The First Anointing At Bethany

By

The Twelve Apostles

The First Anointing At Bethany

A Pharisee, whose name was Simon, made a feast, and Jesus was the honoured guest. And as they sat about the table, a courtesan who had been cured of her desire to sin by what she had received and seen in Jesus' ministry, came uninvited to the feast. She brought an alabaster box of costly balm and as the guests reclined, she came to Jesus in her joy, because she been freed from sin.

Her tears fell fast, she kissed His feet, and dried them with her hair, and she anointed them with balm. And Simon thought, he did not speak aloud, “This man is not a prophet or He would know the kind of woman that approaches Him, and would drive her away.”
But Jesus knew his thoughts, and said to him, “My host, I have a word to say to you.”
And Simon said, “Say on.”
And Jesus said, “Sin is a monster of iniquity. It may be small. It may be large. It may be something left undone. Behold, one person leads a life of sin and is at last redeemed. Another, in a careless mood, forgets to do the things he ought to do but he reforms and is forgiven. Now, which of these has merited the higher praise?”
And Simon said, “The one who overcame the error of a life.”

And Jesus said, “You speak the truth. Behold this woman who has bathed my feet with tears, dried them with her hair and covered them with balm! For years she led a life of sin, but when she heard the words of life she sought forgiveness and she found. But when I came into your house as guest you gave me not a bowl of water that I might wash my hands and feet, which every loyal Jew must do before he feasts. Now, tell me, Simon, which of these, this woman or yourself, is Worthy of most praise?” But Simon answered not.

Then to the woman Jesus said, “Your sins are all forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
And then the guests who sat around the table, began to say within themselves, “What manner of a man is this who says, ‘Your sins are all forgiven?’”

Other Accounts

Bar-Simon, who was once a leper and was cleansed by Jesus by the sacred and omnipotent word, Yahweh, abode in Bethany. In honour of the Christian Lord, he gave a feast, and Lazarus was among the guests, and Ruth and Martha served. And as the guests reclined about the table, Mary Magdalene took a vessel of rich perfume and poured it out on Jesus' head and feet. And then she knelt, and with her hair she wiped His feet; the fragrance of the rich perfume filled all the room.

Now, Judas, always looking at the selfish side of life, exclaimed, “For shamed, why did you waste that costly perfume thus? We might have sold it for three hundred pence, and had the money to supply our wants and feed the poor.” At that time, Judas was the treasurer, and carried all the money of the Christian band.

And the others said, “Why, Mary? What a wasteful person you are! You should not throw such wealth away.”
But Jesus said, “You men, be still. Let her alone; you do not know what you say. The poor are with you always; at any time you can attend to them; but I will not be with you long. Mary knows the sadness of the coming days, and she has anointed me beforehand for my burial.
“The gospel of the Christ will be preached everywhere, and he who tells the story of the Christ will tell about this day, and what Mary Magdalene has done at this hour will be a sweet memorial to her wherever humanity abide.” And when the feast was over, Jesus went with Lazarus to his home.

More Lessons From The Anointing

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."

And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."

So he said, "Teacher, say it."

"There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"

Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."

And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."

Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?"

Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." Luke 7:36-50

Explanations:

1. It is not the will of God that any should perish, but that all shall come to repentance.

2. Everybody has the power and authority to forgive his offenders.

3. That is why Jesus taught His disciples how to praying, saying “… Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us…”

4. Many are saying our l’s prayer, and still refuse to forgive their offenders.

The Purpose Of Anointing

The main purpose of anointing is confirmation, by which God Almighty confirms that a person has being assigned or destined to perform a special task. Another purpose is the release and reception of the power of the Holy Spirit to perform the special task. Then, God gives the person the spirit with which to accomplish the task. That is why in many cases, when God is sending somebody or specifying what to be done, the first thing is usually a statement like this, in various expression:

“The spirit of God is upon me.” Isaiah 61:1

“The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” Ezekiel 43:5

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. Exodus 31:1-5

Significance Of Mary And Judas

Apostle Matthew: What do you understand from the behaviours of Mary and Judas?

The Head: The behaviour of Mary shows what the children of God, in whom there is the Holy Spirit, should be doing for God, to serve God by ordering all things in sequence, as God wants. The Judas shows the people without are working against God.

This Mary, was she Mary Magdalene or another Mary?

Apostle Matthew: She was another Mary.

Apostle Matthew: It shows, testifies, of those who have the Holy Spirit and those who do not have the Holy Spirit in them. If you observe the characters of the two sets of people, you shall see the difference. Son of man, the children of God supposed to emulate what is good. Themselves supposed to behave like the Angels and Saints of heaven.

Apostle Matthew: Son of man, how many people bring gifts to you?

The Head: One or two persons. Many do not.

Apostle Matthew: Son of man, how many people have said “Welcome” to you?

The Head: There is none. Perhaps, one or two persons.

Apostle Matthew: Son of man, does it show people in whom the Holy Spirit is?

The Head: It does not show.

Apostle Matthew: Does it show people who are preparing to get blessings?

The Head: No.

Apostle Matthew: Does it show a people who are close to God or people who are far away from God?

The Head: It shows people who are far away from God. It shows that people have locked, hardened, their hearts.

Apostle Matthew: Does it show people who are serious or not?

The Head: It shows people who are not serious.

Apostle Matthew: Does it show people who know what they are doing?

The Head: It does not show people who know what they are doing. It shows that people do not know what is expected from them.

Many do not bring gifts, because they think that if they bring gifts, Jesus as the man who saw God face to face, will take the gifts and give to another person. They do not understand that as another person is hungry, it is their brethren, themselves that are hungry. They do not understand that when part of the gifts given to Jesus is taken and given to another person, even so they are receiving blessings more and more.

Apostle Matthew: Son of man, have you seen that everybody in whom there is the spirit of destruction, the spirit will manifest in the person’s behaviour and character, in his thoughts and in the words that the person speaks.

Son of man, a person who has the Holy Spirit in himself, who has the heart of Jesus, the Holy Spirit will show in the person’s character, in how he behaves and in how he speaks. But themselves do not notice these facts.

Even if humanity do not notice, what of us, the Hosts of Angels and Saints of heaven?

The Head: The Angels and saint do find out.

Apostle Matthew: What of God the Father?

The Head: He is seeing and knows them all.

Apostle Matthew: Or do themselves not put these things into considerations?

The Head: Many do not do so. Many do not know that they should put such a thing into considerations.

Anointing Is Very Important

1. Special events need special anointing. Hence, “Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit,” says the Lord.

2. It is good to provide and care for the needy and poor people.

3. It is also good to care and provide for the great and rich men.

4. But be very careful in dealing or associating with the evil men, because their advice is intended to hinder the good works of righteousness, holiness and perfection

The Source And Nature Of The Oil

Apostle Matthew: The oil had been in existence over a long time. By the time Jesus was born, the oil was already in existence. The oil was produced by a prophetess, not prophetess Ann.

When Jesus was being bathed, the Angels showed it to the prophetess, and she went and carried Jesus in her arms. She bathed baby Jesus.

You people know that the dresses and clothes of Jesus was healing people?

The Head: Yes.

Apostle Matthew: Everything about Jesus was healing sickness. It was this woman that told Blessed Mother Mary that the water used in bathing Jesus should be used to wash the bodies of the children, and the children were healed of the various sicknesses. She said this because the Angels had shown to her the power in the water used in bathing Jesus. Therefore, herself bathed Jesus and gave the water to other women whose children were sick.

When Jesus was circumcised, this women brought an oil, and put some of the blood of the circumcision into the oil. Immediately she did so, the colour of the oil changed. The woman looked at the oil and saw that a special power was in the oil. She considered the fact that if she sold the oil, she would make a lot of profit from the sale. Therefore, she took the oil and preserved it. The oil lasted for many years.

Apostle Matthew: Why did the oil last for many years?

The Head: It was the Holy Spirit that made her keep the oil, because the oil shall be used for a particular purpose, work, in the future.

Apostle Matthew: Yourself answered very well. But that was not what she was having on her mind. She examined the oil, and found it to more precious than all the other oils. Her intention was to preserve the oil, so that when there shall be widespread poverty, she will sell it at a very high profit and become rich.

But to show that the word of God shall unfailingly come to fulfilment and manifestation, she preserved the oil, without knowing what God will do with the oil, until she became very old and aged.

When she was about to die, she had only one son. She called the son, and told him that she had nothing to give to him. She had no land or money. She told the son to go and get the oil from where she kept it. And she told the son not to sell the oil that year or next year. He told the son to sell the oil in seven years to come, that by that time he will be able to sell it at a very high profit. She gave the oil to the son and the Angels took her, she died.

The son preserved the oil until the seventh year, as was directed by his mother. At the specified time, God brought Mary Magdalene to him, and he sold the oil to Mary Magdalene. He sold it at a very great price. Mary Magdalene paid him a very large amount of money. Mary Magdalene wanted to buy a special gift for Jesus. That was how Mary Magdalene bought the oil and used it to anoint Jesus.

The Significance Of The Oil

She anointed Jesus because of His death and work on Mount Calvary, because of the following reasons:

Number 1, it has being so written about Jesus, to fulfil the word of God and all righteousness.

Number 2, the anointing shows that Jesus is a king.

Number 3, it shows that salvation is in the hands of Jesus.

Number 4, it signifies the death of Jesus, and that when Jesus died, God would not allow His body to decay.

The Head: Thanks be to God. It was a confirmatory sign that the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ was not an accident, but pre-destined by God for the salvation of humanity, as was foretold by God to the ancient Saints and prophets of God.

The Poor

But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they criticized her sharply. Mark 14:4,5

Apostle Matthew: Who said that?

Without made that comment?

The Head: It was Judas.

Apostle Matthew: You are correct. He said it not because the poor were suffering so much. He said it because himself loves money too much. Everything about money, Judas does not play that. He was ready to sell his brother to make money. He could be tricky to get money.

Son of man, a person who is in haste to make money, do you think that such a person can seek and find God?

The Head: No.

Apostle Matthew: That is the meaning. This very thing which Mary Magdalene did is a very special thing. The fame of what she did reached all the ends of the heavens and the earth.

Son of man, this very action of Mary Magdalene, what does it show to the children of God?

The Head: It shows that Jesus is a king, and that Himself is the Lord and Saviour. All things about Jesus are usually special.

Apostle Matthew: That is number 1.

Number 2?

The Head: As she did, even so humanity should do without being told.

Apostle Matthew: Son of man, yourself answered very well. Because of this her action, Mary Magdalene is a blessed person, from everlasting to everlasting, both in heaven and on earth. Every person that does likewise receives the blessings for such good works. The person shall receive blessings that lasts from everlasting to everlasting. Son of man, her blessing is a lasting blessing.

Why Judas Was Rejected

Apostle Matthew: What Mary Magdalene did was a very serious provocation to Judas. A person who loves money does not use his eyes to see money – he will do anything possible to take the money as soon as he sees it. Even if you explain to him the important things that the money should be used for, he is not ready to hear and listen.

Is this type of heart used in worshipping God?

The Head: No.

Apostle Matthew: That was why the Angels pushed Judas to the side. That was why he is not counted among the twelve Apostles. Jesus came to save him. It was true that his destiny was to betray Jesus. But Jesus came with mercy, because of Judas and the sinners. If he had followed Jesus with purity of heart, he should have been among those saved. But he was very greedy.

Number 1, that he did a bad work was not the main issue. He had no love for Jesus. He had no spirit of patience. He did not have the spirit of perseverance. He was not trustworthy, and he did not trust anybody. These are the reasons why the Angels pushed him to the side.

He could not save himself. And Jesus was sent, for him to work with Jesus, so that by so doing, he shall be saved. But he turned against Jesus, and thereby excluded himself.

Remember that those who are excluded exclude themselves. Before, he was one of the twelve Apostles. But later, he was no longer among the Twelve Apostles. He did not even know that the Angels have excluded him. Jesus intentionally kept quiet unto Judas, for Judas to drive himself away.