Earlier we learned that when Jesus visited Martha's home, Martha served, Mary sacrificed, Lazarus sat, Judas stole, and Jesus saved. Today we will see how Mary sacrificed as she gave her life's savings twice in one lifetime by anointing the Lord Jesus with costly spikenard worth 300 pence. Notice that the above two pictures show two different Marys (the first picture is Mary the sister of Lazarus and the second picture is Mary Magdalene) who both got blessed forevermore as they anointed Jesus with spikenard for His burial.
First, John 12:3 speaks about Mary (the sister of Lazarus) and says Then took Mary (the sister of Lazarus) 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. After Judas said Why was not this ointment sold for 300 pence and given to the poor, Jesus replied at John 12:7 Let her alone, against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
Second, Mark 14:3 speaks about Mary Magdalene and says And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He (Jesus) sat at meat, there came a woman (Mary Magdalene) having an alabaster box of ointment (note that alabaster was the best material to use for preserving ointment used for burial) of spikenard, very precious, and she brake the box, and poured it on His head. Like Judas, Simon and the pharisees told Jesus that the ointment might have been sold for 300 pence and given to the poor. Jesus replied at Mark 14:8 She hath done what she could; she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily, I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she has done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
After reading how Mary and Mary Magdalene listed above anointed Jesus with sweet smelling spikenard before Jesus was crucified for His burial, Brother Bob has a blessed saying to share with all my friends. The only sweet thing at Calvary was the six day old faint smell of spikenard mixed with gall and vinegar.
OK, notice in the picture above we see Mary Magdalene's alabaster box of costly spikenard worth 300 pence along with the 30 pieces of silver Judas Iscariot received to betray our Lord Jesus. Note that the spikenard worth 300 pennyworth was very costly and was twice the value of the 30 pieces of silver. Biblical scholars have stated that 300 pennyworth of spikenard is worth 40 dollars today and Judas' 30 pieces of silver is only worth 20 dollars today. Both Mary and Mary Magdalene truly sacrificed because the spikenard they used to anoint Jesus was twice the value of what the thief Judas received for betraying Jesus.
History records that when Jesus walked the earth, people saved spikenard for their own burial. Mary and Mary Magdalene were both blessed to use their own costly spikenard burial savings to anoint Jesus twice in one lifetime. After they both sacrificed and poured out all their life's savings upon Jesus when He walked on the earth, God miraculously blessed them with more spikenard to anoint Jesus again for burial after His death on the cross.
Pictured above we see that Mary and Mary Magdalene were among the women blessed with extra spikenard to anoint the Lord Jesus again for a second time after His death on the cross. Luke 23:55 says And the women also which came with Him from Galilee followed after and beheld the sepulchre, and how His body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments (spikenard), and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
Notice that by the time Jesus died, Mary and Mary Magdalene had enough newly created spikenard to anoint Jesus again. Luke 6:38 says Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall men given into your bosom. Use what Jesus gives you today and before you know it, Jesus gives you exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask or think. Ephesians 3:20 says Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
You just cant outgive God. You go ahead and pour out your treasure and Jesus will filler up again, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, like the widow of Zarephath's barrel of flour along with her cruse of oil, and the widow's pot of oil. If we'll all be faithful like Mary and Mary Magdalene and give our life's savings to bless the poor, Jesus will give us all a crown to cast back at the feet of Jesus in the kingdom.
Proverbs 19:17 promises He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. But also note that Proverbs 17:5 says Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth His Maker; and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.
For my final thought today, notice in the above picture that Jacob is wrestling with the Lord Jesus or a Theophany which is a visible manifestation of God. Our English bibles say that Jacob had power over the angel. But if we look at the hebrew translation of Hosea 12:3-4 we will see that where it says Jacob had power over the angel, the correct hebrew translation is that Jacob had power over a Theophany or visible manifestation of God which was the Lord Jesus. Also at Genesis 32:30 Jacob called the place where he wrestled the God man Jesus Peniel because he saw God (Jesus) face to face. Jacob prevailed over the Man Jesus but Jesus as God blessed Jacob at Peniel.
Hosea 12:3 says He (Jacob) took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength, he had power with God; Yea, he had power over the angel (defined as a Theophany or visible appearance of God); and prevailed; A lot of people read Hosea 12:3-4 and say that we should not make Jesus an angel because we should not worship angels. But Hosea 12:3-4 calls the angel in hebrew a Theophany or visible appearance of God and not an angel.
Now take time to read Colossians 2:18 that speaks about not worshipping angels with no mention of a Theophany. Colossians 2:18 says Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels (not defined as a Theophany but just angels that are not God), intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind. This says to not worship angels, but the angel referenced in Hosea 12:4 is a Theophany representing Jesus who wrestled with Jacob as a visible manifestation of God that we all should worship.
Note that the other place we see a Theophany appearing is at Exodus 23:20 that says Behold I send an Angel (defined again in hebrew as a Theophany or visible manifestation of God or Jesus) before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Jesus was the Theophany or visible manifestation of God that went before Moses and the children of Israel to cut off the enemy Amorities, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
As always it has been a blessing writing this bible study today. Next week we will discuss Lazarus who sat before Jesus. Feel free to email Brother Bob anytime at rz9tlm@gmail.com or write to Brother Bob Malkin, 2233 Pinetree Lane, Apt. N., Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068. (614) 604-7133. Till we all meet again soon to lift up our Lord Jesus, everyone have a blessed day in Jesus name.
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