In Mark 14:3-9 & Mattithyahu(Matthew) 26:7-13 we read the same account of the woman with the Alabaster Flask pouring the perfume on the head of Ha Mashiyach. Did you ever wonder why? Ha Mashiyach said,
Mattithyahu(Matthew) 26:13
“ Truly, I say to you, wherever this Good News is proclaimed in all the world, what this woman has done shall be spoken of also, to her remembrance.”
What was so special about this woman that Mashiyach would say this would be for her remembrance - not His? Let us look at the whole passage.
Mattithyahu 26:7-13
7.A woman came to him, having an alabaster flask of costly perfume,
and she poured it on His head as he sat at the table.
8.And when His taught ones saw it, they were much displeased saying, “ To
what purpose is this waste?
9. “For this perfume could have been sold for much and given to the poor.”
10.However, when Yahushua noticed it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work toward Me.
11.“For you always have the poor with you, but Me you do not always have.
12.For in pouring this perfume on My body, she did it for My buriel.
13.Truly, I say to you, wherever this good News is proclaimed in all the
world, what this woman has done shall be spoken of also, to her remembrance.”

Let us analyse this a little:-
We have a woman, an alabaster flask, costly perfume and some men.
Alabaster:- is white & delicate, not your everyday old clay pot, alabaster was something special to hold something special.
Costly perfume:- This is stated as being ‘spikenard’ in Mark 14:3,
so this was most likely perfumed oil, spikenard (as pictured in the title banner) is still used as essential oil today.
The woman is pouring this perfume oil on the head of Ha Mashiyach, anointing, The Anointed for buriel. The men however do not understand this and complain- all they see is the physical, and as they see it, the waste of money.
The woman however has been given wisdom and understanding that the men do not yet have. A few days earlier we see a similar situation in Yohanan (John) 12.

Yohanan (John) 12:1-8
1 Then six days before the Passover, Yahushua came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had died, whom He raised from the dead.
2 Then they made Him a supper there, and Martha served. But Lazarus was one of those reclining with Him.
3  Then taking a pound of ointment of pure, costly spikenard, Miriam anointed the feet of Yahushua and wiped off His feet with her hairs. And the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.
4 Then Simon's son, one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was about to betray Him, said,
5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor”?
6 But he said this, not that he was caring for the poor, but that he was a thief and held the moneybag and carried away the things being put in.
7 Then Yahushua said, “Allow her, for she has kept it for the day of My burial.
8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”

 The following day was when Yahushua fulfilled the prophecy of Zekaryah(Zechariah)9:9

Zekaryah 9:9
 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous and being victorious, humble, and riding on an ass, even on a colt, the son of an ass.

And all the people shouted as Tehillim(Psalm)118:26 

Yohanan (John) 12:12-13
12.On the morrow, coming to the Feast, hearing that Yahushua is coming to Jerusalem, a great crowd
13 took palm branches and went out to a meeting with Him, and they were crying out,
Hosanna! "Being blessed is the One coming in the name of , the King of Yisrael!" (Psa. 118:26 )

In Yohanan 12:3 you will note that Miriam anointed the feet of Ha Mashiyach not his head. Is there a connection with the anointing of Yahushua’s feet and the anointing of his, head by the woman in Mark 14 & Mattithyahu 26 who would be mentioned wherever
the Good News is proclaimed.
Yeshayahu(Isaiah)52:6-8
6 So My people shall know My name in that day; for I am He speaking. See, it is I!
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him proclaiming good news, making peace heard, bearing tidings of good, making heard salvation, saying to Zion, Your Elohiym reigns.
8 The voice of your watchmen, they lift the voice together, they sing aloud. For they shall see eye to eye when Yahuwah brings back Zion.

Nahum 1:15
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Yahudah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

So here in Yeshyahu 52 and Nahum 15; the feet of Ha Mashiyach being connected to the Good News. Before we return to the woman of Mark 14 & Mattithyahu 26, let us look at one other event that involved a woman, an alabaster flask and costly perfume.

Luke 7:37-50
37 And, behold, a woman who was a sinner in the city, knowing that He reclined in the Pharisee's house, taking an alabaster vial of ointment,
38 and standing at His feet, weeping behind Him, she began to wash His feet with tears. And she was wiping with the hairs of her head. And she ardently kissed His feet and was anointing them with the ointment.
39 But seeing, the Pharisee who invited Him spoke within himself, saying, This one, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what the woman who touches him is; for she is a sinner.
40 And answering, Yahushua said to the man, “Simon, I have a thing to say to you.”
And he said, “Teacher, speak”.
41 “There were two debtors to a certain creditor: the one owed five hundred denarii and the other fifty.
42 But they not having a thing to pay, he freely forgave both. Then which of them do you say will love him most?”
43 And answering, Simon said, “ I suppose the one to whom he freely forgave the most”. And He said to him, “You have judged rightly”.
44 And turning to the woman, He said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give water for My feet, but she washed My feet with tears and wiped off with the hairs of her head.
45 You gave Me no kiss, but she from when I entered did not stop fervently kissing My feet.
46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with ointment.
47 For this reason I say to you, Her many sins are remitted, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, he loves little.
48 And He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven”.
49 And those reclining with Him began to say within themselves, Who is this who even forgives sins?
50 But He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace”.

Here again in Luke 7, we have a woman with an alabaster flask anointing the feet of Ha Mashiyach and a man objecting. This time the objection is not due to money, but rather it is due to the self righteous attitude of the Pharisee toward the woman he regarded as a sinner.

So what do all these three incidences have in common firstly they involve a woman, at least one man, an alabaster flask and expensive perfume oil.
The first two events (in chronological time order) involve anointing Yahushua’s feet, the final one anointing His head.

In all incidences the Woman knew what was going on. She had wisdom,
knowledge and understanding. The woman of Luke 7 knew Yahushuah was Ha Mashiyach, the self righteous Pharisee did not. Miriam in John 12 knew Yahushua’s time was near, Judas could only see his own self interest being poured out and thought it a waste. Miriam anointed Mashiyach’s feet before He rode on the donkey as the King proclaiming Good News.
Yahushua states  “Allow her, for she has kept it for the day of My burial.”

That tells us clearly that the Ruach had revealed to Miriam, the Truth and understanding of what was about to occur. Meanwhile Judas complained and Martha  served supper.

Finally in Mark 14 & Mattithyahu 26 we see the woman, [who is not named, but can we guess it was probably Miriam considering Yahushua’s words in John12 ?] anointing Yahushua’s head as He sat at the Table. This time it says ‘His taught ones’ objected. His taught ones could easily have included some women - although most people seem to think it was just the Apostles. Clearly in this situation it was this one woman who understood what was about to
take place.  Yahushua stating,”in pouring this perfume on My body, she did it for My buriel”

As the Body of Mashiyach on the earth today - do we proclaim the Good News as loudly as we should? As watchmen (Yeshyahu52:8) do we lift up the voice together? - or is there far too much competition between groups? Let us strive to work closer together.
 

As The Woman , the Called Out Ones of Yahuwah, the Bride of Mashiyach, we are The Woman with the knowledge and understanding of current events.
We have foreknowledge of what is about to happen that others in this world, the vast majority, do not have.
Do we keep the Precious Oil of the Ruach Ha Kadosh, poured out on and into us by the Father, in a refined, purified, white vessel (like Alabaster) ? Or are we just that same
old clay pot that would rather sell that Precious Oil for a profit?

Just as the woman with the Alabaster Flask, mankind in general will object to what we say and do.
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 10:22
And you shall be hated by all for My Name’s sake, but he who shall have
endured to the end shall be saved.

Have we cried tears of appreciation for the innumerable sins that have been forgiven us?
Do we sigh and cry for the sins of Yisrael?[Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 9:4-6]
Or are we like the self righteous Pharisee?
Will we be ready for the Day that Ha Mashiyach returns?


Let us proclaim that Good News TOGETHER LOUDER!
Let us Pray that we all appreciate the anointing of that precious oil of the Ruach Ha Kadosh, more and more each day. That we will indeed purify our vessels and have our lamps lit with plenty of oil, when the bridegroom returns.

To finish, let us look at a couple of Scriptures from The Song of Solomon.

SHIR haSHARIM (Song of songs)1:12
While the king sat at his table, My spikenard sent forth its fragrance.
( Yahushuah the King sat at the table Mattithyahu 26:7- Also John 12:2)

SHIR HaSHARIM 4:11 -15
11 Thy lips, O my bride, drop as the honeycomb: Honey and milk are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
12 A garden shut up is my sister, my bride; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
13 Thy shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants,
14 Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.
15Thou art a fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And flowing streams from Lebanon.

Let us be wise like the woman with the Alabaster Flask and be ready for Our King, High Priest and elder brother,
Let us be ready to call Him “Ishi” “My Husband” (Hoshea 2:16)





Foot note
Spikenard oil is still used today
Physically Spikenard essential oil is used as a diuretic,
useful for rashes and skin allergies, it is anti-fungal and
has a balancing effect on the menstrual cycle.
Emotionally this oil is reserved for deep seated grief or old pain.
It is used in palliative care to help ease the transition from life to death

Return to Top Page.        Complete Site Menu