"Personality of the Passion -- The Woman of Anointing"

BACKGROUND:
Mark’s gospel (Mark 14: 1 - 9) essentially begins the Passion of Jesus with the Anointing at Bethany “two days before the Passover (Wednesday). The main “personality” is this event is the “woman of the anointing”. While Mark does not identify the woman, it is traditionally believed to be Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Mary, Martha and Lazarus have appeared in the gospels several times. Jesus was often a guest at their home. They appear to have been good friends. The importance of this story is reflected in the fact that it is included in all four gospels.

For the purpose of telling Mary’s story, I have composed this “entry” in Mary’s “Diary”.

Bethany, Israel
Passover, 33 a.d.

Dear Diary:

Yesterday was one of the most wonderful days of my life. It had to do with my love and affection for Jesus, my Lord. It was hard because I’m pretty sure this is the week he will die. The religious leaders are not making any secrets about their plans and preparations to arrest Jesus before everyone comes to Jerusalem for the holy feast of Passover when we recall the freedom granted our people from the slavery in Egypt. They want to get him out of the way before the city becomes crowded and his arrest might increase the odds for riots and rebellions.

Jesus has visited Bethany before. Bethany, where we live, is about 2 miles from Jerusalem, on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. It is the last station on the road from Jericho to Jerusalem and a popular little place for travelers. For Jesus, our home was a second home. He was a good friend of my family: myself, my sister Martha and my brother, Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead. But yesterday he was at our neighbor Simon’s home. Jesus had healed Simon from leprosy. All of us had a deep love for and a special relationship with Jesus. We were all quick to host him at our homes, mine included.

As for me, my devotion to Jesus has always been obvious. I would sit at Jesus’ feet whenever I had the opportunity. I listened to his every word. I tried to apply his teachings to my life.

Yesterday was different, somehow. Maybe it was the deep foreboding that I had. Maybe it was my own impulsiveness. Maybe it was simply another expression of my devotion to Jesus.

No matter, I acted in a rather unusual way. I poured a jar of very expensive oil on Jesus’ head. I mean VERY EXPENSIVE. It was a bold and reckless act, to be sure. The oil was “nard”, fragrant oil from a plant by the same name. The container that I emptied – I had to empty it because the alabaster jar had to be broken to get it open, it couldn’t be resealed -- over Jesus’ head, I can hardly believe I did that now, was worth a whole year’s wages. Some people there were very critical of the waste. In fact, one of them (Judas of all people) scolded me loudly.

I didn’t think about it at the time, but what I did, they call it anointing, is a sign, a symbol, of being chosen or marked for something great. I learned stories about anointing in synagogue – the anointing of prophets, like Samuel, and Kings, like Saul and David. Anointing bestows a blessing from God. Anointing marks one for a future action blessed by God. Anointing is an act of respect and devotion.

All I was thinking about yesterday was my devotion and love for Jesus. I was only thinking of my thankfulness for his words and ministry for our family. I was only trying to follow my intuition about what might come next in Jesus life, that is to be treated like a common criminal and when he died that he might be buried without the customary anointing to prepare the body before burial.

I think that is the way Jesus saw it too. He defended me. He stood up for my extravagance. He even had a scolding tone in his voice when he told the other guests that I had done something beautiful. He recognized my devotion, even such costly devotion and presented it as an example.

Rather than picking on the behavior or others, he seemed to recognize the value of devotion and service.

But he also brought up that death thing again. I’d heard him say it before, that he would die. I’d heard him say before that his mission and purpose in this world was the ‘suffer, die and on the third day rise again.’ I’d heard him teach that as the “Son of God,” he had a special purpose in his life and death.

What happened yesterday is still so very real. While others are plotting to put him to death, there I was showing my love and devotion. As I was sacrificing a very expensive bottle of perfume to anoint Jesus, he was preparing to make an even greater sacrifice – giving his life out of his love for the world. While I, in many ways, was acting like a common servant, Jesus was about to become the “suffering servant”, spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, the one who would suffer and die to serve the sentence of sin upon the world.

Dear Diary, I really don’t know the meaning of all of this.

Dear Diary, I’ll be back when I can make more sense out of it all.

Mary