Liz Taylor transitions
Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor, who was a very close friend of Michael Joseph Jackson, transitioned last week at age 79. “Gorgeous Liz Taylor last performed as an actress approximately 10 years ago,” says one Internet source, “but she created a line of fragrances that will leave her scent lingering for many, many years to come.” Have many savored her scents? “White Diamonds is one of her signature scents that is still a best seller, and together with her other brands Passion and Passion for Men, in 2010, brought in about $69 million retail, globally.”
Among the stellar parts she played Liz Taylor is notably famous for her role as Egyptian queen Cleopatra in a movie bearing that name (Cleopatra, 1963). Intriguingly, Ms. Taylor represents the nexus of “perfume,” “Egypt,” and the most famous “king” in history. Two different women-considerably more popular than Ms. Taylor–purchased Egyptian perfume and used it on the King far greater and infinitely more important than the King of Pop. (Lu 11:31) This King is Jesus Christ.
Soothing Tears: Early in his earthly ministry Jesus visited a Pharisee. “Now a certain one of the Pharisees kept asking [Jesus] to dine with him. Accordingly he entered into the house of the Pharisee and reclined at the table. And, look! a woman who was known in the city to be a sinner learned that he was reclining at a meal in the house of the Pharisee, and she brought an alabaster case of perfumed oil, and, taking a position behind at his feet, she wept and started to wet his feet with her tears and she would wipe them off with the hair of her head. Also, she tenderly kissed his feet and greased them with the perfumed oil.”–Lu 7:36-38, NWT.
Although all major Bible translations accurately state that the weeping woman approached Jesus with “an alabaster case of perfumed oil,” the African origin of the exotic product is not readily discernible. The Bible encyclopedia Insight on the Scriptures notes that alabaster is the “name of small perfume vaselike vessels originally made of a stone found near Alabastron, Egypt.” It was much more expensive than Liz Taylor’s line as just a small amount was roughly equivalent to a year’s wage of a common laborer!
Perfumed Oil: Near the end of his earthly ministry Jesus visited Bethany, the hometown of his close friends Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus. This “certain village” was “about two miles” from Jerusalem en route to Jericho. (Lu 10:38; Jo 11:1, 2, 5, 18, New World Translation) In fact, Jesus was “in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper when a woman [Mary] approached him as he was laying stretched out in a relaxed position at the table. She had costly perfumed oil with her, held in a small expensive stone jar imported from Alabastron, Egypt, in Africa. She began pouring it upon his head. Upon catching sight of this the disciples became incensed and said: ‘What a waste! This could’ve been sold for a lot of money to help poor people.’
“Aware of this, Jesus said to them: ‘Why are you guys giving this woman a hard time? Her action toward me was a good thing. Poor people will always be around for you to assist. This is not so with me. Understand that when this woman applied perfumed oil upon my body, which is stretched out here and now, she was preparing for when it’s stretched out for burial in the future. You can believe what I’m about to say as if it’s already happened, Wherever this good news is preached in all the world, the story of what this woman did will be memorialized along with it.'”–Matt 26:6-13, Carr’s Christian Bible.
Both the weeping woman at “the house of the Pharisee” (Lu 7:36) and Mary of Bethany at “the house of Simon the leper” (Matt 26:6) used African oil on Jesus. In the first scenario the Pharisee quietly denounced both Jesus and the woman to himself (Lu 7:39), while in the second situation “the disciples became incensed” at Mary (Matt 26:8), further validating that these were two separate events.
Conclusion: Michael loved the fragrant smell of Bible prophecy; a forecasting which has been described as history written in advance. He also recognized that Jehovah savors true worship as “a sweet-smelling odor.” (Eph 5:1, NWT; Php 4:18; 2 Co 2:15) Peace, blessings, and sweet scents to all of you. Amen.
