Spikenard

Therefore Mary took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed Jesus's feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. John 12:2'3 WEB.

While Jesus reclined at the table, Mary anointed His feet with twelve ounces of expensive perfume made of pure Spikenard oil. The plants that this oil is extracted from grow in Nepal, China, and India. So it had to be imported into Israel. Also, the plants only yield a small amount of oil when crushed. So this made it a really expensive and luxury item. As Judas said, the amount of oil that Mary poured on Jesus' feet would have been worth a year's wages for an average farmworker.

Mary saw something in Jesus that she had never seen in anyone else. He was special. There had never been anyone like Him. She took one of her most valuable possessions and anointed His feet with it, then wiped them with her hair. That had to be the most endearing foot washing a person has ever received.

Judas was in the same room with the same people, yet he complained. He felt that the precious oil was wasted on Jesus. What a stark contrast two people had while looking at the same Man.

God sees the value in each of us, and we are precious to Him, yet the devil sees us as waste. We constantly have this battle going on inside of us. The bad thoughts, rejection, and worthlessness come from the same loudmouthed enemy. The good thoughts, acceptance, understanding, hope, and a future come from the Holy Spirit.

Do not listen to the enemy's lies. God loves you, and the past is gone. Shake off the heaviness and try it again. God will anoint you with a costly anointing because He believes that you are worth it. He sees you as precious, just as Mary did with Jesus.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me to see the love You have for me clearly. Let me see through Your eyes and feel Your heart. Fill me with Your life and lead me into all that You have for me on this earth. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

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