Tuesday 30th July
Read John 12:1-3
“Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about half a litre 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.” (NIVUK)
Much debate has ensued as to whether two people anointed Jesus, Mary, and an unnamed sinful woman earlier in His ministry (Luke 7). Mark and Matthew also leave the identity of the woman unnamed in their record of the anointing account in the last week of Jesus’ life. Sceptics wield these apparent contradictions rather excitedly.
Whilst it is possible to reconcile the differences in a number of ways one of the most sensible actually strengthens our confidence in what occurred. Whilst it would have been helpful for each of the gospel authors to date their writings so that we can work out which was earliest, the story we have here strongly suggests, as tradition has long held, that John was written mostly independently of the three other gospels and written after them. This is partly because of its unique style and inclusion of stories not recorded in the first three gospels, but also because of the details provided in accounts that may overlap. The naming of Mary being one of them.
Richard Bauckham’s excellent work on Jesus and the eyewitnesses makes this point well. We would expect early writings, written whilst Jerusalem still stood and the Jewish leaders still had authority, to not needlessly endanger the lives of those who walked and talked with Jesus during His ministry. To ‘out them’, so to speak, would place their lives in danger. John however, most likely written after the fall of Jerusalem, no longer has these constraints – and hence Mary is named in John but remains anonymous in Mark (14) and Matthew (26).
Perhaps this is one way in which the comment of Jesus that ‘wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’ (Mark 14:9) (NIVUK) is fulfilled. Mary’s expression of love for Jesus is safely recorded by John, recorded forever wherever the gospel is preached…
