Today is Palm Sunday, the celebration of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, as the crowds waved palm branches. It also marks for us the beginning of holy week, Jesus’ last week on earth. And so we remember all that happened to him in his suffering, death and then resurrection.
Today we’re looking at something that happened just a few days after Palm Sunday. It’s the story of the woman who anoints Jesus with perfume.
Mark 14:3-9
3And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly – and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
4There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her.
6But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9And 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.”
Alright, let’s begin with –
The setting
3And while he was at Bethany . . .
Bethany was about two miles East of Jerusalem on the lower eastern slope of the Mt of Olives. This is where Jesus stayed at night, while he ministered in Jerusalem during the day (11:1-2). This particular evening Jesus was –
. . . in the house of Simon the leper
He’s called “the leper,” but he must have been cured for him to host such a gathering. Neither Jesus nor any of the other guests would have wanted to be unclean just before the Passover. This would exclude them from participation in it. Perhaps Simon was cured by Jesus, and this is how they knew each other.
Our verse goes on to say –
as he was reclining at table . . .
Jesus and all the others are eating a meal together laying down on cushions, with their heads near the table, as was the custom of the day. It seems a bit odd to us, but this was how you ate at a banquet or feast at this time.
This brings us to the central event of the story –
A woman anoints Jesus
. . . a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
Alabaster flasks were the preferred containers for perfume at this time. The flask itself would have been expensive. And it had in it “nard” or spikenard, which is an ointment made from a plant native to India, in the Himalayan regions. Mark tells us that it was “pure,” that is, of high quality. And he also tells us that it was “very costly.” V. 5 says that it was worth more than 300 denarii, which is about a year’s salary for a laborer. If we translate this into today’s minimum wage it would have been worth over $17,000. It was very costly!
This was likely an heirloom, something she had to support her in a time of need. Like a sizable savings account today. By breaking the flask, she holds nothing back. She gives it all for Jesus as a one-time gift. And the potent aroma must have filled the room.
Now, anointing the head of guests for a feast was a cultural custom at this time (Deuteronomy 28:40; Ruth 3:3; Psalm 23:5; 133:2; 141:5; Luke 7:46). But this is something more. She only does it for Jesus and her gift to him was extravagant in the extreme! (This story and the one about the widow in Mark 12, both about women giving extravagantly, bookend Jesus’ discourse on the temple’s destruction.)
If we ask, “Why did she do this?” her motive seems to be simply an act of devotion; an expression of her love for Jesus, for who he is and what he has done for her.
[It doesn’t appear that this is being viewed as an anointing to kingship for the Messiah. Perfume, not oil is used. And the word for anointing is different. This theme is not highlighted in the text – that this woman was the one who anointed the Christ to be king. And the indignant response of the others would seem too harsh if this is what they thought she was doing. Jesus also takes it in a different sense.] [This story is different than the one recorded in Luke 7.]
Next comes –
The reaction
4There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that?”
They were worked up. They were really angry! They were offended by what she was doing before their eyes. What a tremendous misuse of resources!
Why was it a waste?
“5For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.”
Giving alms was always encouraged, but especially on the eve of Passover. And they recognized the value of her perfume and how many people could have been helped, for instance to give widows and orphans food and shelter for many days.
[John tells us that it was Judas who said this and that he didn’t care for the poor. Judas may have been the most vocal one – he is also highlighted in Mark, being named in the next verses as agreeing to betray Jesus. But there is no need to think that the other disciples also didn’t protest (Matthew says it was Jesus’ disciples as a whole) or that some didn’t have a genuine concern for the poor.]
And they scolded her.
Or it can be translated, they censured her, or gave her a harsh reproof. What do you think you’re doing? Stop that!
Jesus’ response
6But Jesus said, “Leave her alone.”
They rebuked her, but Jesus rebukes them, stop criticizing her.
“Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.”
“A beautiful thing” is literally “a good work.” [Even if this phrase can refer to giving to the poor, the contrast in the story is not between Jesus the poor person and other poor people, but between Jesus and the poor.]
He recognizes that she has given him an extravagant expression of love. And this ought not be criticized. It is not a waste.
“7For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me.”
Here he addresses their concern for the poor. Jesus begins by quoting part of Deuteronomy 15:11 which days, “there will never cease to be poor in the land.” Now, this isn’t a dismissal of the poor or of the need to care for them. In fact, the verse in Deuteronomy goes on to say that since they will always be with you, “Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother and sister, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’”
And Jesus himself teaches that we are to give to the poor, for instance in Luke 12:33 he says, “sell your possessions and give to the needy.”
His point in our story is based on the fact that he will not be physically present with them for much longer. In other words –
- There is no limit on the time that you can show love to the poor by helping them, since there will always be some who are struggling financially.
- But there was a limited amount of time to show love to Jesus in person – “you will not always have me”
This is a unique situation. And she has taken full advantage of it. [Also in Mark 2 Jesus’ physical presence with them changes normal fasting routines – so that they can rejoice that he is with them. Here his physical presence trumps giving to the poor.]
“8She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.”
Jesus further defends her. Her act of devotion is not a waste. It is interpreted by Jesus in a very practical way, as a preparation for his body to be buried. This was the very kind of perfume that was used for the burial of bodies; and this was usually done by the women of the community.
So she gave even more than she knew. Her expression of love is seen by Jesus as a prophetic act – anticipating his going to the cross and dying, and so she is preparing him for this.
The phrase “she has done what she could” is literally “what she had, she did.” What she had, she gave in terms of expressing her love for Jesus.
[This story is placed between the plot to kill Jesus by the leaders, and Judas who agrees to help them. All of these verses then have to do with Jesus’ imminent death.]
“9And 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.”
Jesus looks forward to after his death and resurrection, to the mission of his disciples to spread the gospel throughout the world. And since the gospel will tell the story of his death, she is to be a part of that story.
This is an amazing statement! Even though in this story she is unnamed – what she did as an expression of love for Jesus is always to be remembered; in fact the story is to be told “in memory of her.”
What do we learn from this story?
Let me highlight two things for you –
First, it is often the lowly and unexpected one who gets it right when it comes to Jesus and the kingdom of God. And she is lowly in this story. Simply being a woman in this day would qualify her for this, although this would not be Jesus’ point of view. Even though John’s version of this story names her, Mark leaves her unnamed, perhaps to emphasize her lowly status.
But even though she is lowly, she is held up as the example. It was the woman in the room who got it right! And her deed will be remembered throughout the world. And that’s why we’re remembering her even today. The insiders, the guys, the ones with the status – which certainly included the 12 disciples, are not the example. They got it wrong.
And the theme of the women disciples of Jesus getting it right continues on through the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
- The 12 disciples fled or denied Jesus. But the women disciples were with Jesus at the cross (Mark 15:40-41)
- And after Jesus’ death the 12 were nowhere to be seen. But the women disciples tended to his body and then discover that Jesus is raised – and are the first to preach the gospel (Mark 16/Matthew 28).
So, if you have many years as a Christian, or many gifts, or a great calling, or a leadership role, or whatever status you might have – don’t be proud! You can still get it wrong. And those that seem to you least likely to get it right many times will.
Finally, her extravagant love for Jesus is a model for us. She shows us that it is appropriate to express our devotion to Jesus. Even if it’s not geared toward helping other people, it’s an expression of love for God, or here the Son of God. And this is never a waste. It is, rather, “a beautiful thing.”
Now, Jesus isn’t physically present with us so that we can do what she did. This was a unique situation. But we can still show love for Jesus by worshipping him, serving him and giving to the kingdom cause. We can still take advantage of the opportunities we have, just as she took advantage of the unique opportunity she had.
She also shows us that it’s appropriate to be extravagant in our expression of devotion to Jesus. She gave all she had. She broke the jar. She held nothing back. She poured it all out, all 17,000 dollars worth. And this is the appropriate response to Jesus because he gave all he had for us when he came to this earth and died on the cross. He held nothing back in his love for us and we should hold nothing back in expressing our love for him.
And if you say, “Well I don’t have much to give.” Learn from her. In v. 8 it says literally, “what she had, she did.” The extravagance is measured, not by what you don’t have, but by what you do have.
Let’s face it, nothing we give can match what Jesus gave for us. But God gives each of us something to offer. And we can give it generously and joyously to him. As you remember the woman in the story this week, receive the challenge to express your love for Jesus in an extravagant way.
The Literary Structure of Mark 14:3-9: Jesus is anointed at Bethany
A An unnamed woman’s actions: 3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
B Concern for the poor (why/for): 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.”
C Rebuke: And they scolded her.
C1 Rebuke: 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone.”
B1 Concern for the poor (why/for): “Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 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.
A1 An unnamed woman’s actions: 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 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.”
Christian teaching 