Bible Study Guide for Sunday, April 3, 2022

• Isaiah 43:16-21
• 126
• Philippians 3:4b-14
• 12:1-8

Today’s gospel reading has parallel passages in each Gospel.  In Luke’s version, when Jesus is ministering in Capernaum an unnamed woman, described only as “a sinner” (Luke 7:39) approaches Jesus when he is dining at the home of a Pharisee. She washes his feet with her tears and dries them with her hair while she anoints his feet with tears. Jesus uses the opportunity to teach about forgiveness and tells the woman that her sins “which are many” are forgiven.  The other Gospels all place their versions within Holy Week.  The woman is never identified as a particular sinner, this isn’t about forgiveness, and the disciples object to the cost of the ointment she uses.  Jesus defends her actions by saying that she is preparing him for burial.

Today we have John’s version of this story, which offers more specifics. The woman anointing Jesus is identified as Mary of Bethany.  This is the same person who is praised in Luke 10 for sitting by Jesus’ feet while her sister Martha works in the kitchen.  This happens after Jesus has raised their brother Lazarus from the dead and the family is holding a dinner in Jesus’ honor.  Mary’s exuberant devotion makes sense here.  As a good hostess she should be attending to her guest of honor, and while her actions seem over the top, her extreme gratitude makes sense when Jesus has just raised her brother from the dead.  Even Jesus’ disturbing rejoinder that “The poor you will always have with you” makes some more sense when it’s clear that the person who is objecting to the expense is Judas, and he is not actually concerned for the poor but would embezzle the funds for himself.

One part still seems very strange. In each of the three Gospels that set this during Holy Week, Jesus defends the woman’s actions by saying that she is preparing him for burial.  One does not typically prepare bodies for burial when the person is still alive.  In John’s gospel Jesus says that Mary “bought it for the day of my burial.” (John 12:7 NRSV) That seems hard to imagine.  Other translations put that a little differently.  The Revised Standard Version says “Let her keep it for the day of my burial” which would make more sense, except she is using it now.  The New International Version says that “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.” The Common English Bible says “This perfume was to be used in preparation for my burial, and this is how she has used it.”

Christians have traditionally tied our burial practices to our hope for the Resurrection.  Proper burial is important precisely because burial isn’t the end of the story.  Throughout the Gospels Jesus is telling his disciples that he will suffer, die, and rise again and they simply cannot grasp it.  But Mary prepares Jesus’ body for his looming death and burial.  Maybe she is an entirely unwitting participant in a drama much bigger than herself.  Maybe at some level she knows what she is doing.  Mary always seems to be one who understands Jesus better than others do.  Either way, she helps Jesus prepare for what he is about to face.  He is already prepared for burial, which is itself important because burial is preparation for the Resurrection.  The very next passage is Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  Jesus’ path to the Cross is now fixed.  Just before that starts, Jesus is anointed with the promise of the Resurrection.

–Kristen Filipic

Questions:

Mary seems to need to do something great for Jesus after he raised Lazarus from the dead.  When have you been overflowing with gratitude?  How did you respond?

How do you understand “The poor you will always have with you”? Jesus cannot mean that caring for the poor is unimportant. That would contradict the rest of the Bible. So what do you think it does mean?

When the world seems especially frightening, where have you seen signs of hope?