Charles Ellicott Commentary Mark 14

After two days was the feast of the passover.—See Notes on Matthew 26:1-5. Better, was the passover, and the feast of unleavened bread. The latter designation is common to St. Mark and St. Luke, as an explanation intended for Gentile readers. The same fact accounts, perhaps, for the omission by both of the name of Caiaphas as the chief mover in the scheme.

And being in Bethany.—See Notes on Matthew 26:6-13.

Ointment of spikenard.—The Greek word translated this way is, as the various renderings in the margin show, of uncertain meaning. It is used by Saint John (John 12:3) in his account of the same events.

She brake the box.—As in the “breaking through” the roof in Mark 2:4, this vivid detail that brings the manner of the act distinctly before our eyes is found in Saint Mark only. The Greek word implies not so much the breaking of the neck of the costly jar or flask, but rather crushing it entirely with both her hands.

There were some that had indignation.—Note St. Mark’s limitation of the murmurers to “some,” as an intermediate stage between St. Matthew’s “the disciples” and St. John’s naming “Judas.”

For more than three hundred pence.—The specific mention of the sum, not given by St. Matthew, is one of the few points common to St. Mark and St. John (John 12:5).

She hath wrought a good work on me.—“Good” in the sense of “noble,” as implying the higher form of goodness. The use of the word here is peculiar to St. Mark.