Heading Home

In ancient Jewish tradition, a mother wove a seamless garment for her son when he left home. Did Mary do this for Jesus? No one knows but I’m pretty sure, if she held to tradition, she must have.

If Mary lovingly created it, Jesus wore it, probably wearing it before His betrayal when He went to Simon the leper’s house. As He reclined at the table, a woman came and broke open her beautiful, alabaster passion box, full of the extremely valuable, perfumed oil of spikenard.

As she lovingly poured it upon Jesus’ head, it likely trickled down His cheeks, seeped into His beard, and gently dripped upon His shoulders, saturating His garment. (Mark 14:3, Matt. 26:6-7)

In Eastern culture, the garment of the bridegroom was saturated with rich perfumes. As this woman lovingly poured out her precious possession upon the heavenly Bridegroom, it permeated His garment.

Almost as prophetic words, the Shulamite woman says of her beloved in the beautiful Song of Solomon, “While the king is at his table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance.” (SOS 1:12 NKJV)

Don’t you know that through the long hours of His agony in the garden, during His betrayal, in the courtyard of His judgment before Caiaphas and Pilate, and until that garment was removed, Jesus must have breathed in that sweet smell of sacrificial love poured out upon Him, while this scripture likely echoed in His Spirit, “The odor of your ointments is fragrant, your name is like perfume poured out.” (SOS 1:3 Amp)

As He probably did not wash His hair, the fragrance clung to it. That sweet aroma must have wafted its fragrance of love into His nostrils throughout His torment at the whipping post and while hanging on the cross, more than likely thinking, “This is for all those who will pour out their love on Me.”

Jesus’ sacrifice for our forgiveness and eternal life cost Him His life and was a sweet aroma to God, as scripture says, “God was pleased, for Christ’s love for you was like sweet perfume to Him.” (Eph. 5:2b TLB)

Are our trust and faith as that sweet aroma of the alabaster passion box poured out to Jesus? Do our offerings cost us something, or do they have little meaning to us? If we give God what is of little value to us, how will it be of any value to Him? If a sacrifice is to be a true sacrifice, it must cost something to give it.

A true, sacrificial worship gift costs us the surrender of our money, for we give sacrificially, as the widow who gave her two mites. It costs us the surrender of our time, for we sacrifice it to put God first. It costs us the surrender of our hearts, for we sacrifice our love to those who hate us. It costs us the surrender of our lips, for we sacrifice our praise to God when all seems lost.

What have you given Him? What does it cost you? Will it be, as David said, “that which costs me nothing”? (2 Sam. 24:24b NKJV) Whatever it costs, it must come from a loving and willing heart.

Jesus gave you His sweet sacrifice of salvation. Have you given your life as a sacrifice back to Him, as that “sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God”? (Phil. 4:18 NKJV)

(This is submitted for Peter Pollock’s One Word at a Time Blog Carnival on the topic sacrifice. Check out Peter’s site for the other entries.)

In ancient Jewish tradition, a mother weaved a seamless garment for her son when he left home. Did Mary do this for Jesus? No one knows but I’m pretty sure, if she held to tradition, she must have.

If Mary lovingly created it, I am sure Jesus wore it, even wearing it before His betrayal when He went to Simon the leper’s house. As He reclined at the table, a woman came and broke open her beautiful, alabaster passion box, full of the extremely valuable, perfumed oil of spikenard. As she lovingly poured it upon Jesus’ head, it probably trickled down His cheeks, seeped into His beard, and gently dripped upon His shoulders, saturating His garment.

In Eastern culture, the garment of the bridegroom is saturated with rich perfumes. This woman lovingly poured out her precious possession upon the heavenly Bridegroom which permeated His garment. Almost as prophetic words, the Shulamite woman says of her beloved in the beautiful Song of Solomon, “While the king is at his table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance.” (SOS 1:12 NKJV)

Don’t you know that through the long hours of His agony in the garden, during His betrayal, in the courtyard of His judgment before Caiaphas and Pilate, and until that garment was removed, Jesus breathed in that sweet smell of sacrificial love that had been poured out upon Him, while this scripture may have echoed in His Spirit, “The odor of your ointments is fragrant, your name is like perfume poured out.” (SOS 1:3 Amp)

As He probably did not wash His hair, the fragrance clung to it. That sweet aroma must have wafted its fragrance of love into His nostrils throughout His torment at the whipping post and while hanging on the cross, more than likely thinking, “This is for all those who will pour out their love on Me.”

Jesus’ sacrifice for our forgiveness and eternal life cost Him His life and was a sweet aroma to God, as scripture says, “God was pleased, for Christ’s love for you was like sweet perfume to Him.” (Eph. 5:2b TLB)

Are our trust and faith as that sweet aroma of the alabaster passion box poured out to Jesus? Do our offerings cost us something, or do they have little meaning to us? If we give God what is of little value to us, how will it be of any value to Him? If a sacrifice is to be a true sacrifice, it must cost something to give it.

A true, sacrificial worship gift costs us the surrender of our money, for we give sacrificially, as the widow who gave her two mites. It costs us the surrender of our time, for we sacrifice it to put God first. It costs us the surrender of our hearts, for we sacrifice our love to those who hate us. It costs us the surrender of our lips, for we sacrifice our praise to God when all seems lost.

Whatever it costs, it must come from a loving and willing heart.

Jesus gave you His sweet sacrifice of salvation.

What have you given Him? What does it cost you? Have you given your heart to the One Who gave you His life?

Are you “a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God”? (Phil. 4:18 NKJV)

May you experience that sweet smell of Easter’s sacrifice in a fresh, new way this year.

The other day, my husband, who plays the guitar, came across a site for guitar picks that are made of wood. Wooden picks, I thought? As he described the special wood that is used, I was intrigued and looked it up. The tree is called lignum vitae. I thought it was so interesting that I decided to share it with you. Here is what I found:

The tree’s wood was originally used and, in some cases, still used for…

* mallet heads
* axles
* bowling balls
* chisel handles
* other objects for absorbing great stress
* beer barrels
* propeller bushings, hydro bearings, ship bearings, saw blocks, other underwater applications for destroyers, submarines, mine sweepers, polar class icebreakers, and other large ship and unique products.

It is also used for medicinal purposes. Early in the 16th century, an explorer to the Caribbean heard about the tree and learned from the inhabitants that the tree contained curative properties for treating most ailments.

In recent times, scientists have found that two of the resin’s most active ingredients are effective as anti-inflammatory agents, local stimulants, and laxatives. The resin or balm also promotes circulation.

The resin is doubly useful for non-medicinal purposes and has one highly recognizable use. When it is mixed with an alcohol solution and sprayed on a surface, the mixture turns blue, revealing invisible blood traces by making it glow in the dark. This is the Luminol we see used as a forensic tool by the police and other investigators on television programs.

The lignum vitae tree, also called guaiac, has other very unique qualities, such as…

* it is highly durable
* if it burns, oil bubbles out
* it is slow-growing, broadleaf evergreen
* it is one of the hardest and heaviest woods
* it is exceptionally resistance to moisture and fungal attack
* it has a rich supply of fats and resins making the objects made from it contain natural lubricants and nearly impervious to water
* it offers extraordinary long life in what it produces.

The tree…

* is aromatic
* has no thorns
* is a strong structure
* is propagated by seed
* has a very showy trunk
* does not attract wildlife
* has no invasive potential
* is pest and disease resistance
* has blue flowers followed by golden fruit
* tolerates full sun or partial shade in a wide variety of soils
* its buds are heart-shaped and inside are the seeds of life and when it breaks open, it yields a red fruit.

Why do I bring you all this? For this very interesting point…lignum vitae is Latin for long life and has the name “tree of life.” I find that amazing!

Jesus is as our Tree of Life. This is what I see…

* He lubricates us with His oil of joy.
* He is Evergreen, giving us Eternal Life.
* He provides the golden fruit of the Spirit.
* His blood and grace are our precious balm.
* His Life is propagated by the seeds we sow.
* He is curative; His healing virtue flows through us.
* He brings extraordinary long life in what He produces.
* He gives us a rich supply of God’s grace and blessings.
* He bears the scars of the thorns that no longer surround Him.
* He is aromatic when the fragrance of His name is poured out.
* He keeps us hardened in order to withstand the storms of life.
* He makes us impervious to the penetrating waters of circumstances.
* He assists our growth, planting us in a wide variety of the soils of life.
* He is our strong structure, our high tower, our shelter from the enemy.
* He is our restorative oil of the Holy Spirit that life’s fiery trials attempt to destroy us.
* He sustains us to resist the infestuous pest and cures the venomous bite of the serpent.
* His balm produces the circulation in our spiritual veins necessary for living everyday life.
* He keeps us resistant to the spread of the spiritual fungi that attempt to attach to our spirits.
* He helps us tolerate the winds of adversity, the heat of the full sun in trials, and the shade of isolation.
* He is our anti-inflammatory agent, acting to reduce the inflammation of our hearts through pain and anger.
* Within His heart was that Seed of Life. When broken open, it yielded the scarlet fruit of salvation.

The Lord is the Tree of Life to us and “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” (Rev. 2:7 NKJV) Jesus said, “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” (John 10:28 NKJV)

May you know all the precious qualities of Jesus as the Tree of Life. What other qualities do you, my precious readers, see in Jesus?