May 13

“Thy name is as ointment poured forth; therefore do the virgins love thee.” Song of Songs 1:3

The Lord Jesus is himself the Anointed One, the Christ. Like sweet and fragrant anointing oil, the Holy Spirit makes known to both God and men the beauties of his holy life. The fact, however, that the sweet ointment of his precious name is spoken of as being poured forth makes us think immediately of our Lord’s death. At his Table we do more than remember that death: we proclaim it (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Our remembrance includes that death but goes beyond it to the Lord himself, for he said, “This do in remembrance of me.” Most of us will agree that nothing is more stimulating to memory than some specific scent—the smell of a hayfield perhaps—associated with a moving experience of the past. So it is that we think gratefully not only of what he has done, but of his Person. The virgins do not merely love mercies and benefits: they love the Person whose name has become so sweet to them.