“Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it upon His head as He reclined at the table” (Matthew 26:6-7). This act would have been considered truly reverent to people with a proper heart. Indeed, the woman does not seem to have an ulterior motive behind her deed, but simply desires to honor Christ in the best way she can. If this was a very expensive bottle of perfuming agent, then it would have been quite a financial sacrifice to pour the entire bottle upon one man’s head.

All They Saw Was “Waste”

It is for this reason the disciples chide her, saying, “Why this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor” (26:8-9). To the disciples this was an appropriate response to the situation. Somebody without a mind for spiritual matters would not have seen the reverence for Christ, the honor bestowed on Him, or the deep sense of humility embodied in the woman. All the disciples saw was a waste of good perfume! In fact, should we take the verse at face value, it seems that the disciples may have even been a little jealous of the piety of this woman – they had followed Jesus for years, forsaking everything they had, and yet Jesus allows this strange woman to adorn Him with perfume, accepting her honor as if she had been a disciple all her life! Consider this:

  • The disciples viewed the deed as a “waste.” How do we view the service of other people?
  • Do we ever become indignant when we learn that somebody else at church puts more in the collection plate on Sunday than we do?
  • Do we become jealous when another Christian is always praying, and yet we shirk our prayers?
  • Do we become annoyed with people who we consider too “preachy”?
  • Also remember that there are many activities or choices that are morally neutral – but that we might not agree with. We need to be careful not to “tear down” other Christians over matters that we might not personally understand or agree with (Romans 14:19-20). This includes practicing certain holidays, deciding whether to homeschool or public school, apparel standards that are not defined by the Bible, vegetarianism, etc. If the woman in our story wanted to use her perfume on Jesus, it was her decision, and she stands or falls before God alone (Romans 14:22).

The disciples mocked the worship of this woman because they thought she was going overboard. But is it possible to sacrifice too much for Christ? Is it possible to reach a point where our worship is just a waste? How shameful it is that so many people feel like they do not owe Christ everything they have, and get indignant over a bottle of perfume! “Here is a question for you: Is it possible to be too excited about Jesus? (Are you personally in any danger of that?) Possible to go off the deep end and think about Him overmuch? To rejoice beyond propriety? To talk about Him as freely as a football game? To have an almost giddy confidence in what He will do next? To fast and pray for deeper life with Him? To be overly preoccupied with evangelism?” (“Won’t Let You Go Unless You Bless Me”, Seu, World Magazine, p. 105). It is not often enough that I encounter Christians who are joyful fanatics for Christ. Not that we should all start painting our faces like spectators at a football game, but it seems like we get so excited about everything in our lives but Christ! We can talk about sports for hours, attend conventions for hobbies we love, make time for a game show every night, and gaze endlessly at a picture of a new boyfriend or girlfriend – why do we not obsess about God? Not only does the Bible command a love for God that transcends and surpasses all other loves (Luke 14:26), it also teaches the unlimited nature of other virtues and acts as well:

  • Prayer: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
  • Joy: “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16).
  • Gratitude: “In everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
  • Spiritual discernment: “Examine everything carefully” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
  • Morality: “Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
  • The Fruit of the Spirit: “Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:23).
  • Evangelism: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15).

For She Has Done A Good Deed

“But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me’” (26:10). Is there ever a time that our Lord is unaware of the attitudes and thoughts in our hearts? Never, and it is for this reason that Jesus saw right through their words and into the rotten motives within them. When there are people around us who are getting involved with serving the Lord – in teaching Bible studies, volunteering to help out at church, perfecting their skills at leading songs, etc. – let us never act like these disciples. In the end, it is a disservice to everybody when we try to stop others from doing good deeds in the name of Christ.

Is It Genuine Concern Over the Poor?

“For the poor you have with you always; but you do not always have Me” (26:11). This is the reasoning behind Jesus’ decision not to interfere with the woman’s activities, and is a quote from Deuteronomy 15:11, which says, “For the poor will never cease to be in your land.” As this is an oft-misunderstood verse, let us consider the point that our Lord is trying to make. At that time, the problem of poverty was rampant and overwhelming. It was pervasive and would continue to be a problem in the world – even to this day poverty strikes many countries. But the life of Jesus was short and limited. What Jesus is trying to tell His disciples is that there will always be an opportunity to help the poor, as we ought to! But the opportunity to give honor to Jesus Christ in person would only last so long. For just a few short years, people could speak to Jesus, listen to Him, touch Him, be healed by Him, and give Him gifts. He even said of Himself, “For a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you” (John 12:35). The difference between the woman and the disciples in this text is that the woman has her mind focused on Christ, and not on things of this world.

Besides, would it be totally out of character for at least one of the disciples to have a feigned concern over the poor? Was it a totally genuine question? In another incident similar to this one, presumably at the home of Lazarus in Bethany, Judas voiced his concern over the whole matter. “Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer from what was put into it” (John 12:1-8). Obviously, not every disciple was so tainted in spirit as Judas, but could at least a semblance of this attitude have persisted with some of the others?

One writer puts it well as he explains, “In Mary’s deed they could discern only a lavish expenditure typical in conscienceless prodigality, quite uncharacteristic of godly people responsible for every penny God entrusts to them. But is whatever anyone spends for Jesus really squandered or lost? Great faith, judged by the external manifestations it motivates, may seem a waste, something extra or calculable only in terms of loss. But in terms of true stewardship, the objecting Judas, and others like him, is exposed for the diabolical hypocrisy it was: he considered 300 denarii too much to spend for Jesus’ luxury, but was willing to accept just under half that amount for Jesus’ life (30 pieces of silver only equal 120 denarii!)” (Matthew Vol. IV, Bible Study Textbook, Fowler, p. 632).

  • As an aside, there is much debate whether or not the stories in Matthew 26, Mark 14 and John 12 are in reference to the same event. They take place in the same city, around the same time period. But looking strictly at the material as it is presented, some details do not appear to line up. In Matthew’s account which takes place at Simon the Leper’s house, the woman is unnamed and pours the perfume on His head, anointing Him. John states that Lazarus’ sister Mary comes to Jesus and anoints His feet, washing them with her hair. Even if the details of who, when, and where were somehow reconciled, the acts have significantly different meanings in terms of what they represent. One is an act of anointing, representing the Lord’s imminent triumph over death, the other is an act of service which Jesus duplicates in John 13:1ff. It is my belief that they are referring to two separate, though strikingly similar, events. Much evidence exists, additionally, that the anointing of Jesus by a woman who was a sinner in Galilee (Luke 7:36ff) was also a separate incident. There are thematic elements (as well as chronology and geography) which cannot be ignored.

To Prepare Me for Burial

“For when she poured this perfume upon My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial” (26:12). Again, Jesus makes it clear that He would be dying very soon. Soon enough, in fact, that it was not unreasonable for this woman to begin anointing Him with preparatory perfumes. The manner with which the Jews took care of dead bodies involved many acts of preparation before burial. Among these acts would be anointing the body with spices and oils meant for preservation.

  • It is unclear whether or not the woman knew the significance of her deed, but it seems to me that she did – otherwise, Jesus would not have stated His response as, “She did it”. If this is the case, it is fascinating that the woman seems to have a better understanding about the impending death of Jesus than His disciples. The fact that she was no close, personal friend of the human Jesus may have been a blessing for this reason: she was not attached to the physical person of Jesus of Nazareth and, therefore, did not have a hard time letting Him go. The disciples, on the other hand, are unwilling to accept the inevitable fate and expend their energy arguing with Jesus about His death (Matthew 16:22).

“Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be spoken of in memory of her” (26:13). And thus it has come true. How many people in the history of this world have their names in the Bible? Relatively speaking, only a miniscule number of people ever got to be mentioned in the Word of God, so what an honor it is for this unnamed woman to have such glory laid upon her by our Lord.