“Divine Anointing”

By Jeannette Haley

“While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard

 sendeth forth the smell thereof.” – Song of Solomon 1:12

       In our Bible study recently, a question was asked that is the inspiration behind this short article. The question, which apparently was a topic of discussion, is “Why did Mary wipe Jesus’ feet with her hair instead of simply using a rag?” In my mind came the words, “Because He is worthy.” Then the Holy Spirit began to flash “pictures” of this event into my mind with such light, glory and divine beauty that mere words fail me to describe; therefore, suffice it to say, I shall do my best, with the Lord’s help, to share with you.

       The background for John’s account of this incident reads, “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” John 12:3. This act was not done in a private setting, but silently and bravely performed in the presence of the disciples and others who were present, but that mattered little to Mary who was there, nor did she care what they thought. They all knew that Jesus had raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead, so how could they even have a shadow of doubt concerning Who Jesus was? Guided by the Holy Spirit, and compelled by the unhindered love in her heart, she offered the very best she had in the costly anointing oil which represented all that the Spirit of God had revealed to her about Jesus.

       Mary’s anointing oil spoke of the fact that she recognized, knew and believed with all her heart that Jesus was not only sent by God as Prophet, High Priest, and King, but as the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. And, she knew that prophets, priests and kings were anointed with anointing oil as instructed by God. (See 1 Kings 19:16; Exodus 29:7; Psalm 133:2; 1 Samuel 16:1, 13; 2 Kings 9:3, 6; 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22.)  Anointing was a sign of consecration, and of being set apart for a special office, position, or purpose with power, and she was the vessel God chose to silently “preach” to everyone present that Jesus was the fulfillment of all that Scripture foretold through the prophets. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” Luke 2:11. Jesus had said, John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

       Being assured of who Jesus was in her heart of hearts, how could she offer anything less than the very best, and how could a common rag, or even a cloth made of “fine twined linen” be good enough for the King of kings, and the Lord of lords? How could any cloth, however fine it may have been, which was made by the hands of man, ever be worthy of Who He was? Mary’s hair, however, was not “manmade” and was given to her by the Lord. Thus, the very best she had to offer Him was all of herself which her hair represented as she silently, and reverently, communicated to Him with every gentle touch of her hair. No other man who has ever been, or is, or ever will be could ever be worthy to receive this type of divine anointing.

       There is revelation at the feet of Jesus, for it is there, in a position of humble surrender, piety, penetrating wonder and worship that the Holy Spirit can illuminate and impart more to the hungry and thirsty soul in seconds than any Bible school in the world can teach in years. With the question of “why she didn’t use a rag” in mind, consider the concern of the late A. W. Tozer who spoke of the fact that what he called textualism was “depersonalizing” Scripture by treating it as a collection of inert facts which was the shortest path to dead orthodoxy and lack of piety. He noted that scholars and pastors were treating Scripture as a collection of inert facts, which could be discovered and communicated as surely as a scientist recording laboratory findings.

       The second thing Tozer was concerned with was the pragmatism which had begun in the 19^th century and which we all know (or should know) has completely taken over and changed the church from the original pattern. He noted that pragmatism was changing the very nature of what styled itself as the heir of the apostolic and historic church. He wrote, “The temptation to introduce ‘new’ things into the work of God has always been too strong for some people to resist. The Church has suffered untold injury at the hands of well-intentioned but misguided persons who have felt that they know more about running God’s work than Christ and His apostles did. A solid train of box cars would not suffice to haul away the religious truck which has been brought into the service of the Church with the hope of improving on the original pattern. These things have been, one and all, positive hindrances to the progress of the Truth, and have so altered the divinely-planned structure that the apostles, were they to return to earth today, would scarcely recognize the misshapen thing which has resulted.””

       His third major concern was true worship. He saw that the church was losing a sense of majesty, reverence and awe in its worship, and had trivialized the whole act. Worship was becoming a form of entertainment. Hymnody was being replaced by the gospel song and the religious entertainer, reverence was being replaced with breezy cheeriness or childish hilarity, and sobriety and simplicity were diminishing. Lost in the dizzying programing and deafening noise of it all is the adoration, awe, and wonderment in worship that comes as the result of sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning of Him; that He is the One whom even John the Baptist said, “He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose” John 1:27. “Worship,” Tozer explained, “is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of Mystery, that majesty…which we call Our Father, Which art in Heaven.”

       Mary knelt before Him in an act of adoration and worship, every drop of the precious ointment that she slowly poured out upon His feet spoke of a devotion greater than any earthly love could fathom. All of her being—body, soul and spirit, was represented by every drop of oil she lavished on the feet of her beloved. “Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee” Song of Solomon 1:3. Her act of gently wiping His feet with her hair speaks of an intense intimacy that can only proceed forth from the innermost being of a person’s soul and spirit. With every caress of her fragrance-filled hair she silently offered up her heart, her soul, and very life to Him as, not only her Prophet, Priest and King, but as her Savior and Lord.

       But it went deeper than that. This was no ordinary “anointing” for it embodied the very heart of the Gospel so many often take for granted, and while it was an anointing for His burial, it was also a divine act of worship offered from a heart of pure love, filled with thanksgiving, faith, and devotion. Hers was an act of intimacy that reflects the depths of the innermost longings of the soul into which the Spirit of God can reach a human heart in pure, unwavering faith, for here she was, at the feet of her Creator, the very Giver of Life itself—and not only that, but eternal life!

       Oh, what a blessed privilege Mary had, to be in His presence, to pour out everything within her to the One she trusted with her entire being. Anointing, oh beautiful, fragrant, heavenly, pure and holy sacrifice—what a wondrous, glorious act of worship—an act of total identification to her Lord and Savior, for in that sacred moment His death, burial and resurrection became a foreshadow of her own death, burial and promised resurrection to an eternal inheritance in glory where she would rejoice in the reality of Song of Solomon 2:4 which states, “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” Revelation 19:9 states, “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”

       Mary, by this one unforgettable act of giving her all, she embraced Jesus as her all in all. She held nothing back for herself of the costly sacrifice because, as King David declared, “I will not offer him anything that cost me nothing.” (See 2 Samuel 24:24.) As she lovingly caressed his feet with her “covering” (hair, 1 Corinthians 11:15,) the beautiful fragrance of the anointed Christ filled the entire room as it emanated, not only from Jesus, but also from Mary, who, in every part of her being identified with Jesus. Her life became a testimony to others that she had not only been with the Son of God, but she was His and He was hers for she had given herself to Him for all time and eternity. “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine” Song of Solomon 6:3a.

       There is another lesson here for the fully consecrated worshipper of Jesus, and that is no matter who you are, or where you are, when you forget about everyone around you and hold nothing back from your Savior and Lord in genuine worship, there will always be those around you who are either jealous, or offended who are quick to judge and point a finger of condemnation at you. In Mary’s case, she was accused of “wasting” this valuable essence on Jesus. After all, the proper religious thing to do, according to Judas and others, was to give it to the poor. (See John 12:1-8.) I daresay, Satan uses legalistic, self-serving, prideful religious people against true God-honoring believers more than he uses unbelievers. Just ask the Scribes and Pharisees who wanted to get rid of Jesus!

       Perhaps the question that should be asked is, how do we personally identify with Jesus? That all depends on who we say He is. If He is only a good man who went about doing good works, then perhaps we can see Him as a historically grander being than the rest of us, but not so “superior” that we owe Him our total devotion, so what’s wrong with just using a rag? If we think of Him as only a great prophet or teacher, then we might intellectually give Him a nod of appreciation, but nothing more because, after all, we live in such an “advanced” and “scientific” age that reverence is a thing of the past, so a Handi Wipe should do. If we see Him as a brilliant philosopher and a genius at inventing a “new religion,” but pity Him because He was crucified, then perhaps we could find a new, soft polish rag to wipe His feet with. Thus, the real question to ponder is, “What is Jesus truly worth to you?”