Everything!

Matthew 26:12–13 & Mark 16:1, 6 — “In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial… Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” … “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.”

Scripture presents us with a breathtaking contrast: two moments of deep devotion, two sets of women, and two attempts to anoint the body of Jesus Christ for burial. Yet only one actually succeeded.

The women at the empty tomb brought costly spices with hearts full of grief and love, but they walked away with unused oil in their hands. Why? Because true kingdom impact is not just about doing the right thing—it is about doing it at the exact moment the Holy Spirit speaks.

1. Keep in Step with the Spirit

The women who rushed to the tomb on Sunday morning woke up before sunrise, spent their resources on spices, and braved the terrifying darkness to honor Jesus. Their love was undeniable, but their timing was late. They arrived trying to embalm a resurrection! They were attempting to apply burial spices to the King of Life who had already conquered the grave.

By contrast, the woman in Bethany did not wait for the funeral. Moved by a prophetic pulse, she anointed Him before the suffering began. Good intentions and traditional religious routines will always miss the miracle if we do not keep in step with the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit prompts you to speak, to give, or to surrender, timing is everything. Do not wait until the moment has passed to pour out what He is asking for today.

2. Give Him Everything

When the woman at Bethany approached Jesus, she did not unscrew the lid and carefully measure out a reasonable, polite portion. She broke the alabaster neck of the flask. She shattered the vessel so it could never be resealed, pouring out everything she had onto His head and body.

Instantly, the disciples were indignant. Practical, calculating religious minds called her worship a “waste.” Why? Because true, spirit-led surrender will always look like reckless foolishness to those who do not understand the infinite worth of the King. When you step into the flow of the Spirit, you stop calculating costs, you stop saving a backup plan, and you hold nothing back. You give Him everything.

3. A Fragrance for the Cross

Jesus defended her extravagant act with a stunning revelation: “She has done it to prepare me for burial.” Consider the profound physical reality of what she did. Pure spikenard oil is thick, intensely aromatic, and clings deeply to skin and hair. It does not wash away easily.

This means that over the next forty-eight hours, the fragrance of that oil would have lingered on Jesus’ body as He went to the cross and gave His life. As He prayed in the agony of Gethsemane, as He stood mocked before Pilate, as He was flogged by Roman whips and hung to bleed on Calvary—through the sweat, the spit, and the blood, Jesus could still smell the sweet aroma of her extravagant devotion. Her timely, spirit-led worship ministered to the physical senses of the Son of God during His darkest hour of suffering.

Stop holding onto your alabaster box, waiting for a more logical, convenient time to pour it out. Do not carry your spices to an empty tomb of missed opportunities because you hesitated when God called. Listen for the whisper of heaven, keep in step with the Spirit, break the vessel of your own control, and pour out everything at His feet today. Let your surrender become a lingering fragrance that honors the King and echoes for eternity.