mind to the story of the widow’s two mites.

“Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two [o]mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”” (Mark 12:41-44)

Jesus teaches true value is within the depth of sacrifice, rather than the quantity of it. What we bring to God with a sacrificial heart, no matter what little we have to offer, He sees the heart posture of it and honours it. He recognizes the reverence and faith associated with true sacrifice. He recognizes when we give Him our best, not just what is left over from our abundance. When we sacrifice our time, resources, giftings; things that we could use to bring ourselves glory, and instead use them for His glory, His power resides there. What power you might ask? The power of a relationship with Him. Where He is our peace and provider and where we are free from the bondage of this world.

When Mary anointed Jesus’ feet she was displaying this same principle. She was giving Jesus what was most valuable to her by worldly standards. She designated the oil of great value for Him, and her physical glory for His. Are we willing to pour out what is most valuable to us on Jesus’ feet? Are we willing to lay our glory at Jesus’ feet? Are we willing to lay bare the best part of ourselves for Him, or are we just giving Him what is left over from what we use to build our own glory?

Brothers and sisters, there is no fear in laying down your glory for His, “The Lord raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” ( Psalm 145:14) May we seek the same relationship with Jesus that allows us to sit in a room full of oblivious people, yet, be the ones that see Him, and hear Him, and reverence Him and acknowledge His Glory.