Old Spice to Holy Week

   I was looking for some cologne to put in my gym bag a few months ago.

   I wanted something cheap, uh inexpensive, in a plastic bottle, that smelled good but was not too pretentious.

   Sally and I were looking at Target and found a bottle of Old Spice.  It met all of my qualifications.  What totally sold me, though, was the slogan on the box, “If your grandfather hadn’t worn it, you wouldn’t exist.”

   That made sense to me.  My grandfather had used Old Spice.  I should be grateful. 

   I bought it.

   Jesus was at a dinner that his friends had given for him as he passed through town on his way to Jerusalem for what would be the last time.

   When Mary cracked open a bottle of perfume (“pure nard”) to anoint Jesus feet, she hadn’t gone to Target.  She’d gone to Beverly Hills.  John (John 12:1-8) puts the cost of the perfume at “300 denarii.” 

   One denarius was the day’s wage for a day laborer, not necessarily unskilled.  If we put that wage at $10.00, times 8 hours for a day, times 300, that comes to $24,000.00 in today’s dollars.  That’s some expensive perfume in any age!

   She had bought it for his burial and was pouring it on him while he was still alive.  She was expressing her love for him, not by buying flowers for his funeral but by pouring them out in ointment form when he could still smell them.

   Her extravagance was a response to his extravagant love, poured out for the ransom of human kind.   No price can be put on that.  Jesus said, “for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”  Matthew 26:28 

   Join us next week, Holy Week, as we walk with Jesus down that road to the day of his death, on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday.   Come and experience the ultimately extravagant gift of God for us.

   Go to our web site at www.faithsd.net and scroll down for details.