The Smell of Holy Week

“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


I don’t think a lot about smells, until I smell something.

This morning I went into a house where muffins were just baked. Bananas and chocolate chips wafted through the air and brought comfort and sweetness.

On my street, tar is being placed to reinforce certain spots. The smell is heavy dissonance and when I’m outside, I feel I am standing in that place between spots of contentment, wishing the workers would finish soon.

Scooby, my Puggle, needs a bath and a few thousand mints. I don’t let him too close to me today, but I love him snuggling against my leg anyway.



Jesus’s last week before the cross included a few moments of a luxurious smell. Mary of Bethany came to the place he was staying and washed his feet with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

I bet He loved that scent. It came from love and adoration, pure and complete. Can you imagine him taking it in, sniffing in the dedication of a woman’s heart?

This week is a wonderful week to make our worship a sweet fragrance for Christ. Use your imagination and see the Father breathing in deeply the worship of those who adore Him. What a cool picture.

So how does that happen? For me, to create that perfume for Christ is to purposefully create moments of pure adoration every day. When I walk, I see the trees of my neighborhood and tell my Lord what a tremendous Creator He is. I ate red grapes this morning (they’re on sale at the Sunflower Market) and instead of just popping one after the other, I took a moment to taste the juiciness and the sweetness. Then I told God He really is a Master Chef. Last night I went to my nephew’s birthday party. Three families gathered to eat and play games and celebrate Hunter. I laughed so much. After, I told God that the beauty of the laughter was a gift He gave me. And it wasn’t even my birthday. :0)

In recognizing the gifts God’s given me, be it trees, grapes or laughter, I worship and it emits a sweet smell that wafts its way to the Christ’s nose. He smiles.

Let’s honor Jesus this holy week by taking our own worship and pouring it out for the Father to smell and enjoy.