Introduction: This story takes place in Bethany, near Jerusalem, just a few days before Passover. The Lord Jesus Christ spent some time in Bethany before He made His last journey to Jerusalem to die for our sins and rise from the dead for our salvation. During one of His last meals with friends, something very unusual happened. An unknown woman came to where the Lord was eating with others, broke open a vial of very precious ointment then poured it over His head. She meant this as an act of love, but just as it was recorded in John 12, there were others who grumbled at what she did. The Lord commended her, though, and promised nobody would ever forget what she did for Him.
1 The setting: Jerusalem, two days before Passover
Text, Mark 14:1-2, KJV: 1 After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. 2 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
In the context, Jesus had already had at least one supper with His friends in Bethany, near Jerusalem, two days before this supper. John said (John 12:1) that there were six days before the Passover when He came to Bethany. Other details are in the first 8 verses of John 12.
We shouldn’t be surprised that the chief priests and scribes wanted to have Jesus put to death. They had had any number of conflicts with Jesus during His earthly ministry (see John 8:3, Matthew 9:3, 16:21 and just recently 20:18 to name a few) and this plot of theirs demonstrates how much they hated Him. Why else would they want to kill Him?
Fortunately the Lord and the disciples were in Bethany, close to Jerusalem but far enough away so that if anyone came to arrest the Lord (or worse), He could have—humanly speaking—taken action and gone somewhere else had the Father willed it. But He didn’t, because it was not time, just yet, for Him to lay down His life.
He still had a couple of days before He took His final journey to Jerusalem. And during one of those evenings, He was a guest at a supper given in His honor.
2 The supper: Bethany, at Simon’s house
Text, Mark 14:3, KJV: 3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
Who this Simon was is never specified, except that he had been a leper. He could have been a leper Jesus had healed (Matthew 8:1-4); or, he could have had one of the various skin diseases mentioned in Leviticus 13 and had been cleansed according to the directions in Leviticus 14. If Simon had still been a leper, he couldn’t have been in the house with anybody according to Lev. 13:46—he would have had to live alone. One other opinion is that this house “was (past tense)” Simon’s but he didn’t live there at the time. Regardless, the house was large enough for the Lord and the disciples to enjoy a meal together.
Several commentators believe this story is simply Mark’s version of what John recorded in John 12. They observed that the suppers took place in Bethany, that a woman anointed the Lord’s body with expensive ointment, and that at least one disciple grumbled about the price and how it was basically wasted—the ointment could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Let each person be fully persuaded in his or her own mind.
The main things to keep in mind, as a review, is that Mary was named as the one who anointed the Lord’s feet with her hair in John’s story, but the woman here is not named. In John 12, Judas was the disciple who complained that the ointment Mary had used was worth 300 “pence (a day’s wage at the time)” but here “there were ‘some (again, not named)’” who objected. .Finally, in John 12, Mary anointed the Lord’s feet but here the unnamed woman poured the ointment on His head (different words in the original language). Something to remember is that in those days, people didn’t sit down at tables to eat. The phrase “sat at meat” would be better translated “reclined at the table” as rendered in several recent translations. Mary of Bethany could have easily come behind the Lord and anointed His feet, but the woman in this passage would have had to approach the Lord from a different angle in order to pour the ointment on His head.
Just like Mary, this unknown woman showed how much she loved the Lord Jesus Christ.
And just like Mary, she was about to feel the wrath or displeasure of the others who were there.
3 The snark: by those who were indignant
Text, Mark 14:4-5, KJV: 4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? 5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
One definition of “snark” is to be critical in a rude or sarcastic way (as explained by my Millennial-generation children!). That’s certainly the case here. I’ll never understand just why it is that when someone does a good deed, no matter how big or how small, some will show their approval while others simply will not.
It was bad enough that a couple of days before this, Judas had almost destroyed the good feelings when Mary of Bethany had anointed the Lord’s feet and wiped His feet with her hair. He had complained that the ointment could have been sold for nearly a year’s wages and “given to the poor” but the only poor person Judas was concerned about was “poor old me”! John said that Judas “had the bag” or was the treasurer but helped himself to the money (paraphrased).
And sure enough, here, a couple of days later, others felt the same way about this woman’s gift of the ointment. Mark recorded that “there were some (not just one)” who “had indignation within themselves”—we might say were very upset—because she had done this deed of love. Why, one may ask? You guessed it: just like Judas, they complained that it might have been sold for “more than three hundred pence (300 days’ wages, nearly a full year)” and—guess what?—“given to the poor”. Ah, Judas, you did your work well, didn’t you? Then the people who saw began to murmur at her, probably criticizing her publicly for this public deed.
If that isn’t snark, I ask, what is it:?
But there was one Person Who was grateful, indeed, for this act.
4 The statements: given by the Lord Himself
Text, Mark 14:6-9, KJV: 6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. 7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. 8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. 9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
Jesus was of course aware of this, not only the deed of love by the unnamed woman but also the griping and criticism from those who cared only about the money. He immediately put a stop to it when He said, “Let her alone, why are you bothering her (paraphrased)?” This first statement of affirmation or support for her spoke directly to those who were doing nothing except complaining about her gift or deed of love. Why indeed did or should it bother them? It wasn’t their ointment she used, anyway!
Then, the Lord spoke to their concern about the poor in verse 7, when He basically said “you’re always going to have poor people but get this—you won’t always have Me.” Even if the ones doing the “snark” or criticism had no comparable ointment, they could sell some of their own possessions, and give those proceeds or profits to the poor if they desired! Proof positive that the poor were still around is witnessed by the offerings to help the poor, collected some years later (see Acts 11:27-30, an offering for relief of the saints due to famine; and Galatians 2:10. Paul also mentioned a “collection” in 1 Corinthians 16:1 and a “bounty” in 2 Corinthians 9). The poor will still be around in the Tribulation period: Jesus mentioned those who will stand before Him at the “Judgment of Nations” in Matthew 25. Those who gave food and clothes to His “brethren” will be rewarded; those who did not will be punished. Who else would need food and clothes besides the poor, especially if they’re believers, in those days?
Following that statement, the Lord gives some classic words of praise for this woman: “She did what she could (paraphrased)”. There could be any number of reasons why she had nothing but this ointment to offer the Lord: nothing is mentioned about her following Jesus as a disciple, nor teaching anything to anybody, nor giving sums of money to anyone. No, this woman did all she could, she did what she could, by anointing our Lord’s head with precious, priceless ointment.
And for the Lord, that was enough.
Jesus then delivered something that even though He had shared, the others never seemed to grasp until after the Resurrection: “she’s come to anoint My body before I have died (paraphrased)” He didn’t stop there: He gave this promise, “wherever this gospel is preached, this deed of hers will be mentioned as a memorial”.
With that, He and they completed their dinner, and He completed His final journey to Calvary as recorded in all four of the Gospels. He did all this because of His incredible love for us!
Conclusion: Many people did many things for Jesus while He walked this earth. The four Gospels give accounts of these; no doubt, many more things happened that did not make the records. This account of an unknown woman’s selfless gift of probably the most precious thing she had is a classic. The Lord was pleased and gave her the gift of praise, saying not only “she did what she could” but also, “nobody is going to forget about this!”
You and I may not have very much to offer the Lord Jesus Christ. But whatever we have, if we give it to Him, we can rest assured that no such gift (not restricted to material things) is too small or too big. I sincerely hope we hear the Lord say “you did what you could” and also, “Well done, good and faithful servant”!
Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV).
