Church Fathers Commentary Mark 14:3-9

"And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster cruse of ointment of pure nard very costly; [and] she brake the cruse, and poured it over his head. But there were some that had indignation among themselves, [saying], To what purpose hath this waste of the ointment been made? For this ointment might have been sold for above three hundred shillings, and given to the poor. And they murmured against her. But Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor always with you, and whensoever ye will ye can do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could; she hath anointed my body beforehand for the burying. And verily I say unto you, Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her." — Mark 14:3-9 (ASV)

The Venerable Bede: When the Lord was about to suffer for the whole world and redeem all nations with His blood, He was staying in Bethany, which means "house of obedience."

Therefore, it is said, And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman.

Pseudo-Jerome: For the fawn among the stags always returns to its resting place; that is, the Son, obedient to the Father even to the point of death, seeks obedience from us.

The Venerable Bede: He is called "Simon the leper" not because he was still a leper at that time, but because, having once been one, he was healed by our Savior. His former name is kept so that the power of the Healer may be made manifest.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Although all four Evangelists record an anointing by a woman, there were two different women, not one. One is described by John as the sister of Lazarus; it was she who anointed the feet of Jesus six days before the Passover. The other is described by the other three Evangelists.

Indeed, if you examine the accounts closely, you will find there were three. One is described by John, another by Luke, and a third by the other two. The one in Luke's account is called a sinner and came to Jesus during His preaching ministry. The other, described by Matthew and Mark, came at the time of the Passion, and she is not described as having been a sinner.

St. Augustine of Hippo: However, I think it can mean nothing other than that the sinner who came to the feet of Jesus was the same Mary who did this on two occasions. The first time, as Luke relates, was when she came with humility and tears and earned the remission of her sins. John also refers to this when, before speaking of the raising of Lazarus, he says, It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick (John 11:2). ¹

The act she performed again at Bethany is a different one, unrecorded by Luke but mentioned similarly by the other three Evangelists. Therefore, since Matthew and Mark say the Lord's head was anointed by the woman while John says it was His feet, we must understand that both His head and His feet were anointed.

Someone fond of arguing might deny this, pointing out that Mark says she broke the box to anoint His head, and so nothing could have remained to anoint His feet. A more devout person, however, will contend that it was not broken in such a way that everything poured out, or else that the feet were anointed before it was broken, leaving enough in the unbroken box to anoint the head.

The Venerable Bede: Alabaster is a type of white marble, veined with various colors, which is often hollowed out for ointment boxes because it is best for keeping such substances from spoiling. Nard is an aromatic shrub with a large, thick root that is short, black, and brittle. Though oily, it smells like cypress, has a sharp taste, and has small, dense leaves. Its tops spread out like ears of grain. Because its gift is twofold, perfumers highly value both the spikes and the leaves of the nard. This is what Mark means by "spikenard very precious"—the ointment Mary brought for the Lord was not made merely from the root of the nard. Instead, what made it more precious was that the addition of the spikes and leaves enhanced the pleasantness of its scent and its quality.

Theophylact of Ohrid, Matthew 26:2: Or, as it is said in Greek, it was pistic nard, that is, "faithful," because the nard ointment was made faithfully and was genuine.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It may appear to be a contradiction that Matthew and Mark mention Jesus was in Bethany for the anointing after they refer to "two days before the Passover," while John says Jesus came to Bethany six days before the feast (John 12:1). But those who are troubled by this are not aware that Matthew and Mark do not place the anointing immediately after the "two days" reference. Instead, they include it by way of summary, referring back to the time when there were still six days until the Passover. ²

Pseudo-Jerome: In a mystical sense, Simon the leper represents the world, first unbelieving and later converted. The woman with the alabaster box represents the faith of the Church, which says, My nard gives forth its fragrance. It is called pistic nard, meaning "faithful" and precious. The house filled with the fragrance is heaven and earth.

The broken alabaster box is carnal desire, which is broken at the Head, from whom the whole body is framed together. This happens while He was reclining—that is, humbling Himself—so that the faith of the sinner might be able to reach Him. For by faith, she went up from the feet to the head, and down from the head to the feet—that is, to Christ and to His members.

The passage continues: And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?

By the rhetorical figure of synecdoche, one is put for many, and many for one. For it is the lost Judas who sees loss in an act of salvation; thus, in the fruitful vine, the snare of death arises. Under the cover of his greed, however, the mystery of faith speaks. Our faith is bought for three hundred pence, representing our ten senses (the ten denarii)—our inward and outward senses—which are then multiplied by three for our body, soul, and spirit.

The Venerable Bede: And when it says, And they murmured against her, we must not understand this to be said about the faithful Apostles, but rather to refer to Judas, who is mentioned in the plural.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, it seems fittingly implied that many disciples murmured against the woman because they had often heard our Lord speak about almsgiving. Judas, however, was indignant for a different reason: his love of money and sordid gain. This is why John records him alone as accusing the woman with deceitful intent.

But the text says, "They murmured against her," meaning that they troubled her with rebukes and harsh words. Then our Lord reproves His disciples for obstructing the woman's intention.

Therefore, the passage continues: And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? For after she had brought her gift, they tried to stop her with their rebukes.

Origen of Alexandria: For they were grieved at the waste of the ointment, which could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor. This, however, should not have been their response, for it was right that it should be poured over the head of Christ in a holy and fitting stream. Therefore, it continues, She hath wrought a good work on me. ³

The praise for this good work is so effective that it ought to inspire all of us to fill the head of the Lord with fragrant and rich offerings, so that it may be said of us that we have done a good work for the head of the Lord.

For as long as we remain in this life, we always have the poor with us, who need the care of those who have progressed in the word and are enriched in the wisdom of God. However, we are not always able, day and night, to have the Son of God with us—that is, the Word and Wisdom of God.

For it continues: For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.

The Venerable Bede: To me, He seems to be speaking of His physical presence, meaning that He would by no means be with them after His Resurrection in the same way He was then, living with them in all familiarity.

Pseudo-Jerome: He also says, She hath wrought a good work on me, for whoever believes on the Lord, it is counted to him for righteousness. For it is one thing to believe Him, and another to believe on Him—that is, to cast ourselves entirely upon Him.

It continues: She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.

The Venerable Bede: It is as if the Lord said, "What you think is a waste of ointment is the preparation for my burial."

Theophylact of Ohrid: For She is come aforehand, as though led by God, to anoint my body as a sign of my approaching burial. By this, He confounds the traitor, as if to say, "With what conscience can you rebuke the woman who anoints my body for burial, and not rebuke yourself, who will deliver me to death?"

But the Lord makes a twofold prophecy: one, that the Gospel will be preached over the whole world, and another, that the deed of this woman will be praised.

Therefore, it continues: Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

The Venerable Bede: Observe also that just as Mary won glory throughout the world for the service she rendered to the Lord, so, on the contrary, the one who was bold enough to rebuke her service is held in infamy far and wide. But the Lord, in giving the good their due praise, has passed over in silence the future shame of the wicked.

1. de Con. Evan., ii, 79
2. de Con. Evan. ii, 78
3. on Matthew, 35