The lingering fragrance of the Gift of Giving

The woman who came to Jesus at the house of Simon in Bethany did not think of saving up the flask full of fragrant oil for a better occasion.

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By Robin Sam

And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.” But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Matthew 26:6-13).

BIBLE scholars differ on the identity of the woman mentioned in the passage above, but that is a small matter. What is of bigger concern is the woman’s act. In pouring a flask full of very expensive fragrant oil upon Jesus’ head, the woman conceded that she had the highest respect for Him. It was also an extremely thoughtful act of gratitude. Some of the people around Jesus, including His disciples who had gathered in the house of Simon the leper, who witnessed this were predictably annoyed at this wasting away of an expensive perfume. After all, perfumes are meant to be used drop by drop for every special occasion.

Another reason for their indignation was that the fragrant oil could have been put to ‘better’ use by its sale and use of its proceeds to feed the poor instead of pouring it on Jesus.

Even today, people around generous Christians react the same way to acts of charity. When I first began tithing my family members were indignant. It was the late nineties and money was in short supply. ‘Why give so much money to the church? Even the rich don’t tithe so much,’ one said. ‘You are setting a wrong precedent’, ‘Now, the other church members will think we are showing off’ – comments followed. But, I was resolute in my decision. Although I am not part of that church any more I know for a fact that its members now offer large sums of money as tithes and offerings. I am happy for the church. It is spreading its wings and involved in many evangelistic projects.

The woman who came to Jesus at the house of Simon in Bethany did not think of saving up the flask full of fragrant oil for a better occasion. Any occasion where Jesus was present was the best. And, her heart that was overflowing with gratitude for what the Lord had done for her would not accept any excuses for not using it for Jesus. The fragrance that spread in the room because of the broken jar would have subsided after a while, but the fragrance that arose out of her gift of giving lingers on even today, 2,000 years later. It is being told as a memorial to her at every place where Christ is being preached. That’s a legacy that we cannot afford to miss!


Robin SamRobin Sam is a preacher, Bible teacher and missions worker. He works in Messenger Missions, a Gospel proclaiming ministry and edits The Christian Messenger magazines in English and Tamil.

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