Once a month, we teach kids at our church on Sunday. The lesson was: Jesus Anointed in Bethany. We wanted the kids to understand the term and did some research. I did not fully understand the term and learned as well.
Olive oil or a perfume is was used to anoint a person who was set apart for a special purpose. This was a Jewish custom. King David was such an example as explained in 1 Samuel and Psalms.
“So a David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took a flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on.” 1 Samuel 16:13 (NLT)
“I have found my servant David. I have anointed him with My holy oil. I will steady him with My hand; with My powerful arm I will make him strong…..My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him and by My authority he will grow in power.” Psalm 89:20-21, 24 (NLT)
When we become Christians, the Lord spiritually anoints us with the Holy Spirit, setting us apart for His special purpose as we become more like Jesus. Paul describes this in his second letter to the Corinthians. “It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and He has identified us as His own by placing the Holy Spirit in our heart as the first installment that guarantees everything He has promised us.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NLT)
After Jesus was baptized, Matthew describes the Holy Spirit resending upon Him. “After his baptism, Jesus came up out to the water, the heavens were opened and he was the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy.” Matthew 3:16-17 (NLT)
When Jesus was teaching from the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth, Luke says this: “The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives all be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” Luke 4:17-19 (NLT)
Jesus’s anointing at Bethany is mentioned in three of the four Gospels (Matthew 26, Mark 14 and John 12). Here is the description in John 12.
“Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus-the man He had raised from the dead. A diner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served and Lazarus was month those who ate with Him. Then Mary took twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from the essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.
But Judas Iscariot, the disciple would soon betray Him said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor-he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.
Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me.” John 12:1-8 (NLT)
Before the Bible Story, I had arranged several different scents for the kids to smell. Between each sniff test, I read to them the Bible verses that I described above. Then my husband told the above story (with an illustration) in words that the kids might better understand the message of the story. The kids seemed to understand and answered many of the our follow-up Bible Story questions.
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Glorifying God and HIs Grace with Insights and Scripture