Over the years people have been confused about the woman who anointed Jesus’ for burial, many falsely accusing Mary Magdala of whom Jesus delivered from seven demons, as a prostitute and thereby assumed that she was the “sinful woman.” The Bible never characterizes her as such (though we don’t know what the seven demons had her doing—it’s interesting that when we read about a sinful man we don’t automatically think of prostitution.) Neither does the Bible place Mary Magdala in this scene. However, a close examination of the gospel accounts shows so many overlaps in the four accounts that it’s plain they refer to Mary of Bethany. Yes, it’s a bit shocking to discover that the beloved Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet in the role of a rabbinical student—she who had chosen the best thing that would not be taken away from her, had been a “sinful woman.” But why do we wonder so? Remember Zacchaeus the hated tax collector? Many of the men who followed Jesus had also been sinful but that’s the key—they were “had beens”—they turned from their sins and he forgave them! Why does it matter who it was? Jesus said that her story would be told wherever the gospel was preached—in memory of her. Attributing what she did to the wrong person is not remembering her. Jesus’ prophetic command would certainly have been obeyed by the gospel writers, why would we think that Luke would disobey—that the woman that the other three wrote about was Mary of Bethany but Luke alone disobeyed and wrote about someone entirely different who did the very same thing?
I began searching this out after a church adult Sunday School teacher sharply rebutted my suggestion that Jesus did indeed know who Mary was. Why was he so set on making this beautiful thing that Mary had done for Jesus into separate events? I, like Jesus continue to defend her, this time, her memory.
Mary kept turning up at Jesus’ feet! The lavish love he bestowed on her by forgiving her terrible sins was repaid by her lavish love. She didn’t care what her sister thought, she’d rather sit listening to her rescuer than work in the kitchen. She didn’t care what the rich people or even Jesus’ disciples thought, she risked their harassment and shaming to pour out her love.
If Luke’s report were of an entirely different episode, it seems likely that at least one of the others would have also reported on it—or Luke would have also reported on the incident in Bethany just as the feeding of the five thousand and the feeding of the four thousand, two separate events were reported in Matthew 14 and 15.
Matthew 26:6-13 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked.“This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Mark 14:3-9 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Luke 7:36-50 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
When the Pharisee who had invited him, saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
John 12:1-11 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.
Much unnecessary confusion has brewed over who anointed Jesus but when speculation is set aside and the Scriptures are allowed to interpret themselves, it becomes clear.
John spells it out most clearly (John 11:1,2 and John 12:3) that it was Mary of Bethany, who had the lavish love for Jesus. John set the standard; we can line up the other accounts with his.
According to Matthew, Mark and John, the location was Bethany—Mary’s hometown.
Matthew and Mark provide the detail of it being at Simon the Leper’s house while Luke identifies the householder as “a Pharisee,” whom he later identified as Simon. John doesn’t say who hosted the dinner.
Some insist that it couldn’t be the same person because a leper could not be a Pharisee. Someone once said that he was probably a former leper. The law of Moses made provision for people who are cleansed of leprosy. Nicknames and reputations stick; Simon seemed to be rich and according to Jesus, the Pharisees were corrupt—money talks. It would be farfetched to think that the same thing happened to Jesus twice in the homes of two different men named Simon.
Matthew, Mark and Luke report that she brought an alabaster jar—all four gospels say the jar contained perfume—all but Luke say it was “expensive” or “very expensive.” Possibly Luke left this out because his emphasis was on her character rather than her extravagance.
Matthew and Mark wrote that she poured the perfume on Jesus’ head while Luke and John focused on his feet. In Luke and John, she kissed his feet and wiped them with her hair.
Matthew, Mark and John reported that men who witnessed this extraordinary act, complained at the waste of expensive perfume, while Luke focused on complaints about Mary’s character, but she was complained about in each gospel account.
In every gospel, Jesus defended her against the men—whatever their motive!
Matthew, Mark and John quote Jesus as saying that Mary had anointed him for burial
Matthew and Mark said Jesus prophesied and commanded that everywhere the gospel is preached, her story would be told in memory of her.
BETHANY: Matthew, Mark, John
SIMON‘S HOUSE: Matthew, Mark, Luke
PERFUME: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
EXPENSIVE PERFUME: Matthew, Mark, John
NARD: Mark, John
ALABASTER JAR OR BOTTLE: Matthew, Mark, Luke
JESUS’ FEET: Luke, John
JESUS’ HEAD: Matthew, Mark
HER TEARS: Luke, John
JESUS DEFENDED HER: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
MEMORY OF HER: Matthew, Mark
ANOINTED FOR BURIAL: Matthew, Mark, John
Jesus Sets Women Free 