The importance Mark attaches to this story gives a
added stature to the unnamed woman who anointed Jesus. If
this story has a sacramental significance, if it is an
account of early Christian ritual, if it is the sign of a new
creation, this woman's role should be interpreted in that
light. The significance of this can be seen in the way this
story is retold by Luke and John.
One of the major concerns of Luke's writings is the
transition from the era of Jesus to the era of the church. 1
The question of leadership is central to this discussion. For
Paul, leadership belonged to the apostles, prophets and
teachers, but first of all to the apostles.2 For him,
apostles were the witnesses to the resurrection.3 But as
these witnesses died off a gap was left in the community's
leadership. Luke describes the newer leaders in several ways,
repeatedly using the story of the woman who anointed Jesus as
a basis for expanding the idea of leadership.
Luke begins the story of the ministry of Jesus by
copying the passages in Mark about the call of the first
disciples, of the Twelve. Immediately after he lists the
Twelve, Luke inserts what has been called his Little
Interpolation, Luke 6:20-8:3.4 This expands on Mark's
description of the disciples by expressing some of the
central themes: the discipleship of the poor and the
Gentiles, the contrast of the disciples of Christ with those
born of woman.5 The little interpolation ends with the
anointing of Jesus, followed by a listing of the women who
accompanied Jesus. This list, ending the interpolation,
parallels the list of the Twelve that preceded it.
This rendition of the anointing story shows the
association of this woman with the ministry of the Twelve.
This is why Luke places it early in the career of Jesus. It
does not precede the sacrificial offering as in Mark, or the
royal entry into Jerusalem as in John, but is told as a sign
that Jesus is a prophet who brings forgiveness for sin. The
story also portrays the woman as a prophet. Within the story
Simon thinks "If this man were a prophet, he would know what
kind of woman she is..." Jesus fulfills this prophetic
standard by understanding the woman and by knowing who Simon
is, and the woman fulfills it by knowing who Jesus is.6
Luke has adapted the themes of Mark's story, shifting
the double meaning of the anointing to the prelude. In Mark
the anointed is portrayed as King and as corpse. The
corresponding attitudes, joy and mourning, are the subjects
of a children's song that Luke quotes: "We did play pipes for
you, and you did not dance; we did sing dirges, and you did
not cry." His language when he defends the woman mimics this
strophe, telling Simon "When I came, you did not pour water
on my feet, but she did wash them with her tears... you did
not give me kisses, but she did cover my feet with her kisses
ever since I came in..."7 The theme of coming also appears in
the prelude: when John the Baptist comes he is said to be
possessed, while the Son of Man comes eating and drinking and
is called a friend of sinners. The woman, like John the
Baptist and Jesus, has done the equivalent of playing pipes
and singing dirges by anointing Jesus. Simon remains
unresponsive, unable to join the woman in her celebration of
Jesus, just as his generation was unable to join the
children.
After the little interpolation, Luke returns to Mark's
gospel, repeating the stories of discipleship surrounding the
sending of the Twelve. Luke once again expands the list of
disciples beyond the Twelve by having Jesus send Seventytwo
disciples on a mission similar to that of the Twelve. This
story is followed by a discussion of ministers, the Good
Samaritan contrasted with unworthy ministers, the priest and
Levite. Here Luke has picked up the theme of good works from
Mark's story. The good Samaritan pours oil in the wounds,
recalling the oil poured in preparation for burial. And it
should be noticed that the disciple is identified with the
suffering victim, just as the woman had identified Jesus as
the one who was to be buried.
The Mary and Martha story that follows is a second
telling of the anointing story. The story is structurally the
same as the anointing story, though the anointing has been
displaced to the preceding story of the Good Samaritan. With
Martha echoing the innkeeper's service, Mary has a double
identification with the Good Samaritan, as a contrast to
Martha and as one doing a good work, the better part. In
place of the anointing, Mary is now listening to the teaching
of Jesus rather than anointing him. (We saw this same shift
in the account by St Ignatius, from anointing to accepting
the knowledge of God which is in Jesus Christ.8) Jesus goes
on to speak about the contrast between the two women's roles:
"Mary has chosen the better part. It is not to be taken from
her." These stories expand the idea of ministry. It is a
ministry of listening to the Lord as well as of service. it
is not limited to the twelve men of Israel but includes the
seventytwo, the merciful Samaritan, the women.
Another example of Luke's efforts to expand the
ministry beyond the Twelve occurs in Acts. In the first
chapter the Twelve are described as witnesses to the life and
resurrection of Jesus. This echoes Paul's description of
apostles in 1 Corinthians. In Acts 6, the Twelve ordain
seven disciples described as "good men filled with the Holy
Spirit and with wisdom." Exegetes have connected this to the
story of Mary and Martha.9 The Twelve recall the words of
Jesus about Mary when they seek to justify themselves: "It is
not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait
on table." The action of the Twelve, devotion to the Word of
God, echoes that of Mary in the gospel, while the Seven do
what Martha did, serve at table. Luke thus portrays the
ministry of the Twelve and the Seven in the same way that he
portrayed Mary and Martha's actions. It is not a huge leap to
see the defense of Mary - It is not to be taken from her - as
a defense of the Twelve. This implies that the functions of
the Twelve were seen as comparable to hers.
The widows also connect the Seven to the woman who
anointed Jesus. Throughout the New Testament widows are
portrayed as supporters of religious causes: their two mites
given to the Temple, Pharisees rob them of what they own. But
Luke adds new dimensions to this. Luke includes three stories
of resurrection where widows are the primary witnesses.10 The
anointing woman, pouring her wealth on Jesus in anticipation
of his burial, is the model for the widow who gives her
wealth and witnesses to death. These widows are the occasion
for the selection of the Seven.11
In addressing the problems of leadership in his
community, Luke has turned to the story of the woman who
anointed Jesus. He uses this story to show that ministry was
not limited to just the Twelve, but that it included women,
the Seventytwo and the Seven.12 This reflects the stages in
the early church's grappling with the choice of ministers.
The Twelve had their authority because of their personal
knowledge of the life and resurrection of Jesus. This
authority was recognized in every witness to the resurrection
of Jesus like the women, the Seventytwo and Paul. And then it
included those whom these designated, like the Seven. In
using the anointing story, Luke was probably appealing to an
unquestioned minister, not of the Twelve, as the basis for
accepting ministers other than Twelve. This was a necessary
step as the Twelve, and later all who witnessed the life of
Jesus, died off.
These words are part of a larger idea that is sketched on the main page .
I encourage everyone to look there.
Any thoughts, interesting, interested, or otherwise, may be left in my guestbook:
All comments will be read and appreciated.
