6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon
the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very
costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the
table. 8
But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why
this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much
and given to the poor.” 10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to
them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do
not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it
for My burial. 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is
preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a
memorial to her.”
Commentary
Vs. 6-7 6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.
During the finial week leading up to Lord’s betrayal and death, Jesus visits the house of Simon the leper. During which time a woman came to Him with a very costly alabaster flask of fragrant oil and anointed His head with the oil, while Jesus is sitting at the table with His disciples. Now the unnamed woman here is told to be Mary the sister of Martha in John’s Gospel (see John 12:1-11). Now the significance of this event is several, for as the Lord Jesus will later defend her actions, saying that she has done this as anointing His body for burial, so the breaking of the alabaster flask with the fragrant oil symbolizes the exceedingly high value of the Lord Jesus Christ’s own body which will be broken for us all. And like with the breaking of the alabaster flask which then realised the beautiful fragrance of the oil, so the Lord Jesus Christ’s broken body will be the cause for the fragrance of God through His Holy Spirit to be poured out on believers everywhere, anointing them not for burial, but now because of Christ death, burial and Resurrection from the dead and Ascension back to heaven, for new and everlasting life!
Vs. 8-9 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”
However, when the disciples saw what she (i.e. Martha) had done for Him they were indignant because they did not understand the significance of her doing so, therefore they only saw a “waste” because as they reasoned the costly flask could’ve been sold for much and the proceeds given to the poor (vs.9). Now in Johns Gospel we are told that it was Judas Iscariot who complained and reasoned thus about this, not that he cared about the poor, but that he kept the money box and used to take what was inside it for himself (John 12:4-6). And so, he must have been the one who moved the disciples to feel such things against her by saying as much to them about her. Therefore, though their indignation at her initially seems justified, Jesus Himself will intercede for her, because He knew why she did it, and what significance and purpose it was to serve in anointing His body for burial. For it seems that the disciples had still not wrapped their heads around the fact that what the Lord Jesus had told them about His Crucifixion death was indeed beginning to now unfold, and was most soon to take place. Therefore, only Martha herself had come to see that what the Lord Jesus Christ had said about His own Crucifixion death was now at hand. She then had gone from being a carnally minded disciple, who was too often concerned with the daily affairs of this life (see Luke 10:38-42), to one who now had great Spiritual eyes and insights into her Lord’s Words and actions.
Vs. 10-13 10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
Immediately then the Lord Jesus comes to her defense saying to the disciples, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.” vs.10 Now in saying that they have poor always, but Me you do not have (vs. 11), the Lord Jesus is not discounting the importance of ministering to the poor, rather He is redirecting their focus right back on Himself where it should be, because as He had been saying to them all His departure from them is at hand. Therefore, Jesus now tells them that what she did to Him in pouring the fragrant oil on Him she did it in preparing His body for burial (vs. 12). For she alone understood the significance of what the Lord Jesus Christ was preparing Himself and His disciples to go through. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ now says that in her honoring Him in this way for His burial, that wherever this Gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her (vs. 13). What then are we doing to prepare for the Lord Jesus Christ’s return? Will it be retold and rewarded by the Lord, or will it be forgotten?
Scripture Quotations:
Commentary
Vs. 6-7 6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.
During the finial week leading up to Lord’s betrayal and death, Jesus visits the house of Simon the leper. During which time a woman came to Him with a very costly alabaster flask of fragrant oil and anointed His head with the oil, while Jesus is sitting at the table with His disciples. Now the unnamed woman here is told to be Mary the sister of Martha in John’s Gospel (see John 12:1-11). Now the significance of this event is several, for as the Lord Jesus will later defend her actions, saying that she has done this as anointing His body for burial, so the breaking of the alabaster flask with the fragrant oil symbolizes the exceedingly high value of the Lord Jesus Christ’s own body which will be broken for us all. And like with the breaking of the alabaster flask which then realised the beautiful fragrance of the oil, so the Lord Jesus Christ’s broken body will be the cause for the fragrance of God through His Holy Spirit to be poured out on believers everywhere, anointing them not for burial, but now because of Christ death, burial and Resurrection from the dead and Ascension back to heaven, for new and everlasting life!
Vs. 8-9 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”
However, when the disciples saw what she (i.e. Martha) had done for Him they were indignant because they did not understand the significance of her doing so, therefore they only saw a “waste” because as they reasoned the costly flask could’ve been sold for much and the proceeds given to the poor (vs.9). Now in Johns Gospel we are told that it was Judas Iscariot who complained and reasoned thus about this, not that he cared about the poor, but that he kept the money box and used to take what was inside it for himself (John 12:4-6). And so, he must have been the one who moved the disciples to feel such things against her by saying as much to them about her. Therefore, though their indignation at her initially seems justified, Jesus Himself will intercede for her, because He knew why she did it, and what significance and purpose it was to serve in anointing His body for burial. For it seems that the disciples had still not wrapped their heads around the fact that what the Lord Jesus had told them about His Crucifixion death was indeed beginning to now unfold, and was most soon to take place. Therefore, only Martha herself had come to see that what the Lord Jesus Christ had said about His own Crucifixion death was now at hand. She then had gone from being a carnally minded disciple, who was too often concerned with the daily affairs of this life (see Luke 10:38-42), to one who now had great Spiritual eyes and insights into her Lord’s Words and actions.
Vs. 10-13 10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
Immediately then the Lord Jesus comes to her defense saying to the disciples, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.” vs.10 Now in saying that they have poor always, but Me you do not have (vs. 11), the Lord Jesus is not discounting the importance of ministering to the poor, rather He is redirecting their focus right back on Himself where it should be, because as He had been saying to them all His departure from them is at hand. Therefore, Jesus now tells them that what she did to Him in pouring the fragrant oil on Him she did it in preparing His body for burial (vs. 12). For she alone understood the significance of what the Lord Jesus Christ was preparing Himself and His disciples to go through. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ now says that in her honoring Him in this way for His burial, that wherever this Gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her (vs. 13). What then are we doing to prepare for the Lord Jesus Christ’s return? Will it be retold and rewarded by the Lord, or will it be forgotten?
Scripture Quotations:
The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson
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