Opening Thought
While the king is at his table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance. (Son 1:12)
Text: Matthew 26:1–16
Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “To what purpose is this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.” But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
Devotion
The high council in the palace of Caiaphas decided that Jesus must die, but not during the feast, for there were many Galileans in Jerusalem and a great multitude, so there might be an uproar. But in God’s high council it was decided from eternity that He should die just exactly at the Passover, and publicly before all the people. The Paschal Lamb shall be slaughtered at Passover among Jews and Greeks, because He shall save both Jews and Gentiles from death.
Now while the priests hold council with Caiaphas and say: “not during the feast,” Jesus is being anointed in Bethany. Offended at the waste of money, Judas goes out to get money again, and thus it is done at the feast. Let Satan lay his plans with devilish cunning and let the ungodly take counsel with thought and cleverness: “The Lord catches the wise in their own craftiness” (Job 5:13). Even against their will they must all serve His purposes. How much more then will the faithful! This woman loved the Lord, for her no fragrant oil was too costly to be poured out upon Him. Her heart was full of the heavenly perfume of love. Money and goods she did not spare. Her desire was to come near to Jesus and serve Him and make Him glad. Then she did more than she was aware of: she anointed Him for His burial. She loved Him because He loved us with the love that caused Him to lay down His life for us. And the sacred anointing of her love did His heart good and comforted Him in the loss of unfortunate Judas. In the most important event heaven and earth have seen, the suffering and death of God’s Son, this woman has a significance so great that her deed is always recounted where the Gospel is preached. Why? It is love which does it, love which gladly offers what it has, and doesn’t consider the cost when buying fragrant oil for Jesus. The council in the palace of Caiaphas and the company in Bethany seem mutually exclusive, but they also explain each other: the woman pours out the 300-denarii anointing for Jesus; Judas sells Him for 30 pieces of silver.
Greed is always poor and robs the heart of every noble feeling. Love always has an abundance and is able to fill the house with heavenly perfume.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, give us love, the greatest and the most blessed gift to be given. Amen.
Hymn
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me
No thought can reach, no tongue declare:
Unite my thankful heart with Thee
And reign without a rival there,
To Thee alone, dear Lord, I live;
Myself to Thee, dear Lord, I give.
O grant that nothing in my soul
May dwell but Thy pure love alone;
O may Thy love possess me whole,
My Joy, my Treasure, and my Crown:
All coldness from my heart remove;
My ev’ry act, word, thought, be love.
Gerhardt: L 304:1-2 ELH 372:1-2 tr. J. Wesley;
tune: Surrey