December 6, 2015 John 12:1-8
Download discussion questions: John 12_1-8 woman with perfume
Download discussion questions: John 12_1-8 woman with perfume (highlighted)
John’s record of Jesus’ visit to Bethany when He raised Lazarus from the dead includes a bit of foreshadowing. Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, is further identified as, “the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair” (John 11:2). Our discussion noted that this event must have been so well known that John’s readers would be able to identify this part of his narrative with the stories they had heard from oral tradition. One member had asked the very natural question, “Is this the same event that is recorded in other Gospel records?”
This week we addressed this question, as is usually our goal, by looking at the text of Scripture itself. Commentaries are useful and Bible footnotes can be helpful, but the text itself should always be our first source. What can we learn from the text before turning to opinions of commentators and editors?
The handout (“John 12:1-8 woman with perfume”) included the text from all four Gospels. The goal of our brief discussion time was to compare and contrast the four accounts. We began with a vote (not always the best approach to exegesis but interesting in a group discussion): Do the four accounts represent different reports of the same incident? OR do they describe two (or more) different but similar events? Somewhat to my surprise, the vote was one short of unanimous (I was the dissenting opinion) that there were at least two different occasions described by the different writers.
First, a word about “Why?” Why even have such a discussion? Is it important? Does it matter?
One reason to discuss the question is the attacks that some make on the reliability of the Bible. A discussion among lovers of truth and students of Scripture (a reasonable description of our group) is better than being confronted by a belligerent cynic smugly demonstrating “contradictions” or “errors” in the Bible. Our group may not be able to answer all the questions about this or any other passage in Scripture, but we wrestle with the questions enough to feel more confident in such a hostile confrontation. Another reason is our own confidence in the reliability of the Bible. We should never fear asking hard questions and being willing to discuss difficult issues.
Reading through the parallel accounts immediately reveals clear connections: Jesus at dinner, in Bethany (when a city is named), approached by a woman with expensive perfume who anoints Him, followed by various negative reactions by the dinner guests. So far so good. Differences between eye-witness accounts (or even accounts from oral traditions) are nothing surprising. However, the differences (that the cynic would instantly label as contradictions) are at least as numerous as the similarities: the host of the dinner party was Simon, described as a leper in two accounts, as a Pharisee in another, and unidentified in the fourth. The woman is unidentified in two accounts, labeled a sinner in one, and specified by name as Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha in the other. Did the woman anoint Jesus’ head (two accounts) or His feet (the other two accounts)? Was the discussion after the event about the woman’s poor economic decision, or was it about her moral reputation? (The handout “John 12:1-8 woman with perfume (highlighted)” may be helpful to see the similarities and differences in the passages.)
The differences in the four accounts might be explained by assuming different events. But two distinct events (or more?) that are so similar would also seem unusual, especially with no mention of the similar event by any of the writers (“..and then this woman anointed Jesus, like the other woman did…”).
One of the suggestions in our discussion divided the reports into two different events. Matthew, Mark, and John described a dinner in Bethany, at the home of Simon (the Leper), a neighbor of Lazarus’ family. Mary brought expensive perfume and anointed Jesus. On the other hand, in this interpretation, Luke describes a completely separate dinner at the home of a Pharisee. A woman with a questionable reputation comes in and anoints Jesus, much to the irritation of the host, who questions Jesus’ judgment as a result.
Even this separation into two incidents does not completely resolve the differences. Matthew and Mark say the unnamed woman anointed Jesus’ head. John says Mary anointed Jesus’ feet. One member of our group pointed out that all three of those reports include Jesus’ mention of His burial. Perhaps the woman (who John identifies as Mary) anointed both His head and feet, since the anointing for a burial would be more than just one or the other. Separating John’s account from Luke’s has the possible problem that those two alone (not Matthew and Mark) mention the woman wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair, a further detail that seems to link those two accounts together. Identifying John and Luke as accounts of the same incident involves the problem of the woman, a sinner, being identified with Mary. None of the other references to Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, suggest any such reputation.
One idea discussed in our group was that Luke’s description of the woman (Mary?) as a sinner was the Pharisee’s self-righteous opinion, especially any woman who would let down her hair in public and make contact with a man (Jesus) not her husband. That distinction is possible, but Luke says she was “a woman in the city who was a sinner,” and that description seems more than just the Pharisee’s opinion.
We discussed the contrast between the responses of others in the four accounts. Matthew, Mark, and John record the reaction of the disciples (“some” in Mark, and specifically Judas Iscariot in John). The extravagance of the woman was too much of a contrast to the poverty they met every day. Luke describes a very different scene. The Pharisee (their host) doesn’t appear concerned about the cost, perhaps an indication of his economic status, as well as his lack of concern for the poor. True to his pharisaical role, he is much more distressed by the character of the woman and Jesus’ apparent unconcern about uncleanness. The different descriptions could certainly result from two independent events. They could also describe two exchanges at the same event. Jesus responds to Simon’s preference of ceremony over devotion. He rebukes the disciples for their priority of economics over devotion. Simon and the disciples all miss the point of the woman’s commitment to Jesus. They put a higher value on other things, what C. S. Lewis described as “second things”[1] in contrast to the first thing of knowing Him. Whether the four Gospels describe one event or multiple events, Jesus consistently applies the priority of the true “first thing.”
The handout only included the immediate context of the story in each of the four Gospels. One member of our group pointed out the more extended story in Luke that reports, “Soon after [the anointing], He began going around from one city and village to another…” (Luke 8:1). Reconciling that continuing story with the other events of Holy Week (as indicated by John, “six days before Passover”) would be difficult. In addition, a bit further on in Luke’s account, the feeding of the five-thousand occurs after the anointing event (Luke 9:12). John describes that event earlier than the anointing (John 6:1). We discussed the fact that Biblical writers do not necessarily share our western, twenty-first century, post-Enlightenment emphasis for chronological sequence. We also noted that careful examination of the text (Observation before Interpretation) is always important to correct mistaken assumptions and first impressions. Matthew and Mark mention a specific time, two days before Passover (Matthew 26:1, Mark 14:1) while John’s account mentions six days (John 12:1). That would seem to be a clear indication of separate events (maybe three if Luke’s is still another). But John says Jesus “came to Bethany” six days before Passover. The dinner could have been days later, the same time described by Matthew and Mark. We often read a text once and form initial ideas that need to be re-examined by careful observation before moving to interpretation and application.
What conclusions can we draw from our discussion? Was it worthwhile, or was the hour spent in an entertaining academic discussion with little practical effect?
The four Gospels record different accounts of what may have been one occasion from a variety of viewpoints. The descriptions may have been of two (or more) very similar but separate events. But anyone who dismisses the reliability of the Bible because of “contradictions” or variations in these passages clearly has not given them much thought.
The four passages don’t carry a lot of theological “weight” in the sense of doctrinal definitions, but they do display aspects of the teaching and character of Jesus seen throughout the New Testament. Money, even used for good causes, is not the most important thing. Relationship with Him is. His sacrificial death was often in Jesus’ thoughts as He sees the woman’s action in the context of His imminent burial. Self-righteous judgment of others is never appropriate, especially when it undermines love and forgiveness. Our discussion, even in this unusual format, gave us the opportunity to see more of Jesus.
One member of the group was particularly drawn to Luke’s account. One event or two (or more) was not central. Rather, the clear picture of Pharisaical judgment in that account was what God had used years before to reveal, “I’m a Pharisee.” In whatever way the passages from the four different Evangelists fit together, God had used that particular account to begin a transformation in that person. Our discussion gave the rest of us in the group the opportunity to share in that story. Our discussion did indeed have several valuable outcomes.
Finally, one point we did not have time to discuss. In two of the accounts (Matthew and Mark) Jesus’ affirmation of the woman includes a prophecy: “Wherever the Gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.” For what it is worth, our discussion group was part of the fulfilment of that prophecy as we considered her actions. And so are you, reading these remarks.
[1] C. S. Lewis, “First and Second Things,” God in the Dock, Walter Hooper, ed. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), 278-281.