Holy Week: Wednesday
Lent is coming to a swift close with the impending celebration of our Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection on Sunday, April 17th. We hope you’ll plan on joining us at one of our 4 services this weekend. See the Horizons Church Website or Facebook page for more details on how to connect with us this Easter Weekend.
Today is Wednesday of Holy Week. This day has been called Holy Wednesday and Spy Wednesday (my personal favorite because it has a fun name not because I like what it means, to be clear). Traditionally held views honor this day as the day when Jesus was anointed with spikenard, or pure lard, during a meal.
Spikenard comes from the root of the Nardostachys jatamansi plant found in the Himalayan Mountains. In the early years AD, spikenard was a very expensive perfume, a jar costing around 300 denarii, or a year’s wages. It was believed to have medicinal properties and a distinctly strong aroma that emitted from it. So if you had it, everyone knew.
“Jatamansi” is the Nepalese word for “spirit incarnate”. When applied topically, spikenard has been thought to have healing properties, reducing inflammation in the body. When inhaled, this “sweet, woody root aroma” (American Botanical Council “Spikenard”, 2022) is believed to help with “cognitive flexibility…allowing for release of old wounds…[and] contemplative reflection and connection to spirit”.
Did the woman know this? Did the medicinal properties play into it? Or was it merely a sign of devotion she believed she could express by pouring out a year’s worth of wages upon Jesus’s feet?
Though we may not know for sure, we do know that the Bible is rife with symbolism that exceeds our limited human understanding, so even if she did it because of what it was worth, perhaps God the Father knew God the Son was feeling anxious about the coming judgment he would endure – see Isaiah 53:3 “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” – and sent him comfort, reminding him “This is hard, but I see you. Remember why I sent you.”
In the meantime, something more unsettling and evil was taking place. Despite the devotion of Jesus’s disciples, Judas’s heart was hardening, and he was about to perform the ultimate act of betrayal – selling out Jesus. That’s why this day is sometimes called Spy Wednesday. Certain traditions hold that this marks the day Judas made the deal with the local authorities: Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.
I did a quick Google search on the monetary equivalent of 30 pieces of silver today, and not counting inflation, we’re looking at a range of $91-$500 (depending on the specific silver pieces). The life of Jesus was traded for less than $500. You know, for someone who was whining about the woman using up pure nard on Jesus rather than selling and giving that money to the poor, he sure sold himself short. The commonly held understanding of the worth of thirty pieces of silver was about 6 weeks wages. In terms of money, the woman poured out a year on the man Judas sold for 6 weeks.
It is important to note that not all of the events in the Gospels are chronological, so we cannot hold on to this super tightly. I think what’s important about acknowledging the betrayal of Judas on this day is to set apart time to consider the events that led up to Jesus’s death, honored on Friday.
May we take some time today to be aware of these two events. May the Lord help us to see the parts of our lives we pour out as pure nard, the ones that ground us and remind us why we’re here - to know Him and make Him known. And may the Lord also help us to be aware of the areas of our lives where we’re selling out, so we can destroy them, and love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and strength.
