Anointed at Bethany

March 28, 2021 Palm Sunday B


1. Jesus Anointed by the Woman (14:1–11)


Evangelist: Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him.

Chief Priests: “But not during the Feast or the people may riot.”

Evangelist: While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as 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,

Bystanders: “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.”

Evangelist: And they rebuked her harshly.

Jesus: “Leave her alone,”

Evangelist: said Jesus.

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. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Evangelist: Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Jesus said, “She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” And so, today, let’s remember her and tell her story.

This passage in Mark 14 makes a good introduction to the Passion Story of Jesus. Let’s look at the story of the anointing and what it might mean for Jesus and for us.

It takes place in the town of Bethany, near Jerusalem. We do not know who the host, Simon the Leper is, presumably someone who had been cured of leprosy by Jesus. He invited Jesus and some of the disciples for dinner at his home. We are not told who the woman was; perhaps she was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus who also lived in Bethany. Or perhaps she followed the example of Mary. The woman had “an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard.” Alabaster is a soft stone that can be carved to make boxes and jars. Nard is an aromatic amber-colored essential oil derived from a plant which grows in the Himalayas of Nepal, China, and India, and is used as a base for perfume. Because it had to be imported, at the time of Jesus it was very expensive. In the Gospel of John, Mary used about a pint of the perfume. The value was 300 denarii, equal to about the yearly wage of a worker. By the way, in the USA, the average median yearly wage in 2019 was $34,000. The price of the ointment would be about $200 an ounce. [According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, in 2019, the average yearly salary of a Japanese worker was 3,077,000 yen.] She broke the jar and poured the whole contents on the head of Jesus, which surely ran down his neck and onto his clothes and filled the whole house with the fragrance. She must have been a very rich woman, but her generosity shows her great respect for Jesus.

At the same time, her generosity caused the indignation of some of the guests. “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” I understand their feeling. Sometimes I wonder why some church buildings are so fancy or why expensive flowers are used on the altar. Maybe I am a financial conservative or maybe just stingy or just do not understand the joy of those who sacrifice to the glory of God. And so I understand the feelings of those guests who were upset about what they thought was a waste of perfume and money and a lack of charity for the poor. And so Jesus also speaks to me.

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. Jesus knew her heart. Jesus also knew the future. “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.” After the ascension of Jesus, one of the first activities of the new church was to share their possession and help the poor. And Jesus also knew that he would die on the cross in two days and would be buried in haste in a borrowed tomb with no funeral ceremonies. That is why on Easter morning the women came to the tomb. They brought spices to anoint the body of Jesus. But they were too late; he had already risen from the dead. So, what the woman did in Bethany, anointing the head of Jesus, was truly as Jesus said, “She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.”

This passage at the beginning of Mark 14 is a good introduction to the Passion Story of Jesus. Jesus knew he was going to die on the cross as the “Messiah – the Anointed One.” In this passage there are a number of contrasts. There is the contrast between the love and adoration of the woman and the hate and plotting of the chief priests and the teachers of the law.

There is the measure of love by the woman being 300 denarii and the price of betrayal by Judas being 30 pieces of silver. She spent $30,000, Judas got $3000.

There is the contrast between the plot of the Jews to destroy the Savior, and the plan of God to save the world.

The same love of the woman can also be seen in the host of the dinner party. Simon the Leper was probably healed by Jesus, and now he is showing his gratitude. Jesus accepts that gratitude by attending the dinner. How do we show our gratitude to Jesus for healing us, for forgiving our sin, and for giving us eternal life? Perhaps our Sunday morning worship shows that. But rather than we preparing a feast for Jesus, he prepares a feast for us in the Holy Communion. Rather than we anointing Jesus, he anoints us with the saving water of Baptism and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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