Di Perfume Wey She Pour Out

One seal break. One sweet, heavy smell pour enter di room, e strong so tey every head turn. Long time ago, wise men bring myrrh give one baby. Now one woman bring her own precious gift give di Jesus wey don grow.

Bethany na one village for di oda side of di Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem. Na there three friends wey Jesus love dey live: Martha, Mary, and dia brother Lazarus. No long before, Lazarus die, and e lie down inside tomb for four days, and Jesus call am come out alive. Now e remain six days before di Passover. Di enemies of Jesus for Jerusalem dey plan how to kill am. And for Bethany, im friends make dinner to honour am. Martha dey serve, as she dey always do. Lazarus, di man wey don die before, dey sit for table near Jesus.

Then Mary enter. She carry one pound of ointment of spikenard, wey cost well well. Pure nard, perfume wey dem make from one plant wey dey grow for high mountains far for di east, wey dem carry cross desert through trade roads. E be treasure, di kind thing wey family fit keep for many years. And Mary no use only few drops. She pour am on top di leg of Jesus. Then she do something wey respectable woman no dey normally do for public. She loose her hair, and she use am clean im leg. And John talk say: di smell of di ointment fill di whole house.

No be everybody happy. Judas Iscariot, one of di twelve disciples, talk. Why dem no sell dis ointment for three hundred silver coins, and give di money to poor people? E sound like say e get good heart. But John tell us di truth behind am. Judas no care about poor people. Na im dey keep di disciples money bag, and e dey take from di money wey dem put inside for imself. For Judas eye, Mary gift be like waste. Na only di price e fit see.

Jesus answer am. Leave her alone. She don keep dis one for di day of my burial. Poor people go always dey with una, but una no go always get me. You hear wetin Jesus dey talk? For few days, e go die. Dem dey rub spices for dead body before dem bury am, and Mary, maybe without say she fully understand am, don anoint am before di time. Her gift no be waste. Na love, wey she give for di exact correct time. And di sweet smell still dey on top Jesus as e dey waka go Jerusalem.

How much be three hundred denarii? For one of di parables of Jesus, one vineyard owner pay im workers one denarius for one day work. So di perfume of Mary cost reach about one year salary for labourer. Di Roman writer Pliny di Elder, for im book Natural History, describe nard as one of di perfumes wey people value pass for im time, wey dem dey import from India and dey sell for high price.

Di Perfume Wey She Pour Out. You go find am for John chapter twelve, verse one to eight. For Christmas we dey think about gifts. Mary give Jesus di thing wey precious pass for her, and di whole house full with am. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Which precious gift you fit give Jesus, no be because e cheap or e easy, but because you love am?