“The Anointing of Christ”: a Story from the Gospels...

Mark 14; 3-9, Matthew 26; 6-13, John 12; 1-8

As Holy Week draws near, there’s a love-filled story of holy extravagance you may want to pray with; it’s found on Monday of Holy Week.

In the Gospel of John, we meet Mary again, one of Christ’s dearest friends. In last Sunday’s Gospel, (Jn. 11; 31-36) it is Mary who knelt at Christ’s feet weeping when she thought that she had lost her brother Lazarus to death. God raises Lazarus back to life at Christ’s request. And many believed in him.Now we meet Mary again (Jn. 12;1-8). It’s six days before Passover.
Jesus and his disciples come for dinner at Martha’s home in Bethany and Lazarus now fully alive, is at table with them. In John’s account, Mary takes a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anoints Christ’s feet and then wipes them with her hair.

In Mark and Matthew’s telling of this story, the woman is not named and the place for dinner is at Simon the Leper’s home. Mark and Matthew mention the woman has an alabaster jar; she breaks off the top and pours the ointment on Christ’s head. John’s Gospel notes, “The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” Everyone is affected! Her outlandish “waste” of the precious ointment causes an immediate stir! The bold intimacy of her actions gets everyone’s attention! Some of those gathered were disturbed, or resentful thinking, ‘She’s so extravagant, always has been! Will she ever learn to be practical? What was she thinking?? Her pouring out all that precious ointment bothers some! It could have been sold for more than 300 denarii, and the money given to the poor! Why did she let go of it so lightly?!’ The disciples, Judas, especially, were angry, and they scolded her.

But Jesus defends her, welcomes her lavish extravagance. “Why do you trouble her?” he says, “She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, and you can show them kindness whenever you wish. But you do not always have me. She has anointed my body beforehand for its burial.”

At this point we begin to realize this woman of extravagant generosity has a depth of insight for us all. She recognizes where Christ’s witness to the Truth and loving Obedience to his Father will take him: to the inevitable sacrifice of his life in love for our salvation! This is, at that time, something that Peter and the Apostles still didn’t fully grasp. Her exorbitant “Waste” of the precious ointment wasn’t exorbitant at all! It was fitting! Because her act revealed, both her total faith in and complete love for Christ! This is why Jesus says in Mark and Matthew, “Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”

Whether it’s Simon’s home or the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, grace abides in both. All in the house have a chance to realize that love for Christ and one another sometimes does look foolish, extravagant and wasteful on the surface, but, in reality it is most appropriate! And, what about our own households???

DISCUSS: Living in close quarters in our homes due to the ‘Shelter in Place’ order, we notice more of each other’s actions. And seeing an action doesn’t necessarily mean we know the motive. Let’s pray for and act so that ‘kind dialogue’ and ‘sincere extravagant care’ prevails!