Anointing Jesus for His Burial

“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. . . (Jesus said) ‘For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.’ “ -Matthew 26: 6-7, 12 (NKJV) (Read Matthew 26:6-13)

Matthew’s account of the anointing of Jesus at the home of Simon the Leper (a person Jesus healed) is one of His anointings recorded in the gospels. Luke 7: 36-50 gives another anointing in the house of Simon the Pharisee. That account tells of a ‘woman of the city, a sinner’ anointing Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her hair, and Jesus’ telling her that her sins were forgiven. Another anointing occurred at the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha in Bethany six days before the Passover. Mary took a pound of oil of spikenard and anointed Jesus’ feet. “The house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” (John 12:3). Again, Jesus said: “She has kept this for the day of my burial.”

To anoint was a sign of being set aside for a task. Symbolically, to anoint was an official declaration of appointment to office, political or spiritual. The anointing of Jesus recognized Him as the Messiah sent from God. It’s rather amazing that His anointing were made by women who recognized Him as the Messiah and had the courage in a mixed group to boldly anoint Jesus. Men looked on and disparaged the waste of the oil that could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. It had other meanings as well. Anointing was used in healing the sick and embalming for burial. It was this latter custom, with his death soon impending, that Jesus said the act had been performed by the woman.

God had already anointed and appointed Jesus to come into the world and as the Perfect Lamb of God be offered as the sacrifice for sin. We Christians see Jesus as the Anointed One. God’s presence and power were present in the woman’s anointing of Jesus. She was but the willing vessel to perform the act.

Each of us is anointed as a Christian. The oil may not be applied to our heads, as in the account of the woman anointing Jesus. But spiritually, we are anointed. Paul speaks of anointing of the Christian in 2 Corinthians 1:21: “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ..has anointed us in God.” John tells of the Christian’s anointing in his letter, I John 1:27: “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you…” May we ponder on and thank God for our own anointing.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, March 19, 2010