“Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.’”

The earthly ministry of Jesus is drawing to a close, yet what it brings in its ending is far greater than any work, or miracle that has been seen over its duration. When Jesus praised God, and called Lazarus from his tomb, He raised the stakes in His conflict with the religious authorities of the day. The world hates the Truth, with Ephesians 2:1–3 painting a picture of our condition apart from God,

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Jesus has declared that He is the Truth with an ever louder, increasingly undeniable voice, and His enemies ambition to kill Him has grown along with this. After raising Lazarus, Jesus withdrew to the wilderness again, and as the Passover approached the ruling Jews were scouting for Him, seeking to arrest, try, and execute Him. Now we see Jesus return to the Judean region for a final time, back to Bethany where He raised Lazarus. Before He enters Jerusalem, and begins the final stretch of His journey to the cross, we witness a dinner among friends, and a deep act of devotion to Jesus. Here we’re given another opportunity to see and appreciate the power and authority of the Christ as He fulfils the will of the Father.

Jesus Christ – King of Kings, and Great High Priest

It depends on which Bible commentary you read as to how many times it seems that Jesus was anointed over the course of His ministry. Earlier, during His Galilean ministry, we see of an anointing take place in Luke 7:36–50. No one argues that this event is distinct and separate from what takes place in the week leading up to the Passover. Luke 7 also shows a beautiful display of pure and unrestrained devotion to Christ, which we’ll circle back to later. Where disagreements arise is around Matthew 26, Mark 14, and today’s passage in John 12. Many commentaries and study Bibles (including my own), treat these three gospel accounts as one, because there are very clear similarities between them, however there are also distinct differences. All that I’ve read that treats them as the same event, and attempts to explain away the discrepancies between them simply feels like poor Bible study. While the anointing in Matthew and Mark line up perfectly with one another in describing the same occurrence, lumping them together as the same event in John 12 simply because they have similarities just doesn’t make sense if you read what the Bible says. We’re talking about two apostles, eyewitnesses to these events, and in Mark’s case, one who obtained their information directly from an apostle, written in the inerrant Word of God. Two of them match, while one has distinct differences. Lumping them together feels lazy, and in some capacities, disrespects the significance of the differences between the two events. The feeding of the 4,000 recorded in Matthew 15 and Mark 8 holds core similarities with the feeding of the 5,000 recorded in Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6, yet both are acknowledged and treated as distinct events in the ministry of Jesus. If we compare and contrast the recordings of Jesus anointed in the week before the Passover, we can see the differences and hopefully appreciate that these are two separate cases for two similar, yet unique purposes. Matthew 26:6–13 says,

“Now when Jesus was at Bethany in 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. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, ‘Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.’ But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.’”

 And Mark 14:3–9 says,

“And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, ‘Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.’ And they scolded her. But Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.’”

The fact that both of these describe the same event is easy to see, in that they use almost identical verbiage to one another. Both events take place after Jesus’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, with both gospels indicating that it is two days until the Passover. Today’s passage from John’s gospel bears obvious similarities, in that Jesus is anointed by a woman in Bethany during the week leading up to the Passover. We also see a very similar response from Jesus in Him addressing the complaints by saying,

“‘Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.’”

However we also see significant differences between what is recorded in Matthew and Mark’s accounts, and what is written in John’s gospel. The first difference is that this is six days before the Passover, not two. I’ve read some commentaries that say that Matthew and Mark aren’t being entirely chronological about the timeline, and could be jumping around in the events of the Passover week, but this feels like a weak argument. Matthew 26:2 and Mark 14:1 both indicate that it was two days before the Passover, right before going into the account of Jesus being anointed at Bethany. There doesn’t seem to be a justification to assume that both Matthew and Mark simply deviate from the sequence of events, and John does not, meaning that these have to be two different occurrences. The location of the dinner where Jesus is anointed seems to be different, with Matthew and Mark stating that this takes place in the home of Simon the leper. My assumption (and I freely admit, this is an assumption), is that John’s account takes place in the home of Martha. This is partly because the passage says nothing of Simon the leper, but references Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. More so, John draws specific attention to Martha serving. Not that she couldn’t do this in someone else’s house, but it mirrors our description of Jesus first meeting Mary and Martha in Luke 10, which we know took place in Martha’s home. It seems reasonable at the very least to think that the dinner took place there, as opposed to putting it in the same location as the two earlier gospels. Matthew and Mark also record Jesus’s head being anointed, while John tells us it was His feet that Mary uses the ointment on. Again, some commentaries lump these together, saying that Mary anointed Jesus’s head, but the oil ran down to His feet as well. Why? The text doesn’t say that, but rather draws our attention to two separate areas of focus in the anointing. In each account there is an indignant response to what is seen as a waste of the oil, and Jesus has a similar response in John to what He says in Matthew and Mark, drawing reference to Deuteronomy 15:11,

“For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’”

But John’s gospel draws specific attention to Judas as the complainer, and there’s a different lesson in what we take from the indignation of the betrayer as compared to the rest of the twelve. Now here’s the thing, whether or not you think that Jesus was anointed once or twice in the week leading up to His crucifixion isn’t going to impact your salvation. You can still love Jesus, you can still be filled with the Holy Spirit, you can still be an adopted child of God with hope of eternity in the presence of your Father, regardless of what side of the fence you come down on – but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. Only one interpretation is wrong, and whatever belief you lean toward concerning this matter, it shouldn’t be the result of a casual or simplistic handling of the Word. Scripture is God breathed – that means everything from John 3:16 to 1 Samuel 18:25 (which I promise you, no one has ever cross stitched onto a throw pillow in the history of time), is beautiful, significant and merits consideration. It seems that simply reading the text at face value, and giving respect to the information therein points to two separate Passover anointings, from which we can take two separate messages about the nature and position of Christ.

1.      The Significance of Jesus in Two Passover Anointings

 I’m going to ask you something that you may have never stopped to consider – what do feet symbolize? I’ve talked before about how the eye represents your aim, the focus of your heart and mind, and the hand represents your actions and deeds. This is supported with passages like Matthew 5:29–30 which says,

“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”

As well as Matthew 6:22–23 which says,

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

These are powerful messages about how our thoughts and actions have significance, how we need every part of us to be striving toward the will of God, and the destruction that comes from the alternative. But what about feet? And what is the significance of Mary anointing Jesus’s feet? Feet are what carries the body, there’s a symbol of movement, of delivery where they’re concerned. Isaiah 52:7 says,

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’”

This good news is what Jesus delivers, the peace He provides is perfect and eternal. Ephesians 6:13–17 says,

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…”

Again, we see that the good news of Christ brings with it a readiness, a mobility that it might be shared. The significance of Jesus, His person and character, His ministry, death and resurrection lies in His duality. Son of God, and Son of Man. Fully embodying the humanity of the Son, while also being one with the Father. He is called our Great High Priest after the order of Melchizedek as opposed to Aaron. This is significant in that Aaron was singularly the high priest, while Melchizedek, who is briefly addressed in his meeting with Abraham in Genesis 14, was both the “priest of God Most High” as well as the king of Salem. This was a precursor to what Jesus would perfect in His dual role as King of kings and Great High Priest. We can draw a connection between Jesus and His position as Great High Priest in the anointing of His feet, just as we can draw one between His Kingship and the anointing of His head. When Aaron and his sons are consecrated into priesthood there is an extensive sacrificial process that takes place. This starts with Moses anointing Aaron’s head with oil, but as things progress the men’s entire bodies, as well as their clothes, are addressed, and consecrated into the priesthood. When the ram of ordination is sacrificed, some of the blood is placed on the right ear lobe, the right thumb, and the big toe of the right foot, first of Aaron, then of his son’s. The dedication to priesthood is bodily – but there’s a significance to the work of their feet. Hebrews 8:1–2 says of Jesus,

“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.”

What Hebrews shows us is that the Levitical priesthood, the tabernacle, and all in it were a shadow of heavenly things. Of the things that were present inside the tent of meeting, there were no chairs – there was no sitting down in the duties of the priests, but a constant process of offering up sacrifices. During His earthly ministry Jesus served Gods people to the point of His death, and in His resurrection offers true healing and peace between God and man. If we focus on the feet of Christ, in them being anointed in the days leading up to the His crucifixion, it bears remembering that what awaits His feet is rest. Jesus as the Great High priest makes complete atonement for the sins of Man, ending the flawed sacrificial system, and taking His seat at the right hand of the Father. We can draw the connection between the anointing of Jesus’s head in Matthew and Mark with His Kingship in that this is the treatment we saw for the first king of Israel. 1 Samuel 9:27-10:1 says,

“As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, ‘Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.’ Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, ‘Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.’”

When we contemplate, worship and revere Jesus, it always bears considering that He is not just one thing. His power and authority as God in the flesh, in the promise of the salvation He provides, and assurance of His love are on display in the miraculous way He perfectly fulfils multiple roles beyond human ability or comprehension. We’re given an opportunity to reflect on and appreciate this in addressing two separate anointings in the week leading up to His glorification on the cross.

2.      The Significance to the Believer in Three Ministry Anointings

If Jesus was anointed twice in the week before the Passover, that means He was anointed three times over the course of His ministry. As I mentioned earlier the first is recorded in Luke 7:36–50,

“One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’ And Jesus answering said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ And he answered, ‘Say it, Teacher.’ ‘A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered, ‘The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.’ And he said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.’ And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this, who even forgives sins?’ And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’”

Each anointing bears similarities, in that each woman places herself in a vulnerable position, but with a focus entirely upon Christ. We can also learn something unique from each woman and her devotion to Jesus. From the sinful woman in Luke’s gospel we see a picture of how we are to approach Jesus. His parable, and following explanation, “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little,” should serve as a reminder than none of us have been forgiven a small amount. Any sin is unacceptable before holy God, and in our sin state, the only thing we could earn for ourselves was an eternity of separation from our creator. It is damnation that has been forgiven, the fires of hell from which we have been spared. The woman enters a place where she had no reason to be comfortable – she is a sinner in the house of the Pharisee, and even as she worships at the feet of Jesus, they judge her among themselves. But what we don’t see is any consideration from her to this fact. Her entire attention is turned toward Jesus. In Mary’s case in today passage, we see her devotion to Jesus in her assuming the position of a servant. When we saw her in Luke 10, she sits at Jesus’s feet, in a customary position of learning, and is ultimately praised for this when Jesus addresses Martha. But in John 12, she gives us a foreshadowing to Jesus washing the disciples feet in John 13, teaching that righteous authority carries humility along with it. Mary, like the woman from Luke 10 wipes Jesus’s feet with her hair, exposing themselves in a way that was extremely vulnerable but the standards of society. In both cases we can see a sense of trust and complete surrender before the Lord. Finally, there is the woman who anoints Jesus’s head in Matthew and Mark’s accounts. She mirrors a similar kind of devotion to the other two women, but we’re not told that she has any prior connection, and she doesn’t come to Jesus with the same desperate and broken appearance as the woman in Luke 10. Jesus says during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:6,

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

This was given in contrast to the practice of loud, public prayer, simply for the goal of being thought righteous. While the woman who anoints Jesus in Matthew and Mark, does this in front of a room full of people, she embodies the spirit of what Jesus instructs in Matthew 6. Her intent isn’t to be acknowledged or praised by the people, but to honor and praise the Christ. This is attested to in Jesus’s defense of her, as well as His promise concerning her story. What she has done will be told in her memory wherever the good news is shared, and yet we don’t know her name. This is the greatest reward any of us could hope for, that our actions and deeds would leave a lasting impression of devotion to the will of God, rather than anything that might glorify us as individuals. Each woman is similar, each woman is unique, and each has a lesson to impart as it relates to the worship and reverence of God.

3.      The Significance of the Response

“But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.”

Something I have been increasingly obsessed with over the years is understanding the “why” of things. So much, even in day to day relationships is based on intent, on the aim and spirit behind what you’re doing as opposed to the simple act of the thing itself. The ruling Jews openly praised God, but for the purpose of their social standing, and without the love of God in their hearts. Giving provides an excellent example of this principle of intent, with 2 Corinthians 9:7 saying,

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

You can leave half your paycheck in the offering plate, but if you do it while lamenting the loss of the money, or so that others with see and think you righteous, you’ve missed the point of offering before God. Conversely, you can offer up very little and it be pleasing before the Lord, as is says in Luke 21:1–4

“Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’”

The spirit behind the action has more significance than the action itself, and we can see this clearly in today’s passage. What Judas says in response to Mary anointing Jesus’s feet is almost identical to what the disciples and onlookers say in Matthew and Mark. There’s confusion and indignation at what they see as waste, and an acknowledgement that rather than use all the ointment up for this, it could have been sold (for roughly a year’s wages) and the money given to the poor. Jesus’s response in both cases are very similar, with Him defending Mary and the unnamed woman from those who sit judging them – though there is something curiously missing in what Jesus says to Judas. In both Matthew and Mark Jesus asks the onlookers why they are troubling the woman. It’s a rhetorical question, but it seems to be meant to encourage the people to hear His words and question their actions. Judas gets no question, rhetorical or otherwise, only the instruction to leave Mary alone in what she is doing. The responses to each anointing are similar, Jesus’s defense of each woman is similar, and yet the why behind the responses are night and day, and the passages read entirely differently because of it. Those in Matthew and Mark seem to respond the way they do out of genuine concern and indignation. They don’t understand the significance here, but they are truly confused over what seems like a misuse of resources. Jesus corrects them, and questions them in a way that they might question themselves, and learn from the demonstration before them. Judas, however, responds out of wickedness and greed. There is no love for those in need in his heart, only an eye for personal loss, showing the character of the disciple who has learned from, and lived alongside Jesus during His ministry. Judas gets no question to stir up contemplation, as there’s nothing to contemplate, his voiced concern is set on a foundation of lies. Knowing not just what he will go on to do, but who he was before his betrayal of his Messiah, we can see the depth of what Jesus says of Judas in Matthew 26:24,

“The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

What we do matters, following the example and instructions laid out in God’s Word – why we do it matters more. That we learn from and emulate the Christ in both our thoughts and actions, that we are guided by the Spirit, and not our own flesh is what leads us to a place where we submit to God entirely, where we are delivered to know His peace.  

Pastor Chris’s sermon (John 12:1-11): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX1eHxKiI_U