Παρασκευή 26 Φεβρουαρίου 2021

“A woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the jar and poured it over his head.” (Mark 14:3)


“A woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the jar and poured it over his head.” (Mark 14:3)

Nard or “Spikenard” is a flowering plant of the Valerian family that grows in the Himalayas of Nepal, China, and India. It is the main ingredient in manufacturing an intensely aromatic, amber-colored oil that has, since ancient times, been used as a perfume, medicine, and for sacramental anointing within a Judeo-Christian context. Because this oil had to be procured from afar, it was quite expensive and considered a luxury item – something to be used quite sparingly. Mark’s gospel, however, relates how the woman broke open the jar and poured its entire contents upon Christ; something which shocked many as being a “waste” of good money (300 denarii being equivalent to $15,000 today). Jesus quickly comes to the woman’s rescue; praising her and silences the critics. The irony, however, is that Judas betrayed his Master for 30 pieces of silver – the cost of purchasing a slave, while this woman offers thirty times that amount to show the value she placed upon our Lord, who delivered her from slavery to sin!

Fr. John

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