Doing What We Can (Mark 14:3-9)

In this chapter we are in the last week of Jesus’ life, and this incident occurred while he was staying at Bethany. We know that he went to Bethany on every evening apart from the last evening when he went to the garden of Gethsemane, and there he was arrested. This incident in Bethany, according to the Gospel of John, took place on the day before Palm Sunday, which means that it took place on the Saturday, which was the Sabbath Day. This was the last Sabbath that Jesus would enjoy before his death. No doubt, he would have been to the synagogue and now he was in the home of his friends. But here we have an example of how to keep the Sabbath, of having fellowship with the Lord and his people.

John tells us it was the home where Martha, Mary and Lazarus stayed. But Mark tells us the home belonged to Simon the leper, who was probably their father. Mark does not say if Simon was there on this occasion. If he was still a leper, he would not have been there, and if he was there, it means that he would have been cured of his leprosy, probably by Jesus. Maybe that was how his friendship with the family began. If that were the case, they would have been very grateful to Jesus for such grace. And if Jesus had healed him, it would mean that the family had experienced two miracles by Jesus because he also raised Lazarus from the dead. Of course, the family had experienced more miracles than that, and even greater miracles than them, because the three siblings themselves had experienced regeneration. They were spiritually alive.

We can imagine the pleasure that the family would have had in being able to host Jesus and his friends. It would be the perfect kind of day, anticipating and appreciating the delights of his company. No doubt, when he was there at other times, they would have heard wonderful things from his lips, and no doubt the same occurred during this time. How happy those occasions would have been!

It is worth asking why Mark chooses to relate this incident along with what happened on the evening when Jesus was arrested. Mark is not saying that it happened on that day, but he is contrasting what happened in Bethany a few days previously with what happened in the heart of Judas. It was this incident that caused him to decide to betray Jesus, and he planned with the Jewish hierarchy for that to happen. The initial decision he made took place during that happy Sabbath gathering in Bethany. So while it was a delightful day for some, it was a disastrous day for him.

The action (v. 3)

The action of Mary was public. There was no obvious demand that she should have done it in front of others. Yet she wanted to do it in front of them, that they would all see her action. That aspect tells us something about her desire.

Moreover, the action of Mary was personal – she gave to Jesus something that was hers as an individual. How many others in the room would have been able to give this particular item to Jesus? Maybe Martha had something similar among her possessions. Mary did not want to give similar to others, though. She wanted to give to Jesus something that was unique to her.

The gift that she gave was pricey. Mark tells us it was pure nard, and scholars tell us that it came from a far distant country, perhaps even from India. Perhaps she had bought it, or maybe someone had given it to her. But it cost her something to use it in the way she did when she anointed Jesus.   

This gift of Mary’s was pertinent because of what it meant to her. Why did she have this nard in her house? The suggestion has been made that it was a form of security, a way of having something that she could sell in the future to provide for herself. In those days, people did not have savings in banks. Their security was in the form of expensive items kept in their homes or even buried somewhere. With her action, Mary was saying that somehow Jesus was her security, that because he was there, she did not need to depend on nard in the future, even if it was very valuable.

The gift of Mary’s was particular for Jesus. They as a family had given him something already in the sense that they had hosted Jesus and his friends. But in her heart was a desire to do something for the Lord himself, an expression of her love for him. She was deliberate in how she went about it. Mark says that she anointed his head and John says that she also anointed his feet and wiped them with her hair. Can we do something only for Jesus? What can we give him? I suppose the only thing we can give him is time.

And we can see from his response that her action pleased the Saviour. He was delighted with what she had done, even although it reminded him of his imminent death. It is challenging for us to realise that this was the case. It is a great matter to please the Lord with our actions, even although we are sinners.

The assessment (vv. 4-5)

Mary’s action of love really annoyed the disciples of Jesus. They regarded it as a complete waste and told her so. They were critical of her and calculating about her wasted possession as they saw it. From one point of view they knew what she had done because they were able to calculate its worth. A denarii was worth a day’s wages, so she had poured on the head of Jesus the annual salary of a Jewish worker. Yet they framed their criticism in a religious statement by mentioning that the ointment could have been sold and the money given to the poor. They could talk about charity, but what had they given to Jesus? John tells us that Judas instigated the criticism, but he was not the only critic.

How do disciples get into such a state of soul that they cannot tell when another believer is expressing her love to the Lord? To find an answer to that question, we need to ask what was on their minds at the time. We know from other parts of the gospels that they were not listening to what Jesus had been saying. He had told them repeatedly that he was going to Jerusalem to die for them, but they refused to accept such a possibility. And if we don’t listen to Jesus and what he says, what effect does that have on one’s perception? They were not prepared to accept the truth about Jesus and that affected their understanding of her action. We might regard that explanation as simplistic, yet it is the case that not listening to God in his word will affect how we judge the actions of others.

The appreciation (vv. 6-8)

We can see that the Saviour defended Mary for her action. In what ways did he do so? First, he revealed his evaluation of what she had done – he regarded it as beautiful. Obviously, it was beautiful because it was an expression of her love. But did Jesus see something else behind her action, which was the secret enabling of the Holy Spirit working in the heart of Mary? After all, any good activity comes from him. He did not guide the response of the disciples to her action, even although their words were pious. But he did lead Mary in her desire to express the strength of her love.

Second, he reminded the disciples that they could give to the poor at any time, but there are occasions when if something is not done the opportunity will never come again. The fact that there are numerous occasions to do the obvious is not argument against the spontaneous expression of love.

Third, Jesus revealed his assessment in that he knew that she had done what she could, which is an interesting way of describing her action. He did not say that she had done what she should have done. When someone only does what they should, there is a difference because it can indicate that one does the minimum required legalistically. She gave what she was able to give and for that Jesus commends her.

Fourth, Jesus also revealed why she did it. Her action was caused by her knowledge of his imminent death and burial. How did she know that he was going to die? Because she had sat at his feet and listened to what he had said would happen to him. No one else in the room realised that his death was soon. But Mary did, and Jesus knew why. He noted not only her extravagance, but also he saw her perception. What she did was not only a loving action, but it was also a very intelligent action in a spiritual sense.

It is extraordinary that Jesus, although he was crucified, experienced two bodily anointments. One was what Mary did in this incident and the other was what Joseph and Nicodemus did when they took down the body of Jesus. There was a sense in which Jesus did not need to be anointed because his body was not going to see any corruption even after he died. Jesus does not need us to do anything for him, but it delights him when his people do. Mary’s action gave him great gladness as he saw the evidence of the work of divine grace in her heart.

The announcement (v. 9)

It is unusual to be in a place where a prediction is fulfilled. Jesus predicted that the story of Mary would be told wherever the gospel is proclaimed. That prediction is fulfilled in our gathering today. Who can tell the number of times that her response had been recounted!  Why should it be so suitable for retelling? Surely one reason must be that her response to the sacrifice of Jesus is the ideal response, to do something that makes it very clear that a sinner loves his or her Saviour, that no attempt is made to hide the strength of her devotion and appreciation.

Application

Several applications no doubt can be made. One is the question, ‘How much do we think Jesus is worth?’ In his chapter, Mark contrasts the valuation of Mary and the valuation of the Sanhedrin who gave to Judas thirty pieces of silver, an evaluation that brought infamy on his memory and indicated that he did not think much of Jesus. But Mary’s valuation of Jesus indicated that he meant everything to her.

A second question that arises is, ‘How sweet is our worship to Jesus?’ The sacrifices of the Old Testament were sometimes described as having a sweet-smelling aroma. Such sweet worship only comes from a heart fully devoted to Jesus. Mary was a sinner, but she was a sinner who revealed that she valued the Saviour.

A third question that comes to mind is, ‘What do we do in order to give a clear witness to Jesus and his death?’ It may be hard for us to imagine it, but nobody else at that gathering in the house of Simon was interested in the death of Jesus. Mary’s action informed them of what she thought of his death, and she bore witness to it. Even as he did with her to those who misunderstood her action, he ensured that they did understand why she did it. There is no reason to think that he will not do the same in a similar situation involving ourselves if we draw attention to his death. He knows how to use our witness in a suitable manner.