Jesus Asks a Question: “Why are you bothering this woman?”

Jesus Asks a Question: “Why are you bothering this woman?”

The Grand Inquisitor. Messiah Jesus was a Master of asking questions: some were open-ended, others were very pointed; some were out of curiosity, others were challenging; some seemed rhetorical, others seemed painfully obvious; some were to reveal Himself, others were to guide the other into self-understanding; some were intentionally provocative, others were to kick-start a conversation; some questions were asked to explore a topic to deepen understanding and stretch toward the truth; some were leading questions that He designed to suggest a particular answer, and others were questions in response to questions asked of Him; some were hypotheticals to stimulate the imagination, other questions were used  by Him as stepping stones to think logically from one point to the next. Jesus used questions to dignify the listener, letting that person know that He is taking that person seriously and listening carefully. Many of His questions were acts of friendship and used to pursue a more profound intimacy with someone. Jesus asked very few yes-no questions, and since time was usually irrelevant for Him when He was with people, He rarely asked a “when” question. Several biblical scholars have studied the gospels with Christ’s questions in mind, and they have literally counted a total of 307 questions in His various conversations and teachings. It seems that a worthy spiritual exercise when considering the many questions of Jesus is that we ask ourselves… should I take His questions personally, as if He was asking us that question right now?

The Question. “Why are you troubling (“kopous’) this woman? said Jesus.

“Kopous” is the Greek term that means to wear someone down, to cause trouble for, to bother someone by being critical; generally, to give someone a hard time. After Mary of Bethany expressed her adoration and devotion to Jesus by anointing Him with a family treasure of expensive perfume worth a year’s wages, the disciples were indignant that that costly perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus strongly defended Mary and would not allow them hound or denigrate Mary in any way.

Context. “Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus – the man He had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor (at the home of Simon the leper whom Jesus had healed). Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with Him. Then while Jesus was eating at the table, Mary took a twelve-ounce alabaster  jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.” (John 12:1-3; also refer to Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9).

Friendship. Mary of Bethany was a much-loved friend of Jesus, along with her sister Martha and brother Lazarus. Their home in the little village of Bethany served Jesus well in His travels, as He was a frequent guest. Bethany was only two miles east of Jerusalem and on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, and so one could imagine Jesus dropping by whenever He was in Jerusalem.

Caring for the Poor. The contrast between Mary’s genuine faith and Judas’ dishonesty is highlighted in John’s version of this event. Judas reportedly led the disciples in objecting to this “wasting” of such an expensive perfume. But Jesus said that what Mary has done is absolutely beautiful, and will be forever remembered as a key moment in the gospel story. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 15:11 right back at Judas, “There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why  I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.” Jesus is essentially telling Judas and the others present that they will all have plenty of opportunities in the future to give to the poor, but this is a unique moment, a special occasion, because they will not always have Him around to care for.

Audacious. Mary of Bethany had a chutzpah-style faith in Jesus. The anointing scene in particular would have been a rather shameless, audacious thing for a woman to do in that era… She scandalously let her hair down in the presence of a man not her husband; she handled Jesus’ feet, an intimate gesture that had erotic overtones; she poured fragrant oil on Jesus, which for many at that time would have suggested a wedding night ritual; she wasted a precious and expensive family treasure in a rather impulsive gesture, when it was supposed to be reserved for special occasions; the alabaster jar which contained the nard was equally as valuable, since it was made from a translucent gypsum that could only be found in caves and limestone deposits; she was unashamed to be a woman under direct rabbinic teaching, which was not supposed to happen according to religious authorities. As it turned out, this was, according to Mary, a special occasion, an opportunity to perform a lavish act of devotion for her Lord, and her love of Jesus overwhelmed any shame she might have felt. This act of worship was, in her mind, a sacred anointing of the Anointed One, consecrating Him as Messiah, a public profession of her faith in Jesus being the fulfillment of the Scriptures. In both Matthew and Mark’s version of this event, Mary (who was unnamed at this point) anointed Jesus’ head, which was associated with royalty and the anointing of a king. There is every reason to believe that in her extravagant demonstration of love for Jesus, she would have anointed Jesus’ head, His feet, and probably his clothes as well.

Chutzpah (hoots-pah) is a Yiddish word that long ago entered English usage. It is from the Hebrew word, “hutspah,” which means insolent or audacious. Chutzpah is a neutral word that can be either positive or negative. Chutzpah can be righteous or unrighteous, holy or unholy. It is an idea difficult to define, so there are a lot of synonyms for it, especially in the biblical sense: spiritual audacity; brazen gall; tenacious stubbornness; headstrong persistence; outrageous guts; shameless nerve; feisty assertiveness; brazen impudence; unyielding boldness; courageous spine; expectant defiance. The Holy Scriptures, both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, are overflowing with examples of holy chutzpah. One wonders not only if it’s a job requirement for saints and prophets, but also a faith requirement for all believers. In fact, God seems to love chutzpah in us when it is based on our ultimate trust in Him and His character, our unselfish motives, our yearning for justice and mercy. Chutzpah in front of others becomes holy when it is done in obedience to the Lord and is an outworking of our faith in Him. As Rabbi Schulweiss once said, “Spiritual audacity toward God finds a place of honor in Jewish religious thought.” The rabbis of old have always insisted that chutzpah is a valid expression of faith. Just a quick glimpse at the Gospels reveals that Jesus and His followers fully embraced the ancient Jewish ethic of holy chutzpah. When Jesus saw chutzpah in action, He usually said things like, “Great is your faith!” Maybe Christian scholar Dr. Brad Young said it best. “True faith requires bold perseverance. Sometimes it is expressed by brazen impudence. Faith can be defined as chutzpah. Persevere with unyielding tenacity.” (Brad Young, Jesus the Jewish Theologian).

At the Feet of Jesus. Mary proved herself a devoted disciple of Jesus time and again. Her primary gesture of devotion seemed to be worshiping at Jesus’ feet. Whenever we see her in the Gospels, she was at His feet, whether she was listening to Him teach, grieving for her brother, or anointing His feet. Mary showed bold and righteous chutzpah all three times she was at the feet of Jesus:

1. LISTENING. In Luke 10 we find her at home, sitting at the feet of Jesus as He teaches. He commended her for doing “the one thing needful,” even after her sister Martha complained that she was stuck with all the work in their hospitality. There was Martha, “distracted with many things,” and there was Mary, totally absorbed and hanging on every word of Christ. Mary demonstrated her piety by being undistracted in the midst of the distractions. Perhaps Jesus was saying that, despite the loving attention to detail in hospitality, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they skipped lunch and instead tended to the “main course,” the Bread of Life. Eugene Peterson said as much in the Message – “Martha, dear Martha, you’ve been fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it – it’s the main course and won’t be taken from her.” (Luke 10:41-42). For Mary to assume the role of disciple was somewhat controversial, since women were generally not allowed to be directly taught by a rabbi. Jesus, though, welcomed her avid interest in His teaching.
2. GRIEVING. Mary’s brother Lazarus has died, and there is deep grieving in Bethany (John 11). Jesus has delayed His arrival, even though Lazarus was a close friend. Mary and Martha, in their grief, are gravely disappointed that Jesus seemed late in arriving. They are both convinced that Jesus could have healed him if He had come sooner. Martha met Jesus first, standing on the outskirts of town. After Jesus tried to comfort Martha by claiming, “I AM the Resurrection and the Life,” Martha returned to the house to fetch Mary, who was in the company of mourners inside. She tells Mary, “The Teacher is here, and He is asking for you.” John reports that Mary “immediately” went outside to greet Jesus (John 11:28, 31). Once again, Mary reflexively fell at His feet, another gesture of devotion. Mary expressed her disappointment with His apparent tardiness, and it is telling that it was with Mary that Jesus wept so deeply.  Mary then led Jesus to the tomb where Lazarus had been buried for four days. Showing the bystanders the glory of God, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. John then mentioned that “many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus.” (John 11:45).
3. ANOINTING. On the Saturday before the triumphant Palm Sunday, Jesus was honored with a dinner of gratitude at the home of His dear friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. At some point during the festivities, Mary took a family treasure, a liter of very expensive oil of nard, an extremely costly perfume, and poured it over Jesus’ feet. Nard was unusually extravagant for this setting, a perfume that was imported from India, and was worth a year’s wages. This gesture of devotion was unexpected and shocked the disciples looking on. She then did something even more shocking. Mary let down her hair and wiped His feet. That act was in fact seen as an intimate gesture with erotic overtones. Any woman letting her hair down with any man except her husband was suggestive and provocative, bordering on scandalous. Mary was not in the least self-conscious, apparently. She didn’t mind the overtones, and neither did Jesus. In fact, He commended her for this erotic anointing. Jesus accepted this act as a foreshadowing of His death and burial. Her gesture anticipated Jesus’ Passion, and in fact it meant she was probably more ready to understand His death than the disciples. Mary wanted to offer this anointing as a symbol of His coming sacrifice, a gesture of devotion and respect done to Jesus’ body before its time. (John 12:1-7).

A Lingering Aroma. Expensive perfume like Mary’s was especially powerful and long-lasting. The scent would have remained with Jesus for many days. It is likely that Jesus rode into town on a donkey the next day with the lingering delicious aroma of Mary’s perfume. Coming into Jerusalem as the messianic King, Jesus would have certainly had the fragrance of royalty. And perhaps even the soldiers smelled this scent as they nailed Jesus to the Cross.

A Pioneer at the Empty Tomb. The Eastern Orthodox Church believes that Mary of Bethany was among the famous “myrrh-bearing women” who went to Jesus’ tomb to anoint His body with spices. They were the first to see the empty tomb. That prospect would fit perfectly with Mary’s established character of contemplative piety and single-minded devotion. Church tradition holds that Lazarus was expelled from Jerusalem soon after the martyrdom of Stephen, and that Mary and Martha both accompanied him as they spread the Good News in other lands. The three of them ended up in Cyprus, where Lazarus became bishop of the Christian church there. All three remained there in Cyprus until the end of their days.