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Response
All four gospels recount the story of Jesus being anointed by a woman with a valuable jar of perfume (Matthew 26:6-13;Mark 14:3-9;Luke 7:36-50;John 12:1-8). Matthew and Mark describe the same incident without mentioning the woman’s name; Luke narrates a different event involving an unnamed woman at an earlier time; and in another account, the woman in John is identified as Mary of Bethany «(It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) », (John 11:2), the sister of Martha and Lazarus. To comprehend the importance of Jesus being anointed on these three occasions, we will examine each story individually before comparing and contrasting them in conclusion.
The anointing of Jesus in Matthew occurs two days before Passover in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper: “Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table” (Matthew 26:6-7;ESV).
Matthew emphasizes the anointing of Jesus as a lesson for the disciples, who react with indignation due to the woman’s extravagant act. However, Jesus defends her, stating, “She has done a beautiful thing to me” «When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. », (Matthew 26:10). Christ explains that the anointing is in preparation for His burial and that the woman’s loving gesture will be remembered forever.
Wherever the good news is preached.
Mark recounts a similar story with an unnamed woman holding an alabaster box who interrupts a meal at Simon the leper’s house to anoint Jesus’ head with costly perfume. Once again, the woman’s detractors criticize her generous gesture as extravagant, suggesting that the perfume could have been sold for more than a year’s wages “For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.”, (Mark 14:5). However, Jesus accepts the woman’s offering as a selfless display of love and devotion—an appropriate tribute to the Messiah. Jesus indicates that His time with them is limited, alluding to His forthcoming death and burial.
Both Matthew and Mark’s narratives underscore the prophetic importance of Jesus’ anointing, hinting at His death and burial. There may also be a suggestion of Jesus’ kingship, as in the Old Testament, anointing the head was often linked to the consecration of kings (1 Samuel 9:15—10:1;16:12-13;1 Kings 1:38-40).
In Luke’s version of a comparable yet distinct event, Jesus seizes the moment of being anointed to share a parable about forgiveness (Luke 7:39-50). Approximately a year before His crucifixion, Jesus dines at the house of Simon the Pharisee, who had failed to show the expected respect and hospitality to his guest. Meanwhile, a sinful woman anoints Jesus’ feet, pouring out her love and gratitude.
In John’s gospel, Mary, Lazarus’ sister, is the woman who anoints Jesus with expensive perfume during a dinner in Bethany. The account parallels those in the other gospels, although this anointing occurs six days before Passover, and Judas is specifically mentioned.As the disciple who objects to the “waste.” On this occasion, “Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair” «Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. », (John 12:3, NLT). Jesus defends Mary from Judas’s criticism by pointing out the unique opportunity Mary had: “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me” «For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always. », (John 12:8).
Mary’s anointing again points to Christ’s identity as Messiah-King, but it also points to His humble position as Servant-King. When Mary anoints Jesus’ feet and then wipes them with her hair, she foreshadows Jesus’ actions at the upcoming Last Supper when the Lord washes the disciples’ feet and teaches them how to love one another through sacrificial, humble service (John 13:1-20).
In each account, a woman pours out a precious and costly perfume in an extravagant act of worship. The three women who anointed Jesus recognized Christ’s unequaled value and expressed their gratitude with unreserved love and devotion. Two anointings of Jesus happen during the week of Passover and are linked with His imminent death and burial. The earlier anointing, in Luke’s account, is in the middle of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and draws a different lesson on forgiveness and love.
In each case, the woman’s actions signal more than she knows. But, although she may not fully comprehend the messianic significance of her anointing, each woman had come to appreciate Christ’s worth more than anyone else at the table.
Jesus Christ is God’s anointed Messiah. The term “Messiah” signifies “anointed one” and originates directly from the Hebrew word for “anointed.” “Christ” is derived from the Greek word Christos, which also means “anointed one.” Therefore, Christ is the Greek counterpart of Messiah. When Jesus receives the Holy Spirit at His baptism, He is “anointed” by God in readiness for His life’s mission (Luke 3:22;cf: Acts 10:38;Luke 4:18). On three distinct occasions, Jesus is anointed with aromatic ointment in His role as the Savior, the King of heaven who was preparing to sacrifice His life to redeem His people.
