Jesus' Anointing

Steph did such a good job sharing her thoughts about the story of the anointing of Jesus in Sunday morning’s Livestream (4th July). Thank you Steph. (If you missed it, take a moment to listen to the podcast now. )

She encouraged us to think about what God might be saying to us through this incredibly extravagant act of devotion in pouring expensive perfume over Jesus. As we do that I’m sure God will speak to us. I decided to read the story in each of the Gospels, and I made an interesting discovery. It would seem that Jesus was anointed on 3 separate occasions!

Let me first encourage you to take some time and read all 4 passages for yourself and see if you come to the same conclusion as me. They are found in:

• Matthew 26 : 6-13

• Mark 14 : 3-9

• Luke 7 : 36-50

• John 12 : 1-11

My thoughts

For me, there are a number of similarities, and a number of significant differences in detail.

Firstly, the passage in Matthew and Mark are almost identical and we can quite safely assume that they are recording the same incident.

The significant points to draw out from both accounts are:

• It occurred in Bethany

• It was at the house of Simon the leper (‘who had previously had leprosy’)

• It was an alabaster jar of perfume

• Jesus’ head was anointed, not his feet

• The previous verses in both accounts refer to 2 days before the Passover, after the entry into Jerusalem

• Several of the disciples objected to the ‘waste of perfume’

Now let’s look at Luke’s account. The significant points to note here are:

• It was in the house of Simon the Pharisee

• It occurred whilst John the Baptist was still alive (Luke 7 : 8)

• The woman was referred to as ‘a sinful woman’ (probably a prostitute)

• It was an alabaster jar of perfume

• The woman was behind Jesus

• She wet his feet with her tears first, then dried them with her hair, then anointed them with perfume

• Jesus forgave her sins

• No comments were made about the use of expensive perfume

Now let’s look at the account in John. The significant points to note here are:

• It occurred in Bethany

• It was at the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus

• It was 6 days before the Passover, before the entry into Jerusalem

• It was Mary who anointed Jesus

• She anointed his feet and wiped them with her hair

• Only Judas objected to the waste of perfume

My conclusion

I would like to suggest that Jesus was actually anointed on 3 occasions.

The first occasion was early in Jesus’ ministry when John the Baptist was still alive, when Jesus was anointed by a ‘sinful woman’ in the home of Simon the Pharisee, as recorded by Luke.

The second occasion was 6 days before the Passover, before Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem when his feet were anointed by Mary, in her home, as recorded by John.

The third occasion was 2 days before the Passover, after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, in the home of Simon the healed leper (not Simon the Pharisee!), when Jesus’s head was anointed, as recorded in both Matthew and Mark.

Although there are many similarities in each story, there are enough significant details to bring me to this conclusion.

Any comments/responses are very welcome.

I loved Steph’s reflections on when Jesus was walking to the cross, having already been tortured and beaten, and knowing that He was now facing crucifixion. He could, more than likely, have smelt the perfume that He had been anointed with, only days earlier. (Particularly if, as I have suggested, He had been anointed twice in the previous week!) He was fully aware of how costly that act of devotion was, and it would have reminded Him afresh of just why He was going to the cross, to show the ultimate act of love and devotion by laying down His life and paying the penalty for our sin. Hallelujah.