The Gospel reading for tomorrow, the Sunday before Palm Sunday, is Jesus' anointing at Bethany, as told by John the Evangelist. The story of a woman anointing (pouring oil on) Jesus, either on his head or his feet, occurs in all four Gospels. That means all four found it pertinent to the basic story of Jesus' mission on earth.
As is usual when the four Gospel writers tell the same story, each has his own narrative purpose, so each tells the story somewhat differently. Usually, in this case, the stories as told by Matthew, Mark, and Luke would be most similar to each other, and John's version would differ from the others. Interestingly, this time it seems to me that John's is most like Matthew's and Mark's, while Luke's is significantly different. These are the passages:
John 12:1-11 (the lectionary specifies only 1-8, but I want to include vss. 9-11 for comparison to the others
Matthew 26:6-16
Mark 14:3-11
Luke 7:36-50
Some general observations and comparisons:
Location: In John, Matthew, and Mark, Jesus is in Bethany, a city about 8 miles from Jerusalem, in Judea. In Luke, although this passage doesn't mention the location, it occurs in a series of stories in Jesus' ministry in Galilee.
Time: In John, Matthew, and Mark, the incident occurs in relation to Holy Week (the week between Palm Sunday and Easter; it includes Maundy Thursday and Good Friday). John says it is "six days before Passover," and the next day is his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday). In Matthew, it is during Holy Week. The triumphal entry has already happened, and since then Jesus has been teaching in Jerusalem. Mark's time frame is like Matthew's. In Luke, it is during Jesus' teaching ministry, some time before he went to Jerusalem to go to the cross.
Household: I had thought that John said Jesus was at the home of the siblings Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, but I see that although it says Jesus is in their town, John does not necessarily specify whose home, just that "a dinner was given in Jesus' honor." Martha helps serve, but she could do that at someone else's house. Matthew and Mark both say that Jesus is at the home of a man named Simon the Leper. Luke says that Jesus is visiting a Pharisee (a highly respected scholar and practitioner of Jewish traditions), and Jesus addresses his host as Simon.
The woman: John identifies the woman as Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha; this Mary we commonly call Mary of Bethany to differentiate her from other women named Mary mentioned in the Gospels (including Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mary of Magdela). Matthew and Mark do not name the woman. Luke tells of a woman who had led a sinful life.
The anointing: In John, Mary pours the oil on Jesus' feet and wipes his feet with her hair. In Matthew and Mark, the woman pours the oil on Jesus' head. In Luke, the woman pours perfume on Jesus' feet (vs. 46), but also washes his feet with her tears and wipes them with her hair.
The bystanders' response: In John, Matthew, and Mark, it is the disciples and/or Judas who comment, and their remarks are about the cost of the oil/perfume. They say that the oil was wasted on Jesus, that it should have been sold, as it was very valuable, and the money given to the poor. In Luke, it is Simon the Pharisee who responds, and he simply thinks to himself that if Jesus were really a prophet, he would know what kind of woman was touching him; presumably if he did know, he would reject her touch.
Jesus' remarks: In John, Matthew, and Mark, Jesus identifies the oil/perfume as preparation for his burial, which in these narratives is only days away. In Matthew and Mark, he praises her act as "a beautiful thing" she did to him and prophesies that wherever Christ's followers preach the gospel, they will also tell the story of this act. Finally, in John, Matthew, and Mark, he makes his famous comment, "The poor you will always have with you," with the less often quoted parallel remark, "but you will not always have me." In Luke, Jesus favorably compares the sinful woman, with her sincere repentance, to his upright but inhospitable host (not providing water to wash Jesus' feet, not anointing him, not kissing him), and he ties the whole event to the woman receiving forgiveness for that past sinful life. This conversation includes another fairly well-known saying, "Her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much." In this case, the anointing is not preparation for burial, but an act of gratitude and love.
Result: In John, certain leaders plot Jesus' death. In Mark and Matthew, Judas approaches the leaders, offering to betray Jesus. Although John does not mention Judas' betrayal at this point, he does focus on Judas during the disciples' criticism of the woman, and John further accuses Judas of theft. In Luke, the people ask each other who Jesus is, who forgives sin. This could be awe or amazement at his graciousness, or it could be offence at his assumption of authority. Afterwards, Jesus continues his itinerant preaching.
More thoughts in the next post.
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