JESUS ANOINTED AT BETHANY (Mark’s Account)
Love Poured Out Before the Cross
Jesus was in Bethany, sitting at the table in the home of Simon, who had once been a leper. As they reclined together, a woman came in carrying a small alabaster jar filled with very costly oil made of pure nard. She broke the jar open and poured the fragrant oil upon His head. Some who were present grew upset and whispered among themselves, “Why was this perfume wasted? It could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” Their hearts turned against her, and they scolded her sharply. But Jesus spoke up. “Leave her alone,” He said. “Why are you troubling her? She has done something beautiful for Me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them anytime you wish. But you will not always have Me. She has done what she could. She has anointed My body in advance for burial.” And then He added, “Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed throughout the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her” (Mark 14:3–9).
It happened quietly in Bethany, in the home of a man once marked by leprosy. While others talked, Mary knelt. In her hands was an alabaster jar—fragile, beautiful, and costly. With one decisive act, she broke it open and poured out everything she had upon the head of her Lord. It was love expressed without restraint, devotion unmeasured by logic or approval. What others called waste, Jesus called beautiful. She saw what others missed: the shadow of the cross was already falling, and love demanded no half-measure.
A Costly Act of Worship
True worship always costs something. For Mary, it was her treasure. For Jesus, it would soon be His life. As the fragrance filled the room, a silent sermon was preached—one of surrender, sacrifice, and extravagant love. The disciples saw expense. Jesus saw expression. The world counts value by what is kept, but heaven measures worth by what is given. To love Him rightly is to break the jar and pour out the heart, holding nothing back. Our faith grows fragrant when it ceases to calculate.
The Fragrance That Fills the World
The scent of that anointing didn’t stay in that room. It followed Jesus to Gethsemane, to the judgment hall, and to the cross. Every step He took carried the aroma of her worship. In the same way, Paul would later write that our lives are to be “a fragrance of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15). When we live for Him, serve Him, and suffer with Him, the world catches the perfume of grace. Mary’s moment became a message: what is poured out for Jesus is never wasted—it fills the air of eternity.
Poured Out for Many
Mary’s act was a picture of what Jesus Himself was about to do. She broke her jar. He would be broken for the sins of the world. She poured out her perfume. He would pour out His blood. Her offering was temporary. His was eternal. The fragrance of her love filled a house, but the fragrance of His sacrifice would fill heaven and earth. He calls us now to live as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1)—not stored away in safe containers, but broken and poured out, that others might breathe the sweetness of His love.
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
