St Matthew Chapter XXVI : Verses 6-13
Contents
- Matt. xxvi. 6-13. Douay-Rheims text & Latin text (Vulgate).
- Notes on the text.
- Additional Notes: That also which she hath done, shall he told for a memory of her.
Matt. xxvi. 6-13
 |
| She hath wrought a good work upon me. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
Cum autem Jesus esset in Bethania in domo Simonis leprosi,
7 There came to him a woman having an alabaster box of precious ointment, and poured it on his head as he was at table.
accessit ad eum mulier habens alabastrum unguenti pretiosi, et effudit super caput ipsius recumbentis.
8 And the disciples seeing it, had indignation, saying: To what purpose is this waste?
Videntes autem discipuli, indignati sunt, dicentes : Ut quid perditio hæc?
9 For this might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
potuit enim istud venundari multo, et dari pauperibus.
10 And Jesus knowing it, said to them: Why do you trouble this woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
Sciens autem Jesus, ait illis : Quid molesti estis huic mulieri? opus enim bonum operata est in me.
11 For the poor you have always with you: but me you have not always.
Nam semper pauperes habetis vobiscum : me autem non semper habetis.
12 For she in pouring this ointment upon my body, hath done it for my burial.
Mittens enim hæc unguentum hoc in corpus meum, ad sepeliendum me fecit.
13 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 memory of her.
Amen dico vobis, ubicumque prædicatum fuerit hoc Evangelium in toto mundo, dicetur et quod haec fecit in memoriam ejus.
Notes
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.
These annotations are based on the hypothesis that Jesus was anointed twice, and that the sinful woman may be identified with St Mary Magdalene.
6. in the house. Jesus was at meat (St Mark) with him. 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.
Simon the leper. Simon was a common Hebrew name ; it occurs nine times in the New Testament, and twenty times in Josephus’ writings.
Those who incline to the view that Jesus was only anointed once identify Him with Simon the leper, mentioned in St Mark xiv. 3. He must have dwelt at Bethania, and was a friend of Lazarus, whom probably Jesus had cured. Some identify him with Simon the Pharisee mentioned by St Luke (vii. 40).
7. 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).
St Matthew refrains from naming her, probably from motives of charity and prudence. There is great reticence noticeable on the part of the Synoptists in referring to the family and home of Lazarus. When St Matthew wrote his gospel, Jewish hatred and prejudice might still have persecuted the followers of Christ.
Cf. he entered into a certain town, and a certain woman named Martha, etc. (St Luke X. 88). St John, writing much later, speaks more openly of this family, and of Lazarus, whom the Synoptists do not even name.
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 were used for holding perfumes. They resembled a flask in shape, and had no handles.
of precious ointment. 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.
poured it. She anointed Jesus by breaking the neck of the vase and letting the precious nard fall drop by drop on His sacred head.
on 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.
It was not difficult for St Mary Magdalene to approach thus to our Lord, since the tables were arranged in a hollow square, surrounded on three sides by couches, the fourth being left open to allow the servants to enter and wait on the guests.
“ Three persons usually reclined on each side of the table, but sometimes as many as four or five were admitted. The couch was provided with cushions on which the left elbow rested, while the head was turned towards the table, and the feet were extended outward from the table. The feet were bare, all shoes and sandals being taken off at the threshold, just as we remove the hat when entering a house. The host seems to have occupied the upper end of the right side. Next to him was probably the place of honour ” (Maas, S.J., Life of Christ, p. 154).
8. had indignation. St Mark has : Now there were some that had indignation within themselves, etc. At first the indignation seems to have been suppressed, then it broke forth in words. Judas was the first to murmur, and his sentiments were shared by some of the other disciples, if not all.
To what purpose is this waste ? 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.
9. this might have been sold for much. It was worth about £10 of our money (= 300 denarii x 7½), but its purchasing value would have equalled about £35. [Ed. £35 = c. £5250 in 2023]
10. Why do you trouble this woman ? He also added, Let her alone, thus taking up her defence. So now, He often approves what the world condemns as “ useless extravagance,” when it is a question of giving to God.
she hath wrought a good work upon me. Jesus praises her because, 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 King, and to anoint Him beforehand for His burial.
Undoubtedly St Mary Magdalene did not understand the mystery of the Passion, nor the significance of her act, as Christ interpreted it, but she had the intention of honouring our blessed Lord, and thus merited the highest praise from Him.
11. 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.
12. she .... hath done it for my burial. The Jews were accustomed to embalm their dead with ointments and spices. We find this custom referred to in the Old Testament. Cf. 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 (2 Paralip, xvi. 14).
13. 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.
Additional Notes
13. That also which she hath done, shall he told for a memory of her.
“ Who then proclaimed it, and caused it to be spread abroad ? It was the power of Him who is speaking these words. And while of countless kings and generals the noble exploits, even of those whose memorials remain, have sunk into silence ; and having overthrown cities, and encompassed them with walls, and set up trophies, and enslaved many nations, they are not known so much as by hearsay, nor by name, though they have both set up statutes, and established laws ; yet that a woman who was a harlot, poured out oil in the house of some leper, in the presence of ten men, this all men celebrate throughout the world ; and so great a time has passed, and yet the memory of that which was done hath not faded away, but alike Persians and Indians, Scythians and Thracians, and Sarmatians, and the race of the Moors, and they that dwell in the British Islands, spread abroad that, which was done secretly in a house by a woman ” (St Jn. Chrys., Hom., lxxx. 2).
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
No comments:
Post a Comment