Matthew 26:7, commentary and pictures

At a feast for Jesus in Simon's house in Bethany in the closing days of His ministry, with Lazarus present and Martha serving, Mary brought an alabaster box of very precious spikenard worth three hundred pence and broke it and poured it on His head and body and feet as He reclined at meat. She did it quietly from deep love and gratitude for His forgiveness and mercy to her and her family, having heard Him speak of His approaching death, and so prepared His body for burial. Christ understood her motive and accepted and defended the deed as a good work done for Him, teaching that such willing love is fitting testimony to His worth and not waste. The disciples condemned it as waste, led by Judas whose plea for the poor was an excuse for covetousness and greed, and when Jesus reproved him his wounded pride and resentment opened the way for Satan and helped lead him to betray Jesus for money. Jesus declared the act would be told for a memorial wherever the gospel is preached, teaching that He is to be honored with the best and given first place and that love that willingly gives what is precious is joined with His own great sacrifice as a lesson for every age.

Setting and Anointing

The anointing took place at a feast prepared for Jesus in the house of Simon in Bethany during His last visit there in the closing days of His ministry. Simon had been healed of leprosy and hosted the feast from gratitude, having openly joined Jesus' followers. Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead, sat at table with them, Martha served, and many Jews were present watching Jesus closely amid growing excitement about His mission.

The woman was Mary, the penitent woman, the sister of Lazarus. Christ had forgiven her many sins, lifted her from despair and demonic control, and through His grace she had overcome to become His close disciple, learning from Him and serving Him. She listened to Jesus and felt gratitude for His mercy and for restoring her brother to life.

She brought an alabaster box of very precious ointment, spikenard worth three hundred pence, bought at great personal sacrifice to anoint His body after His death. She broke the box and poured it on His head as He reclined at meat, also upon His body and feet, and wiped His feet with her hair. The broken container released a fragrance that made her act known to everyone present.

She acted quietly, hoping to honor Jesus without drawing attention to herself. She believed reports that He would soon be honored as king in Jerusalem and would no longer be despised, rejected, or forced to flee. In love and gratitude she sought to honor Him first while she still could.

She had heard Jesus speak of His approaching death. Her act prepared His body for burial. He understood this and said the anointing was for His burial, as His death was near.

Love and Betrayal

Mary's pouring of the ointment on Jesus' head as He sat at meat was an outward expression of deep love, devotion, and gratitude for what He had done for her and her family, for His forgiveness of her many sins, His mercy, His service to others, His help to the poor, and His comfort to the oppressed. Christ had lifted her from despair and demonic control, and through His grace she had overcome to become His close disciple, learning from Him and serving Him, grateful also for restoring her brother Lazarus to life. Its value lay in the pure affection it expressed, given willingly without stopping to count the cost, and the greater its cost the more fully it expressed her gratitude. She used what she regarded as her own though it belonged to her only because it had first been Christ's, and she regretted that her gift was not richer and seemed feeble beside His boundless love.

Christ took her motive into consideration, understood and accepted the gift, and gave it unqualified approval as a good work done for Him and for His burial. He defended and commended her after she was condemned, teaching that her loving desire to serve Him as the world's Redeemer mattered more than the ointment itself. Visible acts of love and gratitude are fitting testimonies to His supreme worth, not waste, and love for Christ makes one willing to give what is precious rather than calculating a gift's monetary cost.

The disciples had indignation at the deed and condemned it as waste, led by Judas the traitor who cared not for the poor. They said the ointment might have been sold for much and given to the poor, and Judas was vexed both by the anointing and by Christ rebuking them for condemning the woman. The verse thus rebukes minds naturally inclined to question and criticize and condemn, like asking why wear a silk dress or why spend money for one worthy object instead of another.

Judas's appeal to care for the poor was an excuse for covetousness, avarice, selfish greed, and ambitious love of money, not concern for them. He coveted the money and imagined he could have managed it himself, was selfish and had taken money entrusted to him for the poor. He prized his Lord so little that he later sold Him for a few pieces of silver.

Until this anointing Judas had inwardly disagreed but made no open opposition, yet here he first murmured openly and manifested his covetous disposition. When Jesus reproved him and impliedly rebuked his covetous spirit, wounded pride and revenge broke down his restraint, his spirit turned to resentment and to gall, and greed long indulged took control and overpowered every other trait. The love of money had perverted the nobler nature of Judas.

Judas let that rebuke deepen his resentment, which prepared the way for Satan's temptation to find a ready place and contributed to his betrayal of Jesus for money. The account illustrates that persisting in tampering with sin and leaving depravity unresisted makes a person vulnerable to temptation and captive to Satan's will until the soul is led captive at his will. A small indulged deviation grows until it leads to appropriating sacred trust and blindness to consequences, and exposes a parsimonious spirit that treats saving as godliness, with ambitious love of money, avarice, and selfish greed.

When Judas decided to sell his Master to the murderous priests and rulers he had no thought that Jesus would permit Himself to be taken, but thought the priests would be cheated of their bribe, he would secure the money to use for some purpose of his own, and Jesus would have a new opportunity to display divine power in delivering Himself from His enemies.

Memorial and Giving

Jesus declared the anointing a good work that would be told for a memorial of her wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world. Its memory has inspired many to serve others and has prompted countless deeds of love through the centuries, showing that even one act can have widespread influence. Mary will rejoice when she sees the good her gift has produced.

The act teaches that Christ is to be honored with the best of one's possessions and given first place, and that care for the poor must not cause neglect of God's cause. Although the ointment could have been sold to provide food and clothing briefly for a few destitute people, Mary would have lost her one opportunity to minister to her Lord and show her love for Him. Faithful stewards can do both, but they are not to direct all their labor and gifts to the poor and must also support those carrying out His commission to preach the gospel to everyone.

Christ joined her sacrifice of love with His own, the greatest sacrifice the world has known, as a lesson for the church in every age. Her loving desire to serve Him as the world's Redeemer mattered more to Him than the ointment itself, and visible acts of love and gratitude are fitting expressions of His supreme worth. Calculating a gift's monetary cost under pretense of helping the poor is less valuable than love for Christ that willingly gives what is precious.