The Three Anointings of Jesus

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

The Three Anointings of Jesus

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

Sometimes we Christians read the Bible rather quickly and superficially. We see similar recordings of events in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and just assume they are speaking of the same event. This is not always true. Unfortunately, some academic or intellectually oriented theologians see such differences in different gospels, assume they speak of the same event, and therefore declare that Scripture is contradictory or (worse) written only by fallible men. Instead of wondering why there should be three anointings, the wonder should be that there were only three.

The First Anointing

The first anointing of Jesus is found in the Gospel according to Luke. This event occurred toward the beginning of Jesus' ministry on earth. 

36 And one of the Pharisees desired Him that He would eat with him. And He went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.

37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

38 And stood at His feet behind Him weeping, and began to wash His feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Luke 7:36-38

Note that an unnamed woman, who was a sinner, anointed the feet of Jesus. This event appears to be associated with the initial salvation experience or being born again. The woman appears to have recognized her sinful condition and believed that somehow Jesus could help her to relieve her feelings of guilt. When she was weeping, and washed His feet with tears, and wiped them with her hair, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with ointment, she was hoping for mercy and forgiveness. She was repentant of her sins. She received exactly what she was hoping for! We believe that the unnamed woman is prophetic of the Church, just prior to the members being born again. The unnamed woman represents "whosoever will." 

47 Wherefore I [Jesus] say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

48 And He said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

49 And they that sat at meat with Him began to say within themselves, Who is This That forgiveth sins also?

50 And He said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. Luke 7:47-50

In John 12 and Matthew 26, below, a superficial examination will readily reveal that they are two separate events... two anointings during the last seven days before Calvary. We counted at least ten differences between the passages in John 12 and Matthew 26. Therefore, there can be no doubt that, during the last seven days of Christ on earth before Calvary, the Lord was anointed on two separate occasions. The verse in John 11:2, below, rather than being a separate, fourth anointing, seems to be an explanatory statement, anticipating what was to come in John 12.

1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) John 11:1-2

The Poor You Always Have With You, but Me You Have Not Always

Although there are at least ten differences in our two main passages in John and Matthew, it is rather interesting that we can find only one verse in the two passages which is the same! namely, when Jesus said,

"The poor you always have with you, but Me you have not always." 

To help the poor (which means destitute and in want) was something that could be done any time. To show the heart's devotion to Jesus had to be done before the Cross at Calvary. Perhaps most of us could say, "Oh, how I wish I had said this or done that to some one; but now it is too late!" Some times we have to carpe diem, or seize the day, or else the opportunity may never again present itself.

For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land. Deuteronomy 15:11

Under the Old Covenant, the tithe was part of the law (Leviticus 27:30 and numerous other Scriptures). Under the New Covenant, the tithe and the Levitical priesthood are no longer a law; rather, 

44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. Acts 2:44-45

Note that the basis for giving under the New Covenant is "need," not position or ministry. That basis fulfills the spirit behind Deuteronomy 15:11.

The Significance of Matthew 26:13

Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. Matthew 26:13

When is the last time you heard someone preach about what the woman had done (i.e., to pour the precious ointment on the head of Jesus)? Let us re-phrase that question. Have you ever heard anyone preach on that event? We have not heard such a message preached. So why is "what the woman did" not told? Only the Lord knows why. We can think of only two possible reasons: (1) preachers just do not know what Jesus meant (we could call that ignorance or at least a lack of understanding); or (2) a lack of preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. The gospel of being born again and going to heaven is frequently preached. How often is the kingdom of God preached? Perhaps the better reason is because the enemy wants to keep us in the dark by any means possible.

We must remember that "this gospel" is the gospel of the kingdom of God. That is what John the Baptist preached; that is what Jesus preached; that is what Paul preached. We have described, in a different word and from a multitude of scriptures, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, the difference between being born again, the Church, and going to heaven one day on the one hand as compared to the kingdom of God on the other hand. The Bible, from Genesis through Revelation speaks of the kingdom of God. Have you ever considered that John the Baptist and Jesus both came preaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," before Calvary?

Let us review what the unnamed woman did. "There came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head, as He sat at meat." This is the only Verse in the Bible where someone poured precious ointment on the head of Jesus. In Matthew 26:12, Jesus said, "For in that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial." But surely there is more than this natural-level, easy to understand reason. What is the prophetic significance for us? Obviously, none of us can pour precious ointment on the head of Jesus in the natural realm.

9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.

10 When Jesus understood it, He said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon Me.

11 For ye have the poor always with you; but Me ye have not always.

12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial.

13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. Matthew 26:1-13

Note: The account in Mark 14 is the same account as in Matthew 26, above.

Why This Waste?

There are times when the common sense view of things fail. On this occasion the voice of common sense said, "Why this waste?" But there is a huge difference between the economics of common sense and the economics of love as led by the Holy Spirit. A gift is never really a sacrifice when we can easily afford it; a gift becomes more precious when there is a sacrifice behind it, and when we give far more than we can afford. We have read that the precious ointment that was poured on the head of Jesus by the unnamed woman in Matthew 26 represented nearly a whole year's wages, or as much money as it would take to feed a crowd of 5,000 people. 

41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

43 And He called unto Him His disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Mark 12:41-44

Many years ago, I heard a rather mature man of God voice the exact same comment of, "Why this waste?" and under the exact same conditions. Moreover, I am intimately familiar with a group of elders of a charismatic church many years ago who talked for one hour about whether or not their church should continue to pay an Assembly of God church a small fee in order to maintain an IRS legal status of a "church." That way, all contributions to that charismatic church would be "tax deductible." The argument was raised that if that church maintained their tax-exempt status, when church "members" gave their tithes and offerings through the church, then the tax deductions would mean that more money would be available to promote the gospel.

Further, another reasoning was that people will not give as much money if their tithes and offerings are not tax deductible. The principle is exactly the same as, "Why this waste?" Despite the objections of one man (who asked what all of that had to do with furthering the kingdom of God on earth), common sense and the logical reasoning of the natural, carnal mind prevailed.

Note that in John 12:5, Judas Iscariot was the disciple who first voiced that question, "Why this waste?" Then in Matthew 26:8 the disciples voiced that same question. Undoubtedly the disciples, who had no understanding at the time, must have said, "Well Judas is one of us and he called it a waste to pour the expensive ointment on the feet of Jesus. That makes a lot of sense to us also."

Conclusion? The kingdom of God and the legal IRS tax-deductions to a worldly government have nothing in common. Oil and water do not mix. Jesus said to, 

"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and render unto God the things that are God's" (Mark 12:17). 

But we as believers should never try to mix the two. In Mark 12:17, the end of that verse is, "And they marveled at Him." Why did they marvel at what Jesus said about paying tribute to Caesar? because to them (the Pharisees) it made no common sense.

The Second Anointing 

1 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom He raised from the dead.

2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with Him.

3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray Him,

5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of My burying hath she kept this.

8 For the poor always ye have with you; but Me ye have not always. John 12:1-8

The Significance of John 12:1-8

In this anointing we are clearly told that Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, anointed the feet of Jesus (not His head). Martha was always serving others; she was a "doer." Mary is the sister who always sat at Jesus' feet (Luke 10:39), but Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus. We all know that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead; but later he died again. Jesus said to Martha,

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:42

Jesus loved all three ... Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. All three are types of different believers; all three represent three levels of believers in the Church age. Someone has to serve other believers. Martha represents a believer, one who is born again, and who ministers to the house (Ezekiel 44). However our primary responsibility is to minister to the Lord Himself. That is what Mary did. Mary represents a disciple, who follows Jesus. Lazarus (whose name means the same as Eleazar), which means "God has helped," was the friend of Jesus, was loved by Him, and Jesus wept at his grave. We never hear of Lazarus in the New Testament until the appointed time comes when he is to be sick, then to die, and then to be raised from the dead for the glory of God. The resurrection of Lazarus threatened the life of Jesus as well as his own life. In John 12:10, the chief priests sought to kill Lazarus. The Sadducees during that time did not believe in any resurrection. The voice of Lazarus is never heard; the word never records that he said anything for he sought obscurity; he never tried to make a name for himself. In many ways, therefore, Lazarus is a type of Jesus. As such, he represents the overcomer, for Jesus was/is the first and greatest Overcomer.

The Third Anointing 

1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, He said unto His disciples,

2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. 

3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill Him.

5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

7 There came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head, as He sat at meat.

8 But when His disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? Matthew 26:1-8

We share here what we believe the Holy Spirit has quickened to us. Like a good friend of ours has said a number of times, if we were to say, "this is what the Holy Spirit said," then that leaves no possibility for error. So we present this for your consideration. Let the Holy Spirit witness to you as He wills. In order to understand what Jesus said, let us look at the Old Covenant uses of anointing.

The Significance of the Anointing Under the Old Covenant

Under the Old Covenant, there were two major usages of the anointing oil. The first was to anoint Aaron as the (first) high priest among men, and then to anoint his successors. The Lord told Moses, 

Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him [Aaron]. Exodus 29:7

And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's office. Exodus 30:30

Note that the primary purpose of the priests was to minister unto the Lord, not to the people. The second usage of the holy anointing oil was to anoint someone as king.

Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his [Saul's] head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over His inheritance? 1 Samuel 10:1

Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him [David] in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 1 Samuel 16:13

I have found David My servant; with My holy oil have I anointed him: Psalm 89:20

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him. Acts 10:38

Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows. Hebrews 1:9

Prophetically, the unnamed woman in Matthew 26 speaks of a remnant, or overcomers. A friend of ours once described it as a church within a church. That statement has definite scriptural support. The fact that the woman is not named signifies that the remnant that the Lord is bringing forth is a group of "nobodies." That remnant fully recognizes the Lord Jesus Christ as our great High Priest after the order of Melchisedec. That recognition goes beyond a doctrinal agreement; it exceeds natural, logical reasoning; it exceeds theology; it is a word that has become flesh. So it was with the unnamed woman.

In like manner, that remnant woman fully recognizes, in the very depths of her (their) being, that the Lord Jesus Christ has been anointed as King of kings and Lord of lords. She gladly gave up (gives up) perhaps all of her sustenance in order to bless the Lord. Every kingdom must have a king. And every kingdom must have subjects within that kingdom. Everyone in the kingdom of God does the will of God. He is supreme. It is a matter of the heart, which willingly pours out everything that we are and everything that we "have" upon the Head, the Lord Himself. It is agreement and identification with the Lord Jesus in all points. It is not my will but Thy will be done. It means we cast our crowns down before Him. (A crown is what we have become in Christ.) It is no longer us, but Christ, and Him alone. That is the attitude, the mindset that the unnamed woman demonstrated. That is likewise the attitude and mindset of the remnant, the overcomers. That is the attitude and mindset that the Lord waits to see developed within His chosen ones by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ in you, the hope of glory! Amen!