St Mark Chapter XIV : Verses 1-11
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| Let her alone ... She hath wrought a good work upon me.d J-J Tissot |
[2] But they said: Not on the festival day, lest there should be a tumult among the people.
[3] And when he was in Bethania, in the house of Simon the leper, and was at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of precious spikenard: and breaking the alabaster box, she poured it out upon his head.
[4] Now there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said: Why was this waste of the ointment made?
[5] For this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
[6] But Jesus said: Let her alone, why do you molest her? She hath wrought a good work upon me.
[7] For the poor you have always with you: and whensoever you will, you may do them good: but me you have not always.
[8] She hath done what she could: she is come beforehand to anoint my body for burial.
[9] Amen, I say to you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, that also which she hath done, shall be told for a memorial of her.
[10] And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests, to betray him to them.
[11] Who hearing it were glad; and they promised him they would give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
[1] Erat autem Pascha et azyma post biduum : et quaerebant summi sacerdotes et scribae quomodo eum dolo tenerent, et occiderent. [2] Dicebant autem : Non in die festo, ne forte tumultus fieret in populo. [3] Et cum esset Bethaniae in domo Simonis leprosi, et recumberet, venit mulier habens alabastrum unguenti nardi spicati pretiosi : et fracto alabastro, effudit super caput ejus. [4] Erant autem quidam indigne ferentes intra semetipsos, et dicentes : Ut quid perditio ista unguenti facta est? [5] poterat enim unguentum istud venundari plus quam trecentis denariis, et dari pauperibus. Et fremebant in eam. [6] Jesus autem dixit : Sinite eam, quid illi molesti estis? Bonum opus operata est in me : [7] semper enim pauperes habetis vobiscum : et cum volueritis, potestis illis benefacere : me autem non semper habetis. [8] Quod habuit haec, fecit : praevenit ungere corpus meum in sepulturam. [9] Amen dico vobis : Ubicumque praedicatum fuerit Evangelium istud in universo mundo, et quod fecit haec, narrabitur in memoriam ejus. [10] Et Judas Iscariotes, unus de duodecim, abiit ad summos sacerdotes, ut proderet eum illis.
[11] Qui audientes gavisi sunt : et promiserunt ei pecuniam se daturos. Et quaerebat quomodo illum opportune traderet.
Notes
1. the feast of tlce pasch. One of the three great annual religious feasts (the other two were Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles). This feast was kept in memory of the deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt, when the destroying angel, passing over the houses of the Jews, the doors of which were sprinkled with the blood of the sacrificial lamb, did not strike the firstborn of the Jews with death. This feast was celebrated on the 14th of Nisan (March to April).
of the azymes. The days of unleavened bread followed the Pasch, and were kept up for seven days. Hence these two solemnities were looked on as one feast of eight days’ duration. When the Israelites left Egypt, their departure had been so hurried that they had not had time to leaven their dough on account of the Egyptians pressing them to depart. It was in memory of this event that each year, at the same epoch, the Jews abstained from leavened bread. [azyme: Latin azȳmus, adjective, azyma, noun plural, < Greek ἄζῡμος, ἄζῡμα, < ἀ privative + ζύμη leaven. OED]
after two days. Two days after the Sanhedrin had plotted against Jesus. It is probable that this took place on the Wednesday in Holy Week.
the chief priests and the scribes. St Matthew adds the ancients ; thus we get the three classes that constituted the Sanhedrin.
sought how they might , etc. They held an informal council for this purpose, since we learn from St Matthew that they gathered in the court of the high-priest. Then were gathered together the chief priests and ancients of the people into the court of the high priest, who was called Caiphas. And they consulted together that by subtilty they might apprehend Jesus and put him to death (xxvi. 3, 4). Lightfoot and others hold that the formal meetings of the Sanhedrin could take place only in the “ Gasith,” a large chamber in the inner court of the Temple.
by some wile. By some cunning, underhand way. They had tried to ensnare Jesus —
(а) By specious arguments.(b) By discrediting Him with the Romans.
They could not take Him by force, since they feared the people. Often at the paschal season there were over two million Jews gathered together in Jerusalem. Judas’ treachery came opportunely to their aid.
lay hold on him , and hill him. They do not decide on the kind of death, nor on the day. Jesus had predicted both : that same day (or on the previous evening) he said to his disciples : you know that after two days shall be the Pasch , and the Son of man shall be delivered up to be crucified (St Matt. xxvi. 1, 2).
2. they said : Not on the festival day. By this they probably understood not until the eight days’ feast was over, when the multitudes would have left Jerusalem.
lest there should be a tumult. Tumults were not infrequent at the time of the Passover, and as a precaution against such risings it was customary for the Romans to double the garrison in the Castle of Antonia ; the Roman governor himself dwelt there during the feast.
We read that when Archelaus was over the Jews, some thirty years before our Lord’s death, there was a sedition in order to avenge the death of two rabbis, Judas and Matthias. In their attempts to put it down the Romans killed 3000 Jews. A similar incident occurred on another occasion, during the feast of Pentecost. (See Josephus, Antiq., xvii. 9. 3, 10. 2).
Note. — It is generally agreed that Jesus spent the Wednesday of Holy Week at Bethania in strict seclusion.
Note. — From St John’s narrative we see that this event happened six days before the Pasch, i.e. on the evening of the preceding Sabbath ; the last before our Lord’s Crucifixion. In the first and second gospels it does not come in chronological order.
3. Simon the leper. He must have dwelt at Bethania, and was probably a friend of Lazarus, whom Jesus had cured. Some identify him with Simon the Pharisee mentioned by St Luke (vii. 40).
was at meat. The guests would sup reclining on couches. What a company were present at that meal ! Mary, out of whom (if we identify her with Mary Magdalene) Jesus had cast seven devils ; Simon, who had been probably cured of his leprosy by our Lord ; Lazarus, whom Christ had raised to life ; the Apostles, who had such a mighty work to accomplish, and who were (with the exception of Judas) to give their life for Christ and His Gospel ; lastly, Jesus the Son of man, to whom all present owed so much, even humanly speaking.
a woman. This was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and of Martha. St John tells us that they made him a supper there , and Martha served , and Lazarus was one of them that were at table with him (xii. 2).
an alabaster box. There was a famous manufactory at Alabastron in Egypt, where vases were made from a kind of marble found there. These vases had long narrow necks, of which the lid was cemented, not corked ; these vases wese used for holding perfumes. They resembled a flask in shape, and had no handles.
of ointment of precious spikenard. It was a vase of pure or genuine nard, not an imitation. Spikenard was made from the Indian or Arabian nard-grass. It was an aromatic plant, very expensive to cultivate. St John says, Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of right spikenard of great price , and anointed the feet of Jesus , and wiped his feet with her hair : and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment (xii. 3).
Only very wealthy persons could use such perfume, and it was considered a fit offering for a king. Herodotus tells us that Cambyses sent an alabastron to the king of Ethiopia.
breaking the alabaster box , — i.e. breaking the narrow neck of the vase.
upon his head. First on His head and then on His sacred feet. St John speaks only of Mary anointing Christ’s feet, while St Matthew and St Mark mention only the anointing of His head.
4. some that had indignation. Judas was the first to murmur. His sentiments were shared by some of the other disciples, if not all.
within themselves. At first the indignation seems to have been suppressed, then it broke forth in murmurs.
Why was this waste of the ointment made ? Possibly all those who murmured agreed in condemning the waste , but their motives would be different. Judas was indignant and murmured, because he was a thief ; the others would consider it extravagant to employ the ointment thus, when it could have been sold for a large sum.
The Galileans were not accustomed to such luxuries ; moreover. Christ and His Apostles were poor, and the disciples thought that the price of this ointment would have been a great help in their need.
5. this ointment might have been sold. It was worth about £10 of our money ( = 300 denarii x 7), but its purchasing value would have equalled about £35. [£4500 in 2022]
6. Jesus said : Let her alone, etc. Our Lord defends Mary. So now He often approves what the world condemns as “ useless extravagance,” when it is a question of giving to God.
7. the poor you have always with you : therefore they could always relieve their wants. If we give to the poor because they are Christ’s representatives, how much more should we give to Him ? The Church teaches us that it is a duty to contribute to the support of religion. If we waited to beautify our churches until there were no poor to help, God would never have a fit sanctuary for His worship. The Jews were most generous in their gifts to the Temple.
If we have to choose between helping the poor and giving to God, then the poor have a prior claim as His living temples , and we read in history that often the sacred vessels have been sold to assist them in times of great distress. But whether we beautify a church or assist the poor, the action, in order to be meritorious , must proceed from the love of God, and not from any motive of pride, ostentation, etc.
me you have not always. Not visibly present, but under the sacramental veils, we possess our Emmanuel, who has said, Lo, I am with you always.
8. What she had, she hath done. Mary had done all she could. She had given her most costly gift to Christ. She had heard Jesus speak of His approaching death, hence a double motive may have actuated her ; to honour Christ as a King, and to anoint Him beforehand for His burial.
she is come beforehand to anoint , etc. The Jews were accustomed to embalm their dead with ointments and spices.
We find this custom referred to in ch. xvi. 1. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought sweet spices , that coming they might anoint Jesus. Also in 2 Paralip. (xvi. 14), And they buried him in his own sepulchre .... and they laid him on his bed full of spices and odoriferous ointments, which were made by the art of the perfumers, and they burnt them over him with very great pomp.
9. Amen I say to you, wheresoever , etc. A solemn introduction to a prophecy. Wherever the Gospel has been preached, there the name of Mary, the sister of Lazarus, is known and honoured.
this gospel , — i.e., the gospel of Jesus Christ.
10. Judas Iscariot, — i.e., the man of Kerioth. He was the only one of the Apostles who was a native of Judea. The others were Galileans. (See Biog. of Judas, p. 75.)
to betray him. Not actually to betray Jesus, but he went, and discoursed with the chief priests and the magistrates , how he might betray him to them (St Luke xxii. 4). Like the Pharisees, Judas wished Jesus to be taken in the absence of the multitude. He was probably anxious for his own safety.
11. Who hearing it were glad. Judas provided the opportunity they were so eagerly seeking, and which, in spite of their resolution not to take Him on the festival, occurred on that very day.
give him money. Judas was careful to secure his blood money. He said to them : What will you give to me , and I will deliver him unto you ? But they appointed him thirty pieces of silver (St Matt. xxvi. 15). This sum was equal to about £4 of our money, and was the price of a common slave.[c.£500 + in 2022]
Note. — Judas gives us a terrible example of —
(a) The tyranny a predominant passion can exercise in the soul.(b) The ruin that follows, the abuse of God’s graces.
(a) The tyranny of a sinful passion. Judas’ passion was twofold, insatiable avarice and boundless ambition. He had probably attached himself to Christ in the hopes of obtaining some brilliant position in the kingdom of the Messiah. As his hopes were gradually frustrated, and as all our Lord taught and promised pointed to the very reverse of temporal prosperity, Judas became more and more alienated from the service of Christ. He was habitually guilty of theft, since he employed for himself the alms which were common property, or bestowed to distribute to the poor. On the different occasions when the Apostles murmured, we may be sure Judas, with his ambitious designs, was the one who took the lead. Under pretence of zeal for the poor, he shewed indignation and murmured against Mary when she anointed Jesus. Then, when Jesus rebuked him, the traitor turned away completely from the apostolic band and betrayed his Master for thirty pieces of silver.
(b) The abuse of God's graces. Judas had been chosen for a glorious mission ; he was called to be one of the twelve foundation-stones of the Christian Church. To him, as to the rest of the Apostles, was given the gift of miracles. He had heard Jesus’ teaching, witnessed so many of His miracles, and been the recipient of so much tenderness from our Lord. Jesus warned him repeatedly : — Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you it a devil ? What thou doest, do quickly. One of you shall betray me. All these warnings, these proofs of love on the part of Jesus, failed to touch Judas. The traitor dared even to ask with the rest. Lord, is it I? and he listened to the Divine answer unmoved, Thou hast said it. Jesus did not reveal the traitor’s name, except perhaps to the beloved disciple, when, in answer to St John’s question, Lord, who is it ? Jesus replied, He it is to whom 1 shall reach bread dipped. And when he had dipped the bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the morsel Satan entered into him (St John xiii. 25-27). Then the apostate Apostle, he to whom the very devils had been subject, now becomes their prey. He went forth and it was night, deep, black night indeed in the soul of Judas. Once more Jesus tried to win that guilty soul to repentance, but in vain. Judas gave the traitor’s kiss. Then came the closing scenes, the remorse and despair, the taunts of the chief priests whose tool he had been, the restitution, all too late, of the blood money, and Judas filled up the measure of his iniquity by taking his own life, and his name has passed down to posterity as the synonym of a traitor and of a soul steeped in avarice.
Additional Notes
From St John’s narration we gather that the plot here mentioned, was not merely the result of their having been defeated and silenced by Christ, in the courts of the Temple during the Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week. These defeats, together with Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the expulsion of the money-changers, had certainly added to their hatred and desire for vengeance, but even before the Pasch we find that “ the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that if any man knew where he was, he should tell, that they might apprehend him ” (St John xi. 56). In spite of this strict command, none revealed Christ’s hiding-place in Ephrem ; and when He came to the Temple in triumph on Palm Sunday, His enemies dared not lay hands on Him. The Sanhedrin, who did not fear God, feared man, therefore they plot to seize Him “ by wile.”
The Passover. In Exodus xii. 1-14 we find full directions how the Feast of the Passover was to be kept. These details were somewhat modified later. Thus the blood of the lamb was sprinkled on the altar, not on the door-posts ; the Jews ate it reclining on couches, instead of eating it in travelling attire and with staff in hand. They were also allowed to disregard the command, “ let none of you go out of the door of his house till morning” ( Exod . xii. 22). Under the kings of Israel, this feast was not celebrated regularly. Only three celebrations are mentioned in the time of the kings. After the return from captivity the Passover was regularly observed. The date varied, as it depended on the full moon of March. The last Passover at which Christ was present, probably fell on April 3rd, 33 a.d. (old style).
When Jesus celebrated the Pasch.
I. Which day did our Lord keep the Paseh ? The general opinion is that Jews kept the Pasch, after sunset on the 14th of Nisan, which in the year a.d. 33 fell on a Thursday. His Crucifixion therefore took place on the following Friday, the 15th of Nisan. We must remember that the Jews calculated their festivals and Sabbaths from sunset to sunset ; thus the Sabbath began after sunset on the evening of the sixth day and finished at sunset on the seventh day. The Synoptists agree that Jesus celebrated the Pasch “on the first day of the Azymes” (or unleavened bread). St John, however, states that He celebrated it “ before the festival day of the Pasch.” These accounts can be reconciled if we remember that the Romans did not compute time in the same way as the Jews, and that St John, writing about sixty-three years after our Lord’s Ascension, used the Roman method of computation. His gospel was written twenty-six years after the destruction of Jerusalem, when Jewish laws and customs no longer prevailed. Hence St John would refer to the evening on which the festival began, i.e. 14th of Nisan, and not to the day itself. To put the facts in other words, from 6 o’clock on Thursday to 6 o’clock on Friday formed one Jewish day (in this case the 14th of Nisan), while according to the civil computation of time these same twenty-four hours constituted the end of the thirteenth day and three-quarters of the fourteenth. When the day commenced according to the Roman computation, six hours of it were spent according to the Jews’ reckoning.
II. Did our Lord celebrate the Pasch on the same day as the Jews ? It is generally held that He did. There are three parallel passages on this subject : —
From these passages we see that Jesus and His disciples were conforming to the ordinary custom, and that they partook of this meal at the usual hour after sunset, “ when it was evening” (St Matt. xxvi. 20). St Luke adds “ And when the hour was come” (xxii. 14). That this view is more probable has been inferred from the following facts : —
(a) The Jews were rigid observers of the letter of the law, hence they would not have deferred to celebrate the Pasch.
(b) We read that the governor was wont to release a prisoner named by the Jews on the day of the feast , and Barabbas was released on the day that Christ was crucified. This day was therefore the Pasch, and the Jews would have partaken of the paschal supper on the previous evening which inaugurated the feast. There are various objections brought against the view that Christ celebrated the Pasch on the evening of the 14th. They are briefly enumerated and refuted here.
From the preceding it will be seen that the arguments in favour of the 14th of Nisan, as being the day on which Christ kept the Pasch, are stronger than the objections against it, and this opinion has the support of most Catholic writers, and of the tradition by which Friday has always been consecrated to the memory of Christ’s death.
Feast in the house of Simon the Leper
Each of the four gospels relates that Christ was anointed while at table. We have these accounts in St Matt, xxvi., St Mark xiv., St Luke vii., and St John xii. Writers are by no means agreed, however, as to whether these four narratives refer to one and the same act, or whether Christ was anointed twice, or even thrice. There are circumstances in each, which are common to all four accounts. Thus —
(a) It was a woman who anointed Jesus when He was at table in the house of one Simon.(b) In each case the ointment used was most costly.(c) Those present were scandalized.(d) Jesus defended the woman.
On the other hand, the place and time differ. The anointing referred to by St Luke occurred in Galilee, possibly at Naim, and in the first year of our Lord’s ministry, whereas the other three accounts speak of Christ being anointed in Bethania, and St John notes the time as “six days before the pasch.” St Matthew and St Mark place it in Holy Week.
From these notable discrepancies, it is generally inferred that the four accounts cannot refer to the same event, and that Christ was anointed twice, once at Galilee early in His public life, and again at Bethania just before His death. This view is supported by SS. Ambrose, Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, Bede, etc.
On the identity of “ Mary of Bethania ” with “ the sinful woman ” and Mary Magdalen.
There is a great diversity of opinion on this subject. Some eminent writers believe these were three different women, others consider that the three designations refer to the same person. It is not the place here to enter into all the arguments which have led to such different conclusions, but it may be briefly stated that —
(a) The Latin Liturgies from the sixth to the sixteenth century refer these three names to one person.
(b) This same identity is supposed in various passages of the breviary appointed for July 22nd (the feast of St Mary Magdalen).
(c) The Patristic evidence is greatly in favour of identifying Mary of Bethania with Mary Magdalen, who is almost invariably considered to be “the sinful woman” mentioned by St Luke. This is the view maintained by St Eplirem, St Ambrose, St Chrysostom, St Jerome, and Gregory the Great.
(d) In the holy gospels it is clearly stated that Mary Magdalen, having been delivered from the power of seven devils, accompanied Jesus with other holy women, and that she was present at the Crucifixion and burial of Christ. Mary of Bethania, sister of Lazarus, is said to have sat at the feet of Jesus, to have ministered to Him at Bethania, and to have anointed His head and feet. These proofs of devotedness are perfectly in accordance with what we know of the character of St Mary Magdalen, and of her devoted love for Christ. Hence Scripture seems to favour the view that Mary of Bethania and Mary Magdalen were one and the same, while “ the sinful woman ” is almost universally regarded as Mary Magdalen ; hence we may believe the three women to be identical.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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