Tonight, Hubby and I were studying Mark 14 and comparing different verses and wondering… and The Holy Spirit told us to study Mark 14:3. Here is the result of that study.
In Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, Yeshua sat quietly yet fully sovereign, a King among the redeemed, in a place once marked by disease and impurity. Into that sacred space walked a woman carrying an alabaster jar, an alabastron (ἀλάβαστρον), carved to preserve its precious contents. The Greek text in Mark 14:3 describes the oil as μύρον νάρδου πιστικῆς πολυτελούς (myron nardou pistikēs polytelous), literally “ointment of spikenard, faithful and of great value.” Pistikēs, derived from pistis, conveys trust, faith, and reliability; the oil was authentic, unadulterated, and pure. Polytelous indicates extraordinary expense, extravagance, a rarity that transcends normal wealth. This was spikenard imported from the distant Himalayas, the root and rhizome of Nardostachys jatamansi, whose oil carried a deep, earthy fragrance prized across the ancient world. One pound of this oil could cost a full year’s wage, over three hundred denarii *. Its rarity and the difficulty of transport made it one of the most valuable substances in existence, symbolizing devotion that cannot be measured by ordinary standards.
She broke the jar, ἐκέκρασεν τὸ ἀλάβαστρον (ekekrasen to alabastron), an act of irrevocable surrender. The oil could no longer be preserved or stored. Its fragrance filled the room immediately, clinging to garments, hair, and hands, a tangible manifestation of love and worship. In Hebrew, the fragrance, רֵיחַ (re’aḥ), signifies delight and divine pleasure; it rises, touching heaven and marking the moment as sacred. Aramaically, the Peshitta uses reḥ for fragrance, carrying the sense of prayer and devotion ascending before God. This moment was both worship and prophecy, a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice Yeshua would soon make.
Yet not all present perceived its beauty. Some experienced ἀγανακτέω (aganakteō), indignation within themselves, a mix of offense and emotional unrest. They murmured, “Why this waste?” The word they used for waste, ἀπώλεια (apōleia), conveys loss, destruction, even moral ruin. They calculated, “Three hundred denarii could have been given to the poor,” framing their objection as “righteous concern.” But in truth, their words betrayed a far deeper failure: they did not believe Yeshua was worth it! In measuring devotion by material value, they actually reduced the eternal to the temporal and revealed a subtle, unspoken blasphemy: the Messiah, right there, standing before their very eyes, was undervalued in their thinking. Their murmuring reveals the very presumptuous sin the Psalmist prays against: “Please keep Your servant from presumptuous sin” (שְׁמַר־עַבְדֶּךָ מִנִּשְׁגָּעוֹן, Sh’mar avdecha min nishga’on). In Hebrew, nishga’on describes deliberate, arrogant overstepping of God’s boundaries, the kind of willful sin that, if unchecked, leads to the “great transgression” (חֲטָאת הַגְּדוֹלָה, ḥatat ha-gedolah), the ultimate rebellion against God’s holiness and covenant. The murmurers’ subtle unbelief, in undervaluing Messiah, is a microcosm of this danger: failing to recognize the priceless, infinite worth of Yeshua, they risked elevating human judgment above divine truth, a small act of presumption with spiritual consequences echoing the great transgression warned of in Scripture (Psalms 19:13 KJV). However, the latter part of that verse is NOT in the original texts but was added by the english translators, in the KJV in 1611 a.d..
Yeshua, discerning their inner motives, defended her: “Ἄφες αὐτήν· τί με θορυβεῖτε; καλὸν ἔργον ἐποίησεν ἐν ἐμοί,” “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has wrought a good work on Me.” The Greek καλὸν ἔργον (kalon ergon) conveys moral excellence, beauty, and nobility. Her act was not measured by the denarii spent, but by the devotion and faith demonstrated. He continued: “ἃ ἔσχεν ἐποίησεν,” “what she had, she did.” In Hebrew, עָשְׂתָה אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר יָכְלָה, she gave everything she had, nothing reserved, fully surrendering. The Aramaic ṭaḥa, “to pour over,” implies immersion, complete covering, symbolizing her total dedication. She completely emptied the bottle on Him. Her act prophetically honored Him as King and Priest and prefigured His burial, aligning with passages like Isaiah 53:5–9 and Psalm 45:7, which speak of the Messiah being pierced, honored, and consecrated by God.
The choice of spikenard itself is prophetically rich. In Hebrew gematria, נֵרְדּ (nerd) equals 250, a number connected to covenantal completeness and divine favor in mystical traditions. Its fragrance lingers, symbolizing the enduring impact of true worship. Scientific properties enhance this symbolism: spikenard’s aromatic compounds are slow to evaporate, lasting for days, preserving the memory of what has been poured out. So too does the woman’s act endure, echoing through Scripture and history, remembered wherever the gospel is proclaimed.
Anointing the head carries additional layers. In Hebrew tradition, anointing the head signifies leadership, consecration, and honor. By anointing Yeshua before His death, she prophetically recognized His kingship and priesthood. The breaking of the alabaster jar mirrors the breaking of His body; the oil, spreading through the house, anticipates the fragrance of His blood and sacrifice filling the world. The murmurers, focused on earthly utility, failed to perceive these layers, highlighting the contrast between human calculation and divine value. Their “concern for the poor” masks an unbelief that misjudges the Messiah’s worth—a subtle reflection of presumptuous sin that can, if unchecked, lead to the “great transgression.”
Yeshua affirmed the eternal significance of her act: “Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.” Her devotion transcends time and geography. It teaches that true worship is measured not by calculation or convenience, but by wholehearted surrender. Her fragrance-filled act becomes a living symbol of prayer, prophecy, and covenantal recognition, connecting Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic concepts in one eternal moment.
This story challenges every believer to examine the worth we assign to Yeshua in our own hearts. Do we hold back, ration our devotion, or give fully as the woman in Bethany did? Her act teaches that true worship is costly, sacrificial, and extravagant, never wasted. In her breaking of the alabaster jar, pouring spikenard over the Anointed One, we see every element converge: Greek words of value and faith, Hebrew roots of covenant and Messiahship, Aramaic phrasing of consecration, gematria aligning with divine favor, prophetic foreshadowing of His burial, and the enduring, fragrant symbol of devotion that fills the house and the world.
The murmurers’ complaint is a mirror for our own hearts, warning against the subtle disbelief that Yeshua is not worth our best. It is a reflection of presumptuous sin, the kind that Psalm 19:13 warns against, which, if unguarded, opens the way to the great transgression, deliberate rebellion against God. The woman in Bethany understood that devotion has eternal impact. Her fragrance lingers, her memorial endures, and her act points to the ultimate sacrifice of the Messiah. Every detail: oil, jar, fragrance, action, language, and prophecy, tells us to break open our own alabaster jars, offering Yeshua our full love, faith, and worship. In this, the temporal aligns with the eternal, and devotion becomes immortally fragrant in the presence of God.
- In today’s terms, the spikenard she poured out was worth roughly $22,000–$38,000, a massive, extravagant sacrifice, far beyond casual generosity.
And THAT, is….
images by chatgpt at my direction