Mary's Offering
John 12:1-8 and Mark 14:3-9
Mary's Offering
Preparation for today’s experience…
Instead of a spiritual practice, today will be a sensory experience using our sense of smell. Take a few minutes to gather something that smells good to you. This could be a scented candle, perfume, cologne or other fragrance. It could be something from the kitchen like freshly brewed coffee. Set this item before you and be sure you can smell it from where you are seated.
Begin in silence…
Close your eyes and begin to breathe deeply and slowly. Notice the scent of your fragrant item. Hold your breath for a moment and allow it to linger in your nose. Open your eyes as you continue to pay attention to the scent.
Background on the passage…
Today’s scripture reading focuses on Mary of Bethany and her fragrant offering to Jesus just days before his crucifixion. The story appears in three of the gospels with a few discrepancies. The account in John mentions Mary by name, along with Martha, Lazarus and the disciples present for a dinner honoring Jesus. In Matthew and Mark, the account says that Jesus is at the home of Simon the Leper, along with the disciples. Most scholars believe that the woman in Matthew and Mark is Mary because the timing of each is exactly six days before Passover.
In John, Mary pours the perfume on Jesus' feet, while in Matthew and Mark, the woman pours perfume over his head. Either way, she prepares his body for burial with this expensive offering. Jesus proclaims in both Mark and Matthew that what she has done will be remembered wherever the gospel is told.
Set the scene, part 1…
Imagine yourself at this dinner, lounging at the table with Jesus. You know nothing of the impending crucifixion and burial of Jesus. Assume the role of an observer as you read or listen to the passages below.
Today’s Practice: A Sensory Experience
Read aloud or listen to John 12:1–8 and Mark 14:3–9.
John 12:1–8 NIV: Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
Mark 14:3–9 NIV: While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Pause and reflect: What do I observe that is new to me?
Meditate
Set the scene, part 2…
This time imagine yourself as Mary at this dinner. You walk into the room holding a jar of perfume that costs a year’s wages, which was about 300 denarii. Cup your hands around the fragrant item in front of you.
Read the passages aloud or listen to it again. Imagine the scene through Mary’s eyes.
Pause and reflect: What do I learn from Mary’s point of view?
Respond
The disciples, in particular Judas Iscariot, object to Mary’s offering and accuse her of wasting money that could be given to the poor. They diminish her act of love and devotion. But Jesus rebukes them and instead elevates her story.
These brief passages capture one of the most poignant moments in the gospel. Jesus commends this woman’s offering as worthy of being shared alongside the gospel in Mark 14:9: “Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Jesus calls us to remember her. Yet, how often do we hear her story when the gospel is shared?
Pause and reflect: How will I “remember her?”
Contemplate
Sit in silence again with your fragrant item. Repeat the following breath prayer a few times:
(Inhale) Precious Jesus, as I remember You,
(Exhale) Help me remember her too.
Resolve
Think about women in your family, your church or community who demonstrate extravagant, selfless love for Jesus and for others. As you “remember her” in the gospel accounts, seek ways to elevate these women’s stories, too.
For Further Reflection
Memorize Mark 14:8–9 as a way of remembering the offering of Mary of Bethany.