An alabaster flask found in tombs in Israel. Persian era. Museum of Israel.
Mark 14:3-9
3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.”
And they scolded her.
6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me.
8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”
Let's be frank.
Let's be honest.
Let's wonder together.
John's Gospel recounts an episode with many similarities. Where Jesus attended a dinner hosted by Mary, Martha and Lazarus. According to John's Gospel, the meal at Bethany happened six days before Passover. Mary anointed Jesus' feet.
Matthew and Mark report the meal as taking place two days before Passover. Martha served and Lazarus sat at the table. Matthew and John report Judas Iscariot and other disciples of Jesus were in attendance and protested the costly anointing of Jesus.
The Gospel of Luke - Simon the Leper is sometimes identified with Simon the Pharisee (see Shimon ben Gamliel), as the host of a meal during which the feet of Jesus are anointed by a penitent woman.
Efforts have been made to reconcile the events and characters, but some scholars have pointed out differences between the two events. An alternative explanation for the similarities is that the Luke 7 anointing and the anointing at Bethany happened with some of the same participants, but several years apart.
Simon the Leper is also sometimes identified as the same person as Lazarus of Bethany, or identified as his father or brother. This is because Matthew and Mark mention Simon, while John mentions Lazarus, but all four gospels assume one lodging at Bethany during the last week.
Could we answer the differences Biblically? Without a doubt - definitively.
But first a word from our sponsors. Biblical Truth Supported by Historical Documentation Available Today.
And where would we find this documentation?
Polycarp who later became Bishop of Smyrna. Polycarp wanted to record in history what John the Beloved Disciple thought of the Gospels (Truth) of Matthew, Mark and Luke. John is recorded for posterity saying: "He thought the Gospels were perfect and good."
Now if this is Biblical fact - we should be able to back this up Biblically. Yes. Perfectly. Before Matthew, Mark and Luke were read by John, John's (Truth) Gospel said this:
John 21
24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things and owe know that his testimony is true.
25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
1 John 1
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
When we look at the Life of Jesus we find Jesus finds the colt He needs.
Jesus finds the taxes He needs and Peter's as well.
Jesus finds the Upper Room.
Jesus finds the person He sails to meet 3 times in one day.
Jesus finds Zacchaeus where Jesus looks.
Jesus tells us He always is doing that particular day what God told Him to do. These are not coincidences - This is the Word of God Manifest.
Now we ask what about the similarities?
The Angel of the Lord appeared to Samson's parents.
The Angel of the Lord appeared to Zachariah in The Temple.
The Angel of the Lord appeared to Samuel to tell Hannah. In his Words.
The Angel of the Lord appeared to Mary.
Moses parted the Red Sea by the Power of the Holy Spirit.
Joshua parted the Jordan River by the Power of the Holy Spirit.
Elijah raised a dead person by the Power of the Holy Spirit.
Elisha did many of the same Acts of the Lord God by the Power of the Holy Spirit.
These Acts of God were repeated by Jesus Christ, Manifest Word of God.
When the Disciples went to get the colt, not all of them attended. The Disciples were sometimes sent ahead. Sometimes to other villages to heal and preach the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
When John says the other Gospels are true - John is being honest. The Bible repeats and repeats and repeats and repeats. Why - so the Living Word of God causes wonder and lives where we ask Jesus to live - in our soul.
Now if we repeat this idea - we will remember it more carefully. Study guides say state one sentence three different ways and our memory is set. Father God has the meeting of this woman blessing Jesus and the men wonder. We see - no matter - how - many years Jesus healed the blind, the leper, the deaf, the lame and the poor have Good News - we will always be the Children of Israel wondering if God is going to drop us on our head. Today. Is God God today?
And like Sam eating green eggs and ham - Father God said see we will probably remember this if God repeats this and all the Disciples see a version of this as important.
2 Timothy 3
16 All Scripture
is God-breathed
and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is True. All the Disciples carefully considered their words. Gospel is Truth.
2 Peter 1:20-21
20 Above all,
you must understand that
no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things.
21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
God explains the Gospel is Gospel.
Romans 4
20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God,
but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”
23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone,
24 but for ours also.
It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,
25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
I wonder if Simon the Leper was one of the ten lepers healed. Lepers lived outside the village, not in homes giving dinner parties. I wonder if Simon, who was uppity, was one of the nine who did not give thanks. I wonder if Simon was the one who gave thanks and then acted like the Children of Israel in the desert - is Jesus Real.
And we believe the Word of God is true and Your Promises will answer these wonders some day.
We believe the Gospels are true. We believe Papyrus 46, owned by the University of Michigan, tells us the complete New Testament was written while the Temple was in operation before 70 A.D. - not in 400 A.D.
We believe the Dead Sea Scrolls are a Gift of God giving us Historical Fact - the first intact Bible of 700 A.D. is the same as the Bible before Jesus was born. The Word of God is carefully, carefully copied by the Men of God All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.
We pray for our loved ones and the people God has given us to have more Heaven on earth and more good works to walk in.
We pray for all Christians, our Nation, all Nations Trusting God.
And ask His Blessing on our prayer requests and to cover us in the Name of Jesus.
Amen in Jesus we pray. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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