A Harmony of the Gospel Accounts of a Woman Worshiping at Jesus Feet

Each account of this event from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John has small differences. Matthew and John were there, and yet Mark probably heard firsthand from Peter and Luke took firsthand accounts from many eyewitnesses, so it’s not difficult to consider that each person wanted to bring out different parts of the event as they shared it. And yet, these differences do not contradict; they give a fuller picture of what happened as you look at the big picture. By taking all four Gospels as the inerrant Word of God, we gain a four-dimensional, stereo-sound quality to the event. But it is very important, also to harmonize the accounts to know exactly what happened.

 

1. How often did this event occur?

 

Question Raised: Luke gives very different details from Matthew Mark and John that appear to contradict.

 

Answer: As you read Luke’s account, these differences point to an entirely different event. It is in a different house, time frame with major characters as different people present. So, I believe there are two separate events; one recorded by Luke, the other later recorded by Matthew, Mark, and John. This is so common in our own lives that it is unthinkable that similar events did not occur in Jesus’ life as well. For instance, describe the time something dramatic, or eventful happened to you on the subway. Well, ask me that at different times of my life along the way and I’ll recount different events. They are not disagreeing; they are two occasions of a similar happening.

 

Although the Gospels share two separate yet similar events, I believe that these two events are related. I believe that Mary is either doing this twice, once as the sinner saved by grace (Luke’s account) and again years later as a continuing-to-follow-disciple (Matthew, Mark and John’s account). Or that Mary is identifying with the woman of Luke’s account and stating she too is an unworthy sinner saved by Christ’s forgiveness. Her thanks is expressed in a financial pouring out to Jesus in response to the pardon that He gave her just as the notorious sinner in Luke’s account earlier. However, this time Mary is also linking her worship to Jesus’ soon death and burial.

 

2. Whose home was this in?

 

Question Raised: It appears, on first reading, that John states it is in the home of Lazarus and Matthew and Mark states in the house of Simon the Leper. Luke places the event in a Pharisees’ home.

 

Answer: As we saw above, Luke’s account is referring to an earlier event.

 

Although Matthew, Mark and John give a little different perspective on location, they do not contradict. Putting the three accounts together helps us understand that more were present than just a small meal with Lazarus’ family. This is perfectly in keeping with the understanding that hundreds of thousands of Jewish pilgrims were coming to the feast of Passover during this time and the surrounding towns (Bethany 2 miles from Jerusalem) would be over-packed and often families would help one another put on a feast for the pilgrimage travelers. Placing Mary, Martha and Lazarus in the home of a friend, Simon, is the harmony account of what happened here. Many in Bethany had been healed and blessed by Jesus’ ministry over the years in this area as Bethany was a small village along the road from Jericho to Jerusalem.

 

3. When did this happen?

 

Question Raised: Don’t Luke John and Matthew and Mark give three different times for when this occurred.

 

Answer: As we saw in point one above, this did happen twice. And I think related by the fact that Mary knew what she was doing was identifying her with the previous occurrence.

 

The difference in time between Mark and John are very close in time and yet appear to give two different days. John states that it was on Friday night or Saturday before Palm Sunday. Mark appears to place it on Tuesday of Passion Week. But as you read Mark, he most likely places verses 1-2 on that Tuesday, introducing the Passion Week events. Then he recounts the story of Bethany without thought of time. His account is not as tied to time. He is organizing this event (Mary’s Reception), not with a close time sequence in mind but in juxtaposition to the verses 1-2 (Jewish Leader’s Opposition) and verse 10-11 (Judas’s Opposition). John, however, does appear to be giving a closer chronology in his account of Passion Week events.

 

4. Other differences?

 

There are a few other differences, but these are not difficult to put together at all, they actually give us a greater understanding of the event, some from Judas’s perspective, some from Mary’s perspective, some giving more of what Jesus stated. This is the beauty of having the four Gospel accounts, they all sing a harmony of one primary story – the story of the Gospel of Christ. And they sound so beautiful when played side by side!

Woman Worshiping at Jesus’ Feet
Matthew 26:6-13	Mark 14:1-11	Luke 7:36-39	John 12:1-11
Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, 7a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table.    8But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? 9“For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”    10But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. 11“For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. 12“For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. 3“Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”	Now   the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests   and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him; 2for   they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot   of the people.”    3While   He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table,   there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure   nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.     4But   some were indignantly remarking to one another, “Why has this perfume been   wasted? 5“For this perfume might have been sold for over   three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they were   scolding her.     6But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do   you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me.7“For   you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to   them; but you do not always have Me. 8“She has done what   she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial. 9“Truly   I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this   woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”     10Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the   twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them. 11They   were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began   seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.	Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.    37And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.    39Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”	Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him.    3Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.    4But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, 5“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” 6Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.    7Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. 8“For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”    9The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. 10But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also 11because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.