In March 2020, a small-town nursing home staff let me in amidst the beginning of COVID restrictions to see my grandma one last time before her death.
I held her hand. I shed tears. I gave her a kiss and I told her I loved her. The most vivid memory I have is of making the sign of the cross on her damp, cool forehead and reminding her of her beloved-ness in Christ.
In that simple act I felt a bit like the unnamed woman who anoints Jesus with costly nard in Mark 14. I had prepared my grandmas body for burial and entrusted her to the one who had created, claimed, and called her a beloved child of God.
It angers some of those gathered that this costly ointment of nard was wasted on Jesus. It was worth more than 300 denarii. A denarii was said to be a days wage. So 300 days of wages, approximately an annual salary was the the value of this oil. Truly extravagant.
Doesnt the one who goes to the cross for the forgiveness of our sins deserve the extravagance of this nard. The one who has the ability to defeat death should have the most extravagant blessing of all when it comes to preparing for his death. And in the midst of it all Jesus celebrates her gift: the gift of nard, the gift of presence, the gift of his anointing before the cross.
Jesus also squelches the anger of those who think this gift is wasteful. He reminds them once again that he will not be around much longer. He reminds them that they will always have the poor with them. And then he invites them into showing kindness to the poor. Its as if he knows the extravagance of their lives, their homes, and their nard collections.
I hear this as a bidding call for us to care for others. Jesus didnt want the angry ones to only be concerned about the costliness of this one bottle of nard that the woman used to extravagantly anoint him. That wasnt the only tangible thing that could be sold for money to give to the poor. He knew they had other ways to share with the poor. And he knew the poor would always be in their midst.
Area churches are part of The Brookings Ministerial Association (PO Box 973). Together we anoint others with costly nard and remind them of their belovedness in Christ. You are invited into this holy work. You can help us care for the unhoused, hungry, abused, and alone Gods beloved children who have found themselves in a difficult situation and are in need of assistance. You can help our churches be a place of welcome, where nard flows extravagantly through the physical means of hotel stays, gas money, and groceries. With your gifts you are literally anointing the body of Christ.
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