Is there anywhere in my life where I find myself looking around and trying to be critical, anywhere? Because if we do that we're missing a major kingdom principle, a major kingdom principle. When I do that am I disguising it under a disguise of spirituality? Maybe I'm just trying to help? [Laughs] Let me ask it this way. Do I need Jesus to set me free from my addiction to being right? Very good, someone admits it - either that or she's thinking about somebody else [laughter] which means she's doing exactly what I'm talking about. [Laughter] Now let me break this down historically to you. There are two different words - in both these stories there are two different words for anointing. The first one is [alafo 00.20.03] and the other one is [merizo 00.20.04]. Let me write those down - alafo and merizo, alright. Alafo and merizo. This one is the first one. It means a rubbing of the feet, and this one is the second one. It means a pouring on the head. In both instances Jesus says they're anointing Me for burial. Now what in the world's going on here? What in the world's going on here? In order to understand this you have to understand Passover lambs, because Jesus was the Passover lamb. Let me explain some history behind this.
Passover lambs had gone through two anointings; the first one is this. Passover lambs were chosen six days in advance so that they could be brought in and inspected for five days, so Passover lambs were chosen six days in advance so they could be brought in and inspected for five days. They were anointed on their feet at this time to proclaim that they were inspected and free from blemish on the feet and the ankles, because lambs would get scratched up from the rockiness so when they found a lamb the first place they would check for blemishes is the feet and the ankles. Most of them were disqualified right then, and once they were declared six days beforehand they said oh, these feet and ankles are clean, they would take anointing oil and they would rub their feet and their ankles with it to say these can be now inspected for five days. Now five is very significant. It's the number of divine strength in the midst of human weakness. In Hebrew five is the number of divine strength in the midst of human weakness. It represents favour, acts of loving kindness that perfects us by Jesus' help in our weakness.
The number four speaks of man's weakness. The addition of one to four is the addition of Yahweh's strength and power to overcome our weakness, for instance the Torah contains five books, the sum acts of His loving kindness to create the world and establish His ways in man. Abraham's name was originally four letters. When it was changed the letter 'h' was added and it became five letters. David took five smooth stones. The ministry of the elders in the church is a five-fold ministry. Israel departed Egypt in military ranks of five. Five days passed between the triumphal entry of Jesus and Passover day when He was crucified. During that five day period of loving kindness and our heavenly Father was revealed in the preparation of the Son to be the Passover lamb, no greater love than for something to lay down His life for something else. See the number five was very significant, so the Passover lambs were brought in, chosen six days before in order to be inspected for five.
When they were chosen six days before the only thing that was inspected was their feet and - well they have four feet so the feet and the ankles, so what they would do is they would anoint their feet and ankles with this oil that would say they had been now marked. So in six days before the Passover Jesus is at someone's house and they anoint Him for burial by doing what? Rubbing pure nard on His feet and ankles, on His feet and ankles. That was the first anointing. Now the second anointing happens two days before Passover. They were anointed a second time on their head to announce that they were free from disease or blemish, so the second time they were anointed on their head; first time on their feet six days before. There was a period of inspection, and then the second anointing was on their head, [note that 00.24.00] Jesus is the Passover lamb. So what happened to Him? He was anointed first on His feet and then later He was anointed on His head. The second anointing said no, they've been inspected again and they are free from blemish, free of blemish.