Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Wednesday, March 12, 2014 Read John 12:1-8 As we begin reading chapter 12 it is important that we note that John’s storyline is now intersecting with the storyline in Mark’s gospel. We have noticed that John and Mark share very little from the Galilean ministry of Jesus – only two stories, the feeding of the 5000 and the Jesus walking on the water. From this point on, in a general way John and Mark will be telling the same story which is commonly called the “Passion Narrative.” We need to pay attention to the similarities and the differences. It is in noting the differences that we have the greatest potential at understanding why each writer told the story as they did. John tells us that it was now six days before Passover. While it is difficult to determine Mark’s time references it seems that Mark’s story also runs over the course of six days. According to Mark, on the first day Jesus enters Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-11). On the second day he cleanses the Temple (Mark 11:12-19). On the third day Jesus’ disciples notice the withered fig tree (Mark 11:20-25). On the fourth Jesus engages in the Temple Controversy with the religious leaders (Mark 11:26). Then two days later Passover is observed (Mark 14:1). Matthew follows Mark for the most part but seems to compress the entry into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the Temple into one day, thus Jesus would have entered Jerusalem five days before Passover according to Matthew and not six as Mark tells it. Incidentally, we will notice that John places the actual entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem five days prior to Passover too, which matches Matthew. Luke is far more ambiguous about his time references. In fact Luke may have been aware that Jesus spent much longer than six days in Jerusalem – something we have noted in John’s storyline. Luke simply leaves out any references to time passing. The order in which events are told also differs between John and Mark. Our reading for today is a story about the anointing of Jesus. This is a story that all four gospel writers tell in some form. John, Mark, and Matthew agree that this event happened in the last days of Jesus’ life. Luke adapts that story and places it in the middle of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee (Luke 7:36-50). Mark and Matthew tell this story just two days before Passover as one of the last things to happen to Jesus before he is arrested and crucified (Mark 14:3-9 and Matthew 26:6-13). John places this story at the beginning of his “Passion Narrative.” John, Mark, and Matthew are all in agreement that this event happened at Bethany. Only John identifies the woman – she is Mary the sister of Lazarus who Jesus just raised from the dead. The woman is anonymous in Mark’s and Matthew’s story – although Mark tells us they were at the house of a leper named Simon and portrays the woman as an outsider who comes uninvited into the house. By the way, Luke also tells us that the event happened in the house of a man named Simon, although this time Simon is a Pharisee, and Luke also pictures the unnamed woman as an intruder. Though told in slightly different ways, John, Mark, and Matthew all agree that the woman is accused of wasting the ointment which could have been sold for a large amount of money to be given to the poor. Only John identifies Judas Iscariot as the protester and in some ways this story serves as a motive for Judas to betray Jesus in John’s story. While Mark and Matthew don’t make the link specifically, they do tell us that Judas Iscariot leaves the scene to go to the religious leaders to plot the death of Jesus so perhaps they are also implying that the event served as motive for Judas. John, Mark, and Matthew all agree that the woman has bought the ointment for Jesus’ burial. What we discover is that John, Mark, and Matthew have told a very similar story –there is much more in agreement than not. It is only the time placement that differs. The story itself may seem somewhat unimportant yet it is remembered as a crucial event during the last days of Jesus’ life. It is logical that John would have placed the story within the scope of stories about Lazarus since he knows the woman as Lazarus’ sister. Thus placing it first makes sense for John. Mark and Matthew do not know of Lazarus and they do not know the identity of this woman. Therefore it makes much more sense for Mark to have placed this story just before the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus and after all of the controversy that led up to Jesus’ betrayal and death. Exactly when the event happened is beyond our ability to determine and actually has little importance. The actions of the woman are powerful. She demonstrates great devotion and faithfulness. Both John and Mark want their readers to identify with this woman and to follow her example with their own lives.