This scripture poses some interesting questions that need a serious look. I asked myself after meditating on this scripture, why did she do it. We know that it was done for Jesus' burial, but what drove her what was the trigger for her actions. What made her fetch or bring the oil and anoint Jesus? Why did she use spikenard why did she choose that oil, was it all she had, where there other reasons.

Tonight I am going to explore these questions that we might be able to benefit from what Mary did.
I want to take a couple of steps back in time. Like a movie time warp and look at when Mary met Jesus.

Luke 10:38-41 (NKJV)
38Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. 40But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.' 41And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.

So we learn that Mary and Martha had Jesus come to there home. We also have the famous Mary / Martha story. Notice what Mary is doing she is learning from Jesus.

What would you say that Jesus is to Mary?

I think that it is quite clear that Jesus is a teacher to Mary.

The next encounter is the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

John 11:28-44 (NKJV)
28And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, 'The Teacher has come and is calling for you.' 29As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, 'She is going to the tomb to weep there.' 32Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.' 33Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34And He said, 'Where have you laid him?' They said to Him, 'Lord, come and see.' 35Jesus wept. 36Then the Jews said, 'See how He loved him!' 37And some of them said, 'Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?'
38Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39Jesus said, 'Take away the stone.' Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, 'Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.' 40Jesus said to her, 'Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?' 41Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, 'Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42'And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.' 43Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!' 44And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Loose him, and let him go.'

I want to pick up on one statement that Mary makes. She says in verse 32 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.' How often are we like that with Jesus? How often do we say Lord this mess is Your fault?

We look at our situation we look at what is going on around us and say Lord this is your fault! If you had done this or that, or Lord why did you let this happen to me?

I want to highlight some things about this statement. Mary had full faith about the fact if Jesus was here Lazarus would not have died. She had full assurance of the healing power of Jesus. She knew beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus would have or could have healed Lazarus.

How many of us know that Jesus can heal, or know that Jesus can sort out our situation, but somehow we believe that we are not good enough for Him to do it for us? Do we say the same this as Mary 'Lord, if You…'

Even the people round Mary and Martha thought the same things 'Could not this Man…'

Then of course Jesus blows every ones her preconceived ideas away by raising Lazarus after being dead for four days.

Tonight He is going to blow away preconceived ideas about what God can do in your life. Not what God can do in others lives, but what God can do in your life.

I want you to notice something else about the story. They say of Jesus 'see how he loved him' when he cries, you do not build up that kind of love through one encounter. I believe that Mary, Martha and Lazarus where often in Jesus' company. That is why they knew that Jesus could heal.

That day I believe that Jesus when from being Mary's teacher to Mary's healer. That transition is important, Jesus must not only be a healer of others, but He must be our healer.

Keeping those thoughts in place let us jump a bit again to be able to answer the original questions.

I searched high and low to find out why spikenard oil. So I am going to give you some facts about spikenard not that the answer lies in these facts.

The oil is produced from a North Indian plant and the name comes from the Indian or Sanskrit nalada which means 'a fragrant oil'. They get the oil from the resin of the plant in a very small quantity which is what makes it very expensive.

The answer as to why spikenard oil actually lies in the Song of Solomon 1:12

Song of Solomon 1:12 (NKJV)
12 While the king is at his table,
My spikenard sends forth its fragrance.

Let's have a look at anointing from an old testament perspective.

41'So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall anoint them, consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests.

1 Samuel 9:16 (NKJV)
16'Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to me.'

The OT anointing had to do with consecrating a person into an office such as Aaron, Saul, David and all the other kings. The anointing was also a sign of the Holy Spirit.

1 Samuel 16:12-14 (NKJV)
12So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, 'Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!' 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
14But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him.

Now let me ask you again why did she use spikenard oil?

She was anointing Jesus as King in her life. She was not motivated by His death she did not say to her self, Jesus is going to die soon I better anoint Him for His death. No she anointed Him to be King in her life because of what He meant to her.

Jesus saw the prophetic part in the act, but I am sure that the prophetic was not the motivation.

No one gets anointed in the NT to a position or office, in fact the Greek word for anointing has a compl