“Fragrance” | Reflection by the Rev. Luk De Volder

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” (John 12:3) How sweet the scent of love, how captivating the fragrance of the beloved. Maybe you are not a romantic, and maybe the Bible doesn’t strike us as a love story, but if you visit to the Song of Solomon there is little doubt that Scripture does embrace the story of love and passion and connection, to celebrate the love between two lovers and/or the love between God and humanity. At regular intervals, the Gospels pick up refrains of this love song to highlight how Jesus’ words and actions were steeped in the same energy of love and passion. 

In John 12:3, for example, we find Mary as she takes her exquisite nard out of her cupboard to apply it to Jesus body.  Her action is a direct reference to the opening lines of the Book of Song of Songs: “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is more delightful than wine. Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out.” Her very explicit gesture leaves no confusion about the character of Jesus’ intervention in the drama of humanity. She spared no cost to invest in her revelatory gesture that honors Jesus’ personality and energy of love. 

Her scented invitation to bring our own drama in connection with God’s love taps into a register that isn’t necessarily comforting right away. The fragrance is bringing us into dimension of the compassionate and intimate connection, one we are not used to associate with the divine. This revelatory moment, however, is crucial: when Mary pours the perfume on Jesus, she emphasizes how Christ is moving religion away from any understanding of the divine that is violent, that is defined by dominion, that is arbitrary or in any way satisfied by immolations. The reference to the Song of Songs moves our understanding of the divine to the realm of loving encounter, vulnerable intimacy, merciful compassion, and human maturation. To honor this aspect of our faith tradition our church will use lavender (nard is still expensive) during the Palm Sunday service, remembering Mary’s expressive gesture.