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He was at Bethany in the house of Simon, a man who had suffered from a virulent skin disease; he was at table when a woman came in with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the ointment on his head. Some who were there said to one another indignantly, “Why this waste of ointment? Ointment like this could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor”; and they were angry with her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you upsetting her? What she has done for me is a good work. You have the poor with you always, and you can be kind to them whenever you wish, but you will not always have me. She has done what she could: she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. In truth I tell you, wherever throughout the whole world the gospel is proclaimed, what she has done will be told as well, in remembrance of her.”
Mark 14 vv. 1–9
If the Archbishop of York said “the poor you will always have with you”, he would probably be slated by all the press, so why does Jesus say it here? Maybe because the tabloid press doesn’t represent God in the world. He says it in response to the people around criticising the woman for what she had done. They thought her action was an excessive waste of money, and yet Jesus rebukes them, pointing out that they can always give money to the poor. The woman was especially sensitive to what was needed then, acting out of love, with no regard to the humiliation that might come later.
The main way for us to be sensitive to what God wants to be done in our live is through a commitment to prayer, not immediately criticising people’s decisions to stick their neck out to serve God. We’re not here in York very long, and it is important for us to seize the opportunities God gives us to serve him, during our time here. Jesus said: “She did what she could”; we must also do what we can.
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Last modified: 25th November 2005