"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? (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."
Some have thought, that this woman, is the same that is spoken of in Luke 7:37. And others have thought, that it was Mary, the sister of Lazarus. John 12:3. But I am too intent, at present, to make any enquiry here, Who it was it is the person of Jesus, who alone demands our attention, while following him in those solemn moments. Reader! mark what your Redeemer saith; the pouring this ointment on his body, was in token of his burial. Yes! it was to this death of Jesus, everything referred. The moment the Son of God became incarnate, and openly came forward as the Head and Surety of his Church, the curse pronounced fall, seized on man's seized on him as the Sponsor.
Reader! I hope you have not forgotten the awful contents of it. The ground was first cursed for man's sake. The nature of man was doomed to sorrow and labor, in consequence thereof. In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. And death, was to close the scene. Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Genesis 3:17-19. Hence therefore, the whole of this awful sentence attached itself to Christ, when he freely offered himself the redeemer of his Church and people. And what I beg the Reader particularly to notice, and indeed, to us so highly concerned in the blessedness of redemption by Christ, becomes more important than any other view of the subject, is, that the curse in all its aggravated circumstances lighting upon Christ, was wholly, in that he stood forth at the call of his Father, as our surety. The Son of God taking our nature, would not have subjected him to this curse, had he not volunteered to be our surety. Great indeed was the grace, in the Son of God to become man. But this might have been done, and the same infinitely glorious person he would have been, as he now is, had he never undertaken our redemption. But when he stood up at the call of God our surety, he became responsible, while we who were the principals in the debt were made free; Christ our surety took the whole upon himself, and the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6.