Jesus Anointed: Mark 14:3-9
3 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.
4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages[a] and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you,[b] and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Horsham: 21st October 2025
John’s Gospel places this incident very specifically at the beginning of Holy Week, six days before the Passover (John 12:1-8). Mark places it here, in the midst of his account of the Holy Week story, to show the contrast between the love of Christ’s friends and the venom of the religious leaders who want to kill him (Wiersbe, p161).
Jesus has arrived at Bethany with his disciples in readiness for the Passover festival. He will be spending his days a few miles away in Jerusalem, mostly in the Temple Courts. At night, he will return to the village. Bethany is home to Martha, Mary, Lazarus and other friends of Jesus. One such friend is a man called Simon. They call him ‘the Leper’, so we assume that he was probably someone who had recovered from Leprosy, possibly after an encounter with Christ. Some believe that Simon is actually another name for Lazarus.
The men are reclining at the table, on low couches or maybe on the ground. At some point during the meal, a woman, John tells us that it was Mary, comes into the room. Culturally, the women would have only come to the table to serve food, or remove unwanted dishes.
There was a tradition of hospitality that when a guest arrived at the house, a few drops on perfume would be offered, to refresh them from the dust of the road. Let’s be honest, it probably worked as a deodorant.
Mary is carrying an ‘alabaster jar’. These small lightweight jars were commonly used to contain liquids, spices or ointments.
Mary stands above Jesus (remember he is laying down to eat), and breaks open the flask. The entire contents spill over Christ’s head. and drip down his neck and shoulders. The whole house smells of incredible perfume. This is an anointing, reminiscent of the preparation of a body for the tomb.
Mark tells us that the perfume was pure spikenard. Spikenard comes from a plant which only grew in India. It was rare. It was precious. It was very expensive The contents of the flask would have cost close to a year’s wages for a working man. It’s perhaps not so surprising that some, including some of the disciples, thought that this was a truly wasteful act. They rebuked Mary sharply. It could, of course, have been sold The proceeds given to the poor.
Jesus, in turn, rebukes them. The woman has done something beautiful. The Greek work here (kalos) means ‘lovely’. She has done something very special. Something extravagant and generous. Something loving. She may have known that Jesus expected to die. Whether she did or not, she has anointed his body, as it were, in preparation for his burial.
Others criticised Mary, Jesus commended her.
End Piece
In this little scene, we see a woman doing all that she can to demonstrate her extravagant love for Jesus. Her reward is to face the frustration of people around her, even her friends. Yet her act of generosity and love is welcomed by Jesus.
‘No matter what others may say about our worship and service, the most important thing is that we please the Lord. The fact that others misunderstand and criticise us should not keep us from showing our love of Christ. Our concern should be his approval alone.’ (Wiersbe, p162)