More Precious Than Perfume

For $215,000, you can buy the world’s most expensive perfume. That money will buy a 16.9-ounce bottle of Clive Christian’s Imperial Majesty. With only 10 bottles of Imperial Majesty in the world, it’s not the perfume itself that makes it so expensive—though even the perfume alone at $2,150 an ounce would be more expensive than any other. Instead, what makes Clive Christian’s perfume so outrageously expensive is its bottle. The 16.9 ounces of perfume is poured into a Baccarat crystal bottle, complete with a five-carat diamond mounted onto an 18-carat gold collar.

Talk about an expensive Mother’s Day gift!

Mark 14 tells of another tale of expensive perfume. While Jesus dined in Bethany at Simon the leper’s house a few days before His crucifixion, the dinner party was interrupted by the smell of a distinguished fragrance. Looking all around the room in search of the scent’s origin, everyone’s eyes settled upon a sinful woman who was washing Jesus’ feet with the ointment. It didn’t take long for Judas to rally the other disciples in protest of the woman’s supposed wastefulness. After all, Judas exclaims, the perfume might have been sold for more than 300 denarii (a year’s worth of wages) and given to the poor.

But much to the audience’s utter surprise, Jesus commanded everyone to leave her alone, for “she has done a good work for Me” (Mark 14:6). Why the positive response from Jesus—who was ever concerned about the poor? Because the costly ointment being poured out was a picture of His precious, priceless blood that He was about to pour out for the entire world.

Key Bible Texts

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:18-19 KJV)