Mark 14:3-9, Jesus Anointed at Bethany

[Mark provides an interlude. All four gospels have a story of a woman anointing Jesus. Matthew, Mark, and John all place it in Bethany, although John has his story before Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Luke (7:36-50), however, differs so much in setting and content, that it may be an earlier incident that ended up being aborted.]

³ And while he was at Bethany [where he retreated nightly since arriving in Jerusalem] in the house of Simon the leper [perhaps a man he previously healed and possibly the father of Mary and Martha?], as he was reclining at table, a woman [who John identifies as Mary] came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. [John says Mary anointed his feet. Nard was imported from India and used to anoint the dead. By pouring it on his head, she acknowledged Jesus as the Anointed One (Messiah).] ⁴ There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? [Only John identifies the indignant one as Judas.] ⁵ For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. ⁶ But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. [As he did with the poor widow’s offering, Jesus graciously accepts the anointing as priceless.] ⁷ For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. [Is Jesus identifying the hypocrisy of others who say one thing but do not act as they speak?] ⁸ She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. [Jesus tells us what this act actually means.] ⁹ And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” [This woman is kept anonymous because anointing him would make her complicit in Jesus’ politically subversive claim to messianic kingship. Many eyewitnesses are kept anonymous for this reason.]