When Jesus finished all these words, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that in two days’ time it will be Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and they consulted together to arrest Jesus by treachery and put him to death. 5 But they said, “Not during the festival, that there may not be a riot among the people.”
6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of costly perfumed oil, and poured it on his head while he was reclining at table. 8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and said, “Why this waste? 9 It could have been sold for much, and the money given to the poor.” 10 Since Jesus knew this, he said to them, “Why do you make trouble for the woman? She has done a good thing for me. 11 The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this perfumed oil upon my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Amen, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be spoken of, in memory of her.”
Jesus taught his disciples about faith, righteousness, the kingdom of heaven, and the end times in the previous chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, and he now forewarns his disciples that he was going to be “handed over” to be crucified at the Passover in two days. His crucifixion will be the fulfillment of the prophecy regarding his sacrifice for all mankind. The chief priests and elders assembled at the palace of the high priest Caiaphas, and they conspired to arrest Jesus by deceitful means and sentence him to death. However, they did not want to do so during the Passover festival due to concerns about potential unrest among the crowds who held Jesus in high esteem.
Jesus was in Bethany dining at the house of Simon who was previously known as the leper. Bethany was where Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, lived. A woman, traditionally identified as Mary the sister of Lazarus and Martha, anointed Jesus' head with costly perfumed oil while he was reclining at table. The disciples were indignant at the woman's action because they felt the oil could have been sold and the money used to provide for the poor. Jesus defended the woman’s actions and told the disciples that she had done a good thing for him. Poverty will always be in the world, but he will not always be with them. By anointing him she was preparing him for burial. Jesus was anticipating his crucifixion and burial. Jesus told his disciples that what the woman had done would have a lasting effect. Her story will be remembered and retold wherever the Gospel is proclaimed. The religious leaders' plot to kill Jesus was contrasted against the woman’s act of devotion, reverence, and adoration.
Almighty God, grant us the wisdom to understand the depth of love displayed in the actions of the woman who anointed Jesus with costly oil. Help us to recognize your presence in our lives and strengthen us on our journey of faith. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
__________________________________
References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
Comments