Matthew 26:6-7 6Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7a woman came up to him having an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment and poured it on his head as he reclined at table.
These verses briefly recount the wonderful sacrifice a woman made in love and honor towards Jesus. Each of the four Gospels give this story with varying details added. John gives the most details about this event. Matthew does not give the woman’s name, but John tells us that this was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. Jesus had a special relationship with this family. Matthew tells us that Jesus was staying with Simon the leper. This small note is significant for several reasons. One is that Simon is named, which suggests that his name was known in the early church, at least through this story, and that he was a follower of Jesus. Also, that he was a leper shows that Jesus was not afraid to be around those who were considered unclean. Many different skin diseases were called leprosy at that time. Simon may have had once been a the neighborhood leper, but when Jesus came to his house, he experienced the healing of the Great Physician. If we can put the Gospel accounts together, Simon may have been the father of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. There is a lot in the background of this story that we do not know, but there are interesting clues that suggest that Jesus did special things for this family.
We do not know why Matthew simply calls Mary a woman but possibly because she is not the focus of his account but more of how the disciples reacted to her. Matthew often shortens the accounts found in other Gospels and rather puts emphasis on Jesus’ teachings. It was common for guests to be anointed with oil, but to use such expensive perfume was unusual. A flask of alabaster would have been highly expensive and used only sparingly and on very special occasions. It could have been saved for her dowry or other significant event in her life. Mary may have seen Jesus as the Messiah, the “anointed one,” and so acknowledged that by pouring this on his head in great honor. People ate together reclining on their sides at a table. Jesus was no ordinary guest. He had changed Mary’s life and deserved all the praise and honor she could give. This sacrificial act was an expression of her worship of the one who had changed her life.
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