All of the gospel writers tell the story of the anointing of the feet of Jesus, but each in his own way. Since the event itself occurred forty, fifty even sixty years before it was written down by the evangelist it is no surprise that how the story was told was shaped during the long remembered oral tradition. Think how your family memories change depending on who is telling the story! In Matthew and Mark it was just “a woman” who did the anointing. In Luke it was “a sinner,” that some commentators suggested was Mary Magdalene. In St. John it was Jesus’ good friend, Mary of Bethany. Each evangelist had a specific theological point they were making in telling the story. St. John reported that Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair. Occuring just days before his crucifixion this was in anticipation of his burial, a role that his friends would doubtless have taken on. This scene invites us to examine how valuable we consider our relationship with Jesus.
APRIL32023
By Church Staff
