The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-07-22
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Duties Taught By Study OF the Inter
national Sunday School Lesson Appointed 10
lus. l. ST John. 10 :1-f6.

AUG. Il. ST. JOhn, IL: l-lb-
Zone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
indicated above.l
Ourstudy is the account OF the amounting ofour
Savior by Mary, sister of Lazarus and Martha
(11:2.) The event occurred on Sunday, March
13, A. ID. %. The word supper tY. p shows it
was in the evening One should read the ac-
counts as given by St. Matthew (26 6-13) and
st. Mark 1880. The amounting took place
at Bethany, little village about two miles east
of Jerusalem.
dead Lazarus, the brother Of Mary. That was
in January, or pot many weeks before our lesson.
The act of Mary was an expression not only
of general regard for our Savior but of special
gratitude to him for restoring to life her brother.
We get an insight into the home Of Bethany.
We gain an idea Of the tender relations among
the members of the family. We see how much
the sister loved the brother.
The supper O.: ~ was given by Simon. Mt.
26:6.) He had been leper but Christ had
cured him. 1t was out of gratitude TO Christ
that Simon prepared the entertainment. Very
little is known as to the relations of Simon.
Doubtless he had suffered from leprosy, that
most lOathsome disease. He had likely been
afflicted for years, aud no remedy could be
found till Jesus removed the malady. Simon
was grateful for the marvellous cure So when
wished to manifest his thankfulness by enter
tanning Christ and his friends That il might
be yet more agreeable for Christ, Simon invited
the II Disciples and also Lazarus and his sisters,
just as when we give to certain one an enter
tainment We invite also some of his special
friends.
We must keep in mind the attitude Of eating
as practieed by the Jews. Ii was rather re-
Ginning on couches or divans than sitting.
Hence the convenience with which Mary could
anoint Christ, as specified in the accounts.
She brought with her to the feast for the
purpose an alabaster box OF ointment Matt.
20: ~ Alabaster is a sort of stone or MARBLE
white, smooth, pellucid, easily worked into any
desired shape-a variety of gypsum used by
ancients in making vials, TASKS, vases, cruises
Layard found among the ruins of Nineveh
white alabaster vases for holding ointments,
cosmetics, etc. Sometimes there are shades of
yellow, red, gray alabaster. When plaster of
paris is variegated, or Of fine white appearance,
it is called alabaster Articles made Of it ap-
pear as of glass People in early days preserved
in alabaster vessels their odoriferous liquids
perfumes and ointments. By box F" we are to
understand flask or vase. This was probably
Theoretically sealed, necessitating its being
broken in order to obtain the ointment or per-
fume. MARX, 14:3.) The vase contained one
pound ofointment. (St. John, 81 The orig
ginal word for pound is libra, and equals about
IL ounces. The ointment was Of spikenard,
commonly called nard. The Arabs call it spike
1t grows in Asia Minor. Classic writers speak
OF it as found along the banks Of the Ganges.
At Bhotan and Nepaul, on the Himalaya Noun
tains, travellers find the plant from which the
perfume is extracted. 1t is believed 10 CORE
spond to the jatamsnsee shrub Astounding in
India. The odor, though not very agreeable TO
US, was much valued by the aneients. Horace
proposed to guest of his that he bring to him
a small box of spikenard, and offered in ex-
change to give him a cask of wine. The per-
fume was styled an ointment. This was q
common name for any aromatic balsam distill-
ing naturally from tree or shrub or plant
The name was specially applied to myrrh. The
ointment used by Mary was liquid, since she
poured it out from the vase. The art of per-
fumery is very ancient. Its date in France is
too early for recognition. 1t was common in
England in the days of Elizabeth. In 1860 Paris
had 80 manufactures of various perfumes and
London 40 Mary's alabaster box or vase con-
tanning about three-fourths of pound Of liquid
ointment, was probably of a size to contain
reason for holding that Mary did not break the
vase, but simply the seal over the top. It was
not necessary TO destroy the flask to get the
contents, since the ointment was a liquid.
Then the account says Mary poured out the
perfume after the breakage, and hence only the
top was broken if any part was injured. But
why break SO beautiful and valuable vial as
that must have been? A bottle is in a sense
broken as to the top aperture when the seal is
torn OF. 1t was the custom 70 seal such per-
fumes, and as easy way to get the continent as
any was TO remove the seal. But yet the Ian
guage of st. Mark (14:3.) is very plain. OF
course, however, since the contents were LIQUID
great care would have TO be taken to break OF
only the top. 1t is something in favor of the
Nkxwez l.. L.. II l.
Der what danger would attend the breakage of
the top Of q vessel holdings liquid The very
long necks of ancient vases would, however,
lessen the danger Of effort to break off only the
top.
The ointment was very rich, and hence costly.
Judas suggested it could have been sold for 300
pence st. John 12: 81, St. Matt (26:9l saws
sold for much, and st. Mark (14:5) for more
than 300 pence. The original for pence is
denary, which was Roman coin (silver) valued
at 10 cents, and hence 300 would equal $45 In
getting at the real value we should consider
the difference In the wages now and then paid
In those days man secured only one penny q
day. So the price of Mary's ointment was
equivalent TO the pay for 300 DAYS of labor.
Calculating wages now at 81 day and the
ointment would be worth 5000 Matt. 20 2
implies workman in New Testament times
received one penny for days labor 1t is clear
the ointment was precious. harvestman
would have had to work nearly a year of DAYS
to obtain it. Haymakers in England, 1852,
were paid penny day. Judas did not prob
ably state the exact value of the ointment
His was only rough estimate, or possibly he
uttered simply common saying TO show that
something very valuable and precious was being
considered.
In Cartersville Barlow Co., Ga, arc located
the Judd Alabaster Works. The kiln turns out
about 25O barrels day. The quality is very
fine.
The Egyptians excelled in the manufacture
of perfumes. In the museum at Alnwick one
Is shown an alabaster vase still retaining a
powerful odor, though il must be two to three
thousand years old.
1t is said some OF Mary's amounting ointment
was left, and it is now shown in a room of the
Kremlin at Moscow.
We are not to confound the amounting of
Jesus by Mary, the sister of Lazarus, with the
amounting of Christ by Mary Magdalene. luke,
z: $500
Though Mary's object in amounting our Savior
was to express her love, he, through his omnis-
cience, saw another great purpose realized by
the act, TO wit, the preparation thus of his body
for burial. He was then on his way to the
cross. John, 10: 80; Nix, 16: Lu., 2i:1)
Christ gave the act of Mary beautiful turn.
| The Talmud says so pounds of spices were used
at the funeral of Rabbi Gamalel Josephus
| declares 500 servants were in the funeral pro-
cession Of Herod as spice-bearers. Amounting
| was used on various occasions Il. g., at ordi-
nations LEV, 8 l2); at inauguratfons Il Sa.,
10: l; XII, 10: l6); in hospitality Lu., z :46)
| for burial honor e Chron., 10: Is, 14.J Says
| Wilkinson:
/ in every party at the house Of a friend; and in
| Egypt, no less than In Judea the metaphorical