Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

§13.4 For Whom Did Jesus Intend His Message?
'Why this waste?
9 For this
could have been sold for a large
sum, and
the money given to the poor'.
10 But
Jesus, aware of this, said to
them, 'Why do you
trouble the woman? She has
performed a good service for
me. 11 For you always have
the poor with you.
but you
do not always have me.
12 By pouring this ointment on
my body she has
prepared me for burial. 13
Truly I tell you, wherever this
good news is proclaimed in the
whole world, what she has done
will be told in remembrance of
her'.
'Why was this waste of
ointment? 5 For this ointment
could have been sold for more
than three hundred denarii, and
the money given to the poor'.
And they scolded her. 6 But
Jesus said.
'Let her alone; why do you
trouble her? She has
performed a good service for
me. 7 For you always have the
poor with you, and you can
show kindness to them
whenever you wish; but you
do not always have me.
8 She has done what she could;
she has anointed my body
beforehand for its burial. 9
Truly I tell you, wherever the
good news is proclaimed in the
whole world, what she has done
will be told in remembrance of
her'.
disciples (the one who was
about to betray him), said, 5
'Why was this ointment
not sold for
three hundred denarii and
the money given to the poor?'
7 Jesus said,
'Leave her alone. She bought it
so that she might keep it for the
day of my burial.
8 You always have the
poor with you.
do not always have me'.
This was evidently a much told story, whose fixed (and identifying) details
are clear: 165 an event in Bethany, an embarrassing anointing of Jesus by a woman
using very expensive ointment, a protest by some (disciples) at the seeming
waste of something which could have been sold and the proceeds given to the
poor; and, most noticeably, the story's climax in the seeming harshness of Jesus'
response: 'You always have the poor with you; but you do not always have
me', 166 possibly in echo of Deut 15.II. 167 What is of particular interest at this
point is the way the story cuts across the sentiments of the two earlier Markan
narratives: the protest echoes Jesus' exhortation to the rich (young) man! And it
is Jesus who now demurs. 168 Evidently, then, the story circulated widely within
the early groups of Jesus' followers as a warning not to idealize or absolutize Je-
165.1 have not included Luke 7.36-50: the identifying details are almost wholly lacking
(it seems to be a different story); but in the course of the transmission history details from the
versions recorded here seem to have been drawn into the story told by Luke.
166. It is less clear how the other element in Jesus' response functioned (Mark 14.8-9
pars.) — as a supplementary climax (Mark/Matthew), or incorporated into the climax (John).
See the discussion in Davies and Allison, Matthew 3.442-43 and further below, § 17.4b.
167. Deut. 15.11: 'There will never cease to be poor ('ebyon) in the land; therefore I
command you, "Open wide your hand to your neighbour, to the needy ('ami) and poor {'ebyon),
in the land"'.
168. It is precisely the fact that the saying cuts across the earlier emphasis of 10.21
which should caution against dismissing it as a remembered teaching of Jesus (pace Funk, Five
Gospels 116).
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