Spikenard

 In both Mark 14, and John 12 there is a story of a woman who took an ointment called Spikenard and used it to anoint Jesus.  In Mark the woman is unnamed, but in John we learn that is is Mary, sister to Lazarus, that anointed Jesus.  In John, Mary anoints Jesus' feet but in Mark, the woman anoints Jesus' head.  In both cases the apostles are indignant at the service rendered by the woman because Spikenard was very expensive, and it seemed a waste to pour it on Jesus when it could have been sold for a lot of money, and the money given to the poor.  Mark adds the price it could have been sold for, 300 pence, which was roughly a years’ worth of wages for a manual worker. Jesus tells the apostles that the woman has "wrought a good work on me" (Mark 14:6) and not to chastise her.  

I find this a very fascinating story.  It raises so many questions.  I must admit I was a little obsessed with it this week and even ordered some spikenard on Amazon so I could discover how it smells.  It is a pleasant perfume-like smell, nicer, in my opinion, than Frankincense. 

Usually, in these posts, I try to stick to the text and analyze without too much speculation.  But this week I indulged in speculations, trying to guess answers to a bunch of "what" and "why" questions.  Here are some of the things I was thinking.

1. Jesus is called Christ, which means "anointed one".  In the Old Testament men were anointed when they became priests, (Exodus 30:30) and when they became kings, (e.g. 1 Sam 16).  Jesus was definitely ordained to become and priest and a king, but when was he anointed?  Maybe he was anointed by God on the mount of transfiguration.  Maybe he was anointed before his birth to perform the atonement, or maybe the bloodshed in Gethsemane and Golgotha is what anointed him.  This, however, is the only written account of Jesus being anointed.  Could this be the anointing of Jesus that gave him the title of "Christ"? If so, it is interesting that he is not anointed at the temple by a priest, but in a home by a female friend and disciple. 

2. Why did John include this story?  John's gospel, even more than the other gospels, is very carefully written.  Every story, almost every word, is chosen carefully because it has special meaning. What meaning did John want us to understand by recording this event, and why did he particularly note that the oil Mary used to anoint Jesus was Spikenard? Here are some ideas:

   a. John included the story as a way of motivating Judas' betrayal.  Everyone in John's day would have known how expensive Spikenard was.  It is part of his case against Judas, justifying his claim that Judas was a thief and betrayed Jesus for monetary gain.  

  b. John uses this to foreshadow Jesus' death.  "Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this." (John 12:7) This idea is supported with the fact that the next verse mentions Lazarus, whose revival from death John uses to foreshadow Jesus' death and resurrection. 

  c. John uses it to depict Jesus as the Bridegroom of the church:  Spikenard is only mentioned in one book of the Old Testament, the Song of Solomon, where it is associated with marital intimacy.  (S of S 1:12, 4:13-14) If Jesus is the Bridegroom, then it would make sense that he would be anointed with Spikenard before his atonement which symbolizes his marriage to the church. This idea is further supported by the fact John starts his gospel with the story of the marriage of Cana, balancing his narrative with an actual marriage at the beginning of his gospel foreshadowing a symbolic marriage that ends his gospel.  

Another train of thought I had this week about this story is why Mary would have such an expensive ointment, and what does it say about Mary and Jesus relationship that Mary would use all of the ointment she had, literally breaking its container, to anoint Jesus? The scriptures suggest that Mary was saving the Spikenard specifically for Jesus' death. "against the day of my burying hath she kept this" (John 12:7).  If that is the case, when did she buy it?  How long had she known that Jesus would soon die, and where did she come up with a year's worth of pay to purchase it? Here are some possibilities I considered this week: 

  a. It is possible that Mary was pretty well off.  She did act as hostess several times for Jesus and his disciples.  It is totally possible when she realized that Jesus was prophesying his own imminent death she went out and bought the Spikenard just so she could do one last act of service for him before he died.  This is the simplest explanation in some ways, but it is hard to understand how a woman in that culture would have had access to that much ready cash. Also, was Spikenard available for purchase in the markets of Jerusalem, or is it something you would have to special order?  Maybe or maybe not. Spikenard comes from India and has to be imported. 

  b. What if Mary had the Spikenard as part of a dowry?  Since Spikenard is associated with marital intimacy, it would make sense for a woman to have acquired, maybe from wealthy family members, a supply of Spikenard as part of a dowry.  If that is the case, it is even a bigger sacrifice for Mary to have used the oil to anoint Jesus, thus spending assets that could have helped her achieve an advantageous marriage arrangement. 

  c. What if Mary was, as some have speculated, either betrothed or married to Jesus.  If that is the case, this whole scene takes on an even more poignant dimension.  What if she had received the Spikenard as part of a dowry or as a wedding gift, to be used as part of intimacy throughout years of marriage.  Mark states that the woman used a whole pound of ointment on Jesus.  Judging from the little .3 oz bottle of Spikenard that I purchased, a pound of Spikenard would have lasted a long time, even for years, if used carefully.  If the Spikenard was supposed to be used to enhance intimacy over years of marriage, the fact that Mary pours out the whole amount could be an expression of mourning. She was, perhaps, thinking of the years of closeness they may have enjoyed which were now impossible. She, bereft, decided to use all the Spikenard understanding it would be her last chance. If this is the case, Jesus' rebuke of the Apostles criticism is very touching. "Let her alone."  He acknowledges the tenderness of her feelings on the occasion, letting her grieve her impending loss. 

As I said, these are just speculations.  There is no support for most of these ideas, but I found them interesting and thinking of them helped make the scriptures more personal to me this week.