Pleasant Stone Devotional Meditation: August 27

“Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair …” ~ John 12:3

Here is a “purple stone” verse with many hidden facets, some more easily understood by those of us who waited a long time to begin to worship Jesus.

Mary of Bethany, whom we know and love as Martha’s devoted sister, could be the same “woman in the city, who was a sinner” spoken of by Luke. I [Eugenia Price, the author] am not contending that Mary of Bethany had “gone astray’ in the big city, I am saying she could have. Anyone could. If you think you could not, think again. But the important thing is that the woman who “chose the better part,” could once have been an unchaste woman who had met Jesus and had been made perfectly whole at His touch!

This has been happening for almost two thousand years. It would not be at all unusual. A woman’s hair was her mark of honor in those days. Mary wiped His feet with hers! Whether or not she had been the “woman in the city,” her heart knew that her only real honor was His love for her.

The disciple who complained about the “waste” of the “very costly” ointment, missed the point completely. Mary had made the highest choice. And she showed Him in the only way she knew how to show Him. He was about to go to a Cross to show His love for Mary and for us. Someday I want to thank Mary for what she did. She did what she knew to do. Mary poured out the “very costly” ointment to show her love for Jesus. To show her heart’s understanding of His love. She anointed His body to be buried, because He had anointed her to live forever. She poured our her ointment to show her love for Him. He poured out His blood to show His love for her. And for us.

“… While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”