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1. The service of fragrance is a service of love:

Fragrant oil has a pleasant and fast-spreading aroma and so does love. Jesus said that the sinful woman “loved much” (Lk. 7:47). Every deed for the sake of Jesus Christ, done and mixed with love, changes into fragrant oil. Let us, brethren, with pure hearts, love one another fervently (I Pet. 1:22).

2. The service of fragrant oil is a service of quiet prayer:

It is a service of compassion and not a service of His words. It is a silent service. Mary was sitting at His feet listening, a service only the Lord and the woman understood. Only this woman could understand. But its aroma had to spread so that everybody can enjoy its smell. It is the inner quiet prayer away from the noise of Jerusalem. It is the service of the poor … even a cold cup of water.

The service of the fragrant oil took place at Bethany (which means the house of the poor). It did not happen at the noise of Jerusalem. At Bethany – the house of the poor – an expensive fragrance oil worth 300 denariis was poured and everybody smelled it.

In the temple at Jerusalem where doves were being sold, money exchanging took place and the pride of the religious leader was quite obvious … everybody smelled the stench of wickedness and dishonesty.

3. The service of fragrance is a service of humility and feeling of gratitude:

The woman poured the fragrant oil over the Lord’s feet. She came from behind weeping. It is the service of soul feeling indebted to Jesus for her salvation. “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred dinarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he cancelled the debts of both.” The woman with her sins had the bigger debt – the Lord forgave her.

This is a service worthy of not only the fragrant oil, but also of the shedding of tears and the washing of the Lord’s feet.

The service of fragrance shows us that repentance takes place at the Lord’s feet with the spirit of contrition, gratitude and with many tears.

4. The service of fragrant oil shows the value of the Lord in our lives:

The value of our Lord in Judas’s eyes was 30 pieces of silver, which is equal to about 30 dollars. It was the value of a slave. For this woman, it was all what she had, even up the 300 dinariis (Mk. 14:5). It is ironic that the two incidents took place at the same time! This shows the honest soul sacrifices everything to fulfill the Lord’s commandments. Dishonest souls will sell the Lord’s commandments for temporary pleasure or insignificant gain. Our love for Jesus is valued by the size of our sacrifice and our loss for the sake of His commandments.

5. The service of fragrant oil is a service of anointment for the Lord’s burial:

The smell of this perfume will stick to the Lord’s body (since it happened two days prior to Passover). It is a beautiful service like that of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. This service of the souls that elected to share the passion of the Lord’s helped to offset the behavior of the disciples: some slept, some fled, and some denied! Acts of mercy and touches of love please the heart of the Lord and serve as oil for anointment in the middle of His suffering caused by our sins.

That is why, as much as evil increases in the world – even among so called believers – we need to pour so much of that oil.

6. The service of fragrant oil is an everlasting one that defies death:

The disciples fled at the cross and only John continued till Golgotha, but the woman who poured the oil followed Him to the Cross and she even went to the tomb. At dawn, on Sunday while it was still dark, she went to the tomb carrying spices and scents along with her emotions to place them on top of the tomb. She was hoping for someone who might roll the stone of the tomb for her.

For those who paid farewell to Jesus at the Cross, it was all over because He died.

Even the disciples were frightened. Those who followed Jesus to Golgotha left their hopes and aspirations there, since they were left with death. But those who gave the service of worship, love and contrition had their hopes beyond death … to the eternal life … the hearts of the true worshipping souls open to get a glimpse of eternity and enjoy being with Jesus, who gave them the hope to challenged death and the world.

With this hope, the real worshipper can go through the temptations and tribulations of this world believing in the life of Jesus that is immortal. It is life of love, joy and peace.

7. The service of fragrant oil is not a waste:

Prayer is not less than establishing great organizations. Serving the poor is not less than building cathedrals. The service of St. Anthony, St. Paul (the Hermit), or St. Macarius has more lasting effect than the great cathedrals of emperors. Monastic life is not a waste and prayers in Sunday school are not less valuable than preaching from the pulpit, they are probably more important.

The service of prayer in not a squander. Having so many liturgies is not a waste. Some of those in social service today claim that the church is focusing too much on prayer rather than practical deeds. The truth is that work devoid of prayers is full of selfishness and self-loving, and it becomes not only a waste but also a disaster for the church.

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