John 12:3 (NKJV): Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
In recent weeks, I have been preaching on the heart of worship, like that of Mary when she took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. The very word 'spikenard' here comes from the Hebrew word 'nayrd', which means 'aroma', a 'picture' of our sweet aroma of worship unto the Lord.
In cross-reference, Song of Solomon 1:12 says, 'While the king is at the table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance'. This was sung by the Shulamite (a 'picture' of 'you and I') for the king (a 'picture' of 'the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, i.e. Jesus Himself').
To worship is to surrender. It is the word 'proskuneo' in Greek, which can mean 'to prostrate oneself in total reverence and adoration towards the Lord'. To worship is to lay down your crowns before Him, no matter what other people may think or say about you. And Mary did just that by wiping the feet of Jesus with her hair. 'Hair' to a woman speaks of 'one's glory or crown'. 1 Corinthians 11:15 says, 'But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering'.
John 12:4-6 then says, 'But one of Jesus' disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it'.
'Three hundred denarii' was equivalent to about one year's wages for a worker those days, and that's a lot of money! It may sum up to tens of thousands of dollars today! As women rarely had inheritance those days, this jar of very expensive oil was probably Mary's only valuable thing that she had, and quite likely, her dowry. But she did not reserve any, because her focus was only on the Lord. This speaks of an 'unreserved worship', a sweet aroma of worship that pleases the Lord.
'Judas Iscariot' here speaks of 'the way and the mind of the world', i.e. 'the unrenewed mind', very much like Michal (the daughter of Saul) who despised David when she saw him leaping and dancing before the Lord as the ark entered the city of David (2 Samuel 6:16).
Watch now what John 12:7-8 says, 'But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."'
Instead of agreeing with Judas Iscariot, Jesus stood up and spoke up for Mary! And He said, "Leave her alone"! Not only that, He even went on to justify, explain, and defend what Mary had just done!
People of God, your total surrender and unreserved worship touches the heart of your Father in heaven, even if others in the world may mock at you or despise you, and see you as foolish.
And the wonderful part is, just like Mary, you too will see how the Lord is going to stand up and speak up for you, even at the most unexpected of times or circumstances!
