nd being in
Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman
having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; ans she brake
the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some there that had
indignation within themselves, and said, "Why was this waste of ointment made?"
For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been
given to the poor, and they murmered against her. And Jesus said, "Let her
alone; why trouble ye her? She hath wrougth a good work on me. For ye have the
poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good; but me ye have
not always. She hath done what she could.; she is come aforehand to annoint my
body to the burying. 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." This anointing of Jesus is, 'by an express command of Jesus', to be recorded whenever the gospel is preached [Mt 26:13]. Therefore, because the only anointing Luke records is the one by that "woman of the city," we must conclude that this is the same anointing as we see recorded in the other gospels. Note what the other accounts add: The anointing is in the house of Simon the leper of Bethany and the box contained "very precious" ointment [Mt 26:6-13]. This anointing of Jesus is followed by Judas betraying Jesus, implying a direct link between the anointing and Judas' decision [Mt 26:14-15]. Mark adds the fact that this ointment in Simon's house was of a very precious substance called "Spikenard"; but someone complains, "Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more then 300 pence."[Mk 14:3-5] That equals a YEAR'S WAGES in those days, or several thousand dollars in modern terms, such as oil used to anoint someone KING. John, at last, completes the story: The woman who anoints Jesus is none other than Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. So the woman was named Mary after all. And because she and her sister are supposed to serve guests in this house, a house we can now identify as the house of Simon the Pharisee, a "leper", Simon perhaps is Cyrus the father of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, or perhaps Simon is Lazarus. Now it becomes clear why these three siblings are living in the same house; it is a family estate. We know that Lazarus is wealthy when we are told of the huge crowds that gather when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Bethany was on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives; prime real estate. Simon is a wealthy man who owns choice property near Jerusalem with a house big enough to sleep several adult men and women. It is his daughter who anoints Jesus with royal ointment, and his daughter who helps support Jesus and his apostles out of her means as Mary Magdalene.