Mark 14

Mar 14:3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,
as He reclined, a woman came with an alabaster vial
of pure, costly ointment of spikenard.
And she broke the vial and poured it on His head.

I would like to know what this smells like.
I found some pure spikenard oil on the internet
and I'm gonna order some.

"Spikenard oil can be effective for tension, stress, migraine, nervous indigestion and insomnia."
Although I believe Jesus was as perfect as a man can be,
(and didn't need artificial relief)
it sounds like this was a good oil for the moment, huh?

Here's the best resource I found about it:
http://www.ashburys.com/oil/eo_spikenard.htm

but I also stumbled upon this article,
which I thought was interesting:

Spikenard has a profound and complex aroma, a combination sweet/spicy/musky, a very organic earthy scent. Still reasonably rare and reasonably expensive, most find spikenard's name much more familiar than its fragrance. Its reputation is ancient. It was an ingredient in perfume formulas from Egypt, India, and throughout the middle east. It is mentioned three times in the Song of Songs. The ancient Greeks and Romans had a beloved perfume fragrance based on spikenard. Spikenard's main claim to fame comes from its prominence in the New Testament. It was the famous spikenard perfume that Mary of Bethany used to anoint the feet of Jesus Christ, filling the entire room with its aroma. (Whether she is Mary Magdalene, now matron saint of perfumers, is still the subject of debate, as it has been for centuries). The Spikenard perfume used by Mary was likely the Roman (Nardinum) which was very popular at the time throughout the Roman empire. Rather than its wonderful fragrance, however, what is most famous about spikenard is its high cost. Two of the gospels comment on its price. Judas Iscariot was apparently offended at the anointing of Jesus, demanding to know why the jar of ointment was not sold, and the proceeds given to the poor.
Why was spikenard so expensive? Because of where it grows and the difficulty in obtaining it. Spikenard is not native to the Middle East. It is native to the Himalayas, in Nepal and India and grows at high altitudes. Spikenard was brought down by caravan and exported throughout the ancient world. Its use in the ancient world is a demonstration of their sophisticated trade routes and the importance placed on aromatic material.
Various medicinal uses include skin care; rejuvenating mature skin, allergies and skin rashes.
Nervous system; insomnia, nervous indigestion, migraine headaches, stress & tension, it has relaxing, sedative properties.
Spikenard was anciently believed to bear mystical, romantic properties. The part of the plant from which this wonderful fragrance is obtained is the crushed rhizomes and roots. It is important to remember that spikenard was not used as a perfume in and of itself. It was an ingredient of complex perfume formulas. Modern Bible translations often refer to the oil used by Mary as "pure nard". We believe that this was not the case for several reasons. The controversy is based on the fact that the early Bible translators did not know the meaning of the word "pistic nard" as found in the early texts. The translators assumed that the word "pistic" must mean pure. However, we believe that the word "pistic" is a reference to another ancient and expensive perfume ingredient called "Pisticia" which was used in ancient perfumes. Another reason we believe that it wasn't pure spikenard, is because the level of sophistication of perfumes in the 1st century AD. Because of the nature of the scent of pure spikenard, it is not logical that Mary would have used it as a perfume in it's pure form. The alabaster box (pyxis) is another clue that it was a finished perfume rather than a single perfume ingredient which would typically be stored in a terra cotta container. Perfumers of the time were a mysterious lot, who kept their trade secrets to themselves. We have discovered that the ancient perfumers often altered their formulas to suit the particular taste of their clients. In the case of Spikenard perfume, we have found ancient formulas that substitute the top notes of lilly for rose oil. It is also likely that certain ingredients were used depending on their intended use. Although no one today can be absolutely sure of the exact formula or fragrance used by Mary to anoint Jesus, we believe that the Roman (Nardinum) formula is the most likely. Another ingredient in Nardinum is "amomom" whose name means literally "without blame", and the name of yet another ingredient means "Joy of the Mountains". In the light of its discovery in Tutankhamun's tomb, used by King Solomon, and in the anointing of Jesus, it can be appreciated that spikenard was truly a fragrance fit for a king.

This led me to another site which relates "A Brief History of Spices"
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/history/lecture26/r_26-1l.html

I'm also curious to discover what myrrh and frankincense smell like,
but I'm getting off track....

-=-=-

Mar 14:9 Truly I say to you,
Wherever this gospel shall be proclaimed in all the world,
this also that she has done will be spoken of for a memorial of her.

Oh Yeah?
Try to find that in the Gospel written by Luke!

Ok, I shouldn't be so quick to criticize.

Ya know what?
I think I'm cursed.

I'm cursed by the fact that my introduction to literature
consisted solely of Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes books.
That's all I read as a kid.
My mind grew up on these skepti-detective works,
and now that I think about it,
everything I read is with the same critical perspective,
I just can't help it.

When I am reading these beautiful accounts of love and sacrifice,
I am continously and consistently distracted by logical processing.

Sometimes I wish I could shut my mind off
and just enjoy a narrative for what it is
without judgement.

but I can't do it....

For example,

Mar 14:36 And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible to You.
Take away this cup from Me.
Yet not what I will, but what You will.
Mar 14:37 And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter,
Simon, do you sleep? Could you not watch one hour?

If the witnesses were asleep,
how do they know what Jesus prayed?

Mar 14:39 And again He went away and prayed and spoke the same words.
Mar 14:40 And when He returned, He found them asleep again
(for their eyes were heavy),
neither did they know what to answer Him.

And again I ask, how do they know he spoke the same words?

Ok, you will probably tell me they heard just that one part
before nodding off,
and I will be content to know that the important part "got heard" and recorded
just as it should have been,
and try not to wonder what else "got prayed" during that whole hour.

One hour is a whole lotta praying, was that just the first sentence?

Well, there is a lot more to this chapter,
but I'm off-kilter and I refuse to go on...

-=-=-

Jesus, I'm sorry.
I'm not doing myself or anyone any good by poking holes.
I can't pray for more than ten seconds without losing focus.

When I get there
and fall to my knees before you,
and feel ashamed of this type of arrogance,
please forgive me.