Part 3: She Prepared

Illustration showing a jar of oil

As momma’s, or women in general, we have a built-in system of preparation. An ability to see what needs to be done then. We set plans into motion to make “the then” moments successful. When a big event is about to take place, we start preparing. There’s lists, lists for lists, planning meetings with coffee in hand, at least 10 trips to Hobby Lobby, and then the Amazon packages start coming. And that’s just to host Thanksgiving.

When we’re getting ready to have a baby, we nest! If you’ve never had a baby, just know that your home will never be more organized then when you’re about to go into labor.

I’m currently in a season of preparation that I’ve never been in before. From once preparing to bring our first child into this world, to now, preparing for his departure. Our oldest son, Ian, will leave for college this year. This is what we’ve raised him to do – to leave the nest. To be independent and make good choices on his own. I tell him every day when he leaves the house to be the best because he’s the best, in hopes that he believes it and acts on the God-given potential on the inside of him. I pray we’ve done what we could to prepare him for his “then”. 

This reminds me of Jesus’ words about our new friend in Mark 14. She was loving him in ways that may have even far surpassed her intentions.

Mark 14:6-8 reaches a little deeper into her story. Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing for me. You always have the poor with you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body in advance for burial.

Usually when you were a guest in someone’s home at this time, they would anoint you with a small dollop of oil on your forehead, but she doused Jesus’ whole head with oil and it wasn’t even her house! It was the Simon the Lepers. She knew Jesus was the messiah, literally the anointed one. If you remember, she did this with her everything. Her everything was an expensive oil called Spikenard. 

I wonder if she knew that almost 2000 years later, we would still be using Spikenard in our cute diffusers at home. Spikenard, also called nard is made from a flowering plant in the honeysuckle family which grows in the Himalayas, China, and India. There’s a list of benefits that this pricey perfume is used for, but I want to single out just two: First, it relieves anxiety, calming the mind and body. 

Jesus knew what he was about to step into, and yes, Jesus is the son of God, but he was also wrapped in flesh just like us. I imagine there were some questions running through his mind. What is it going to be like to carry the sins of the world? What is it going to feel like to be the sacrificial lamb of God? What is it going to look like to watch them accuse me and abuse me? You know, those familiar anxious thoughts we have when we’re about to step into the unknown. Questions run through our minds too. But even if there were questions in Jesus’ mind, her preparing brought him back to the mind of Christ, not his human flesh. 

This leads me to the second benefit of nard: it helps eliminate body odor. Being a mom of stinky boys, this is a huge benefit. Jesus was about to be a stinky corpse in a tomb. But y’all, he was only in that tomb for 3 days! And thanks to her, you know he walked out smelling like the Old Spice section at Target! 

Our sister didn’t just anoint him for the kingly position he deserved, she prepared him for the journey he would choose, from death and burial to rested and resurrected. What an incredible event she prepared him for! Her faith was proven in her preparation. Likewise, in our Christian walk, may we be preparing for the next big event. Let’s be ready in season and out of season, for the friend or family member who needs Jesus’ love poured out on them. The time and encouragement you give to a friend or loved one will always do more for them than you realize.

March 22, 2021

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Part 4: She Became

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Part 2: Poured Out