Jesus’ journey to the cross began with His anointing, by an unnamed woman – the last act of kindness He received.
Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” John 14:1, 2
Passover, the time for sacrificing the Lamb had come. John the Baptist had initially identified Jesus as THE LAMB OF GOD;
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
The time for Jesus’ sacrifice had come and this unnamed woman understood what was about to happen. He’d told His own disciples, but perhaps they didn’t believe things had progressed so far.
…a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. John 14:3
She poured out the most expensive thing she could give in preparation for Jesus’ death. This woman understood what was coming for the Lord. There was no point in praying against it, it had to be accepted. Nor was there any good in fighting it in the Flesh as Peter swung the sword(the Flesh will often rise up to fight when threatened). She prepared the Lord’s physical body for death, the best she knew how and this act of kindness was recorded for all time.
Some of those who witnessed the scene ‘Reacted strongly’(they could have just said nothing) and attacked the ‘waste’ of pouring the expensive perfume on the Lord’s body. They measured her action with the wrong yardstick, just using earthly value. Maybe they were jealous they hadn’t thought to do it, but more likely, they wanted to hold on to the money for themselves. A loving Father gave His best, Jesus the Son, for sinful men;
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32
In John 12:41-44 Jesus praised the poor widow, another unnamed woman in the Bible and said she’d given more than all the wealthy people in the Temple. Surely God is looking for those who are willing to serve Him, to give now and be rewarded in time AND eternity.
God bless and keep you today.