Four
different people, witnessing any event, will recount what happened in four unique
ways. So when we find accounts of
decidedly similar situations in scripture, there is always a discussion among
scholars as to whether the events are the same or separate. One such instance marks our final look (for
this series anyway) at an individual woman’s interaction with her Messiah. I encourage you to read each account, noting
similarities and differences. Find what
stands out in each; what seems to be the thrust of the narrative.
The Anointing at Bethany:
Matthew,
Mark, and John agree that this incident took place in Bethany; Mark and Matthew
concur it was at the house of a disciple, Simon the leper; while John merely
states that Martha served and Lazarus ate the food. Luke does not mention a location and renders
the host Simon, a Pharisee. At the
outset, there seem to be too many differences for these to be the same event;
yet some scholars claim that the events are too closely parallel and extravagant to have happened more than
once.[1] However, in Matthew and Mark, the unnamed
woman anoints Christ’s head; in Luke and John, the woman anoints Jesus’ feet. In each account other than John’s, the woman
is portrayed as an interloper; John states that the woman ministering to Jesus
is Martha and Lazarus’ sister, Mary.
Judas, again in the Johannine account, is upset with the waste, whereas
in Matthew and Mark it is the disciples who regret the excess; in each text the
poor being the reason such extravagance is rebuked. In Matthew, Mark, and John,
Jesus rebukes the woman’s accusers for singling her out, when there remain poor
within their very communities.[2] He asserts that what she has done for him is
“beautiful,” and that implies that they will have time after his burial to tend
to the poor.
For
the purposes of our study, we will group the Matthean, Markan, and Johnannine
account together, because they deal with the extravagance of this woman’s
offering in relation to “helping the poor;” while Luke’s text deals with the
woman’s character and suitedness to minister to Christ in such a way.
Considering
that Jesus has spent a good deal of time instructing his followers to care for
the poor, to tend the widows and orphans, and himself tending to the least
among the Jews, Susan Miller, referencing Mark’s telling, makes the claim that
the woman is a prophetic figure. Miller
says that this woman’s act of anointing Jesus indicates his kingship, and her
breaking of the jar to pour out the ointment foreshadows the last supper, when at
the Passover Christ breaks the bread and pours wine as a symbol for his soon to
be broken body and poured out blood, on behalf of the sins of the world.[3]
She also suggests that the waste, about which the disciples are upset,
represents the coming loss of Jesus’ life.
Baggett agrees with this appraisal, seeing the Markan text as an
antecedent that prepares Jesus for his burial.[4] As a funeral offering, a lavish expenditure
of 300 denari is not completely uncommon, and Jesus states that this prepares
him for burial.[5] Dr.
Craig Blomberg cautions that while this offering is acceptable to Jesus, who
does not require a simply ascetic life from his followers, it is to be the
exception in a life devoted to meeting the needs of the have-nots.[6] Thus in these three accounts, we find a woman
who is likely distraught over the thought of losing her Messiah. She symbolically prepares his body for
burial. Acting in the lavish and tender
and intimate way a person who has just lost the love of her life might.
Certainly, in first century Palestine, it was the women who tended to the bodies after death; the women would wash the earthly shells of their loved ones with tears and perfumes, caring for these spent husks one last time before releasing their loved one into the dust. Thus we find a woman doing what is culturally expected of her for someone she loves so dearly, merely at a time that is deemed inappropriate by her contemporaries. Yet this woman, instead of saving her resources for a time when, at least to her mind, Jesus would not benefit from them; pours out her possessions while he is still with her. Because she loves him.
And Jesus says this is okay.
Yes, we are to regularly and habitually use our finances and resources on behalf of the poor. Yes, we are to give of our time, talents, and treasure daily and sacrificially to benefit the poor and outcast. Yes, this is to be the practice that marks us as Christ followers: the care of those in need. But in this woman, we see that it is also good to spend ourselves on behalf of those we love.
No, this isn’t to say, “Well, I love me, so I’m gonna buy that boat/diamond/Tuscan Villa for myself!” But imagine the love that would be conveyed if you spent that money (assuming that you have it and aren’t borrowing it) on the person closest to your heart. Your spouse, your parent, your children, your best friend. To show them, here and now while they are still drawing breath, that you love and treasure them. Once. Sacrificially. For the sake of love. Imagine the depths of their spirit to which this would speak. Imagine their joy in knowing they are so delighted in. So loved.
Because, poor or otherwise, Christ loved each of us so much that he spent himself once, sacrificially, for us.
An exorbitant sacrifice. For Love.
And
just for fun, here’s a link to the world’s most expensive desserts. On the off chance that you’re considering a
decadent love offering for your special someone…my favorite? purely for the artistry: The Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence, $14,500.
[1] Same event: William
Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary:
Exposition of the Gospel According to Mark, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book
House, 1975). Different events: Sharon
Ringe, Westminster Bible Companion: Luke,
ed. Patrick D. Miller and David L. Bartlett, (Louisville: Westminster John Knox
Press, 1995).
[2] Craig L. Blomberg, Neither Poverty Nor Riches: A Biblical
Theology of Material Possessions, (Leicester: APOLLOS, 1999), 142.
[3] Susan Miller, “The
Woman who Anoints Jesus (Mk 14:3-9): A Prophetic Sign of the New Creation,” The Journal of the Britain & Ireland
School of Feminist Theology 14 (2006) 221.
[4] John F. Baggett. Seeing Through the Eyes of Jesus: His
Revolutionary View of Reality and His Transcendent Significance for Faith. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 2008. Page 113.
[5] Matthew 26:12, Mark
14:8, and John 12:7.
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