Reflections from the anointing woman's closest female friend

Mark 14: 6-9

Reflections from the anointing women’s closest female friend
- Kathy Buist

When she asked me to come along to Simon’s house for a social gathering of friends, I eagerly accepted the invitation. I didn’t have anything else going on and was eager to meet this Jesus and his disciples that she kept talking about.

As we walked to Simon’s house, I noticed she was carrying a jar but didn’t think much of it. She often brought gifts when invited to someone’s home. For all I knew, most of the people who associated with Jesus brought one of these jars to these gatherings. So, I didn’t ask any questions.

When we arrived, she introduced me to many of the women. When I got involved in a conversation, she slipped away. After a few minutes, all of the conversations in the house stopped and a strange tension filled the house. Everyone slowly moved toward the source of the tension, the table where Jesus was sitting. I couldn’t believe what I saw. My friend’s jar was empty and Jesus’ hair was greased with ointment. Everyone just stared. Silence filled the room. I could sense that everyone wanted to crawl out of their skill.

I thought, “She’s done it again.” She never shies away from expressing herself and her emotions. You could tell that she adored Jesus and wanted to show him so. In a tight-chested community like ours, people never knew how to respond to her outpouring of emotions. I could tell that most of the people in the room felt embarrassed for her, as if she had just made a social fopa.

Have you ever been in a group conversation when someone says something inappropriate and the conversation just ends? Nobody knows how to respond. That’s how it felt at Simon’s house that day. Not only did others feel embarrassed for her, you could tell that they were judging her; saying to themselves, “How could she do such a thing?”

Then Jesus broke the tension and spoke. He defended her actions and rebuked all of us for our thoughts about what she did. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I had been in situations like this before with my friend always felt a sense of embarrassment to be associated with her. The interesting thing was that she never seemed to care to much what other people were thinking of her. If she did, she wouldn’t keep getting herself into situations like this. Now Jesus freed her from any public humiliation for her act and from any she had experienced in the past. His tone was such that I sense him communicating, “It’s o.k. She’s a beautiful person. You all have something to learn from her.”

How would you have reacted that day? What would your attitudes and feelings been like? Would you have judged her for her overt expression? Would you have noted her discernment? Could you have performed an act such as hers, giving everything you have to the Messiah? I think Jesus was right. We all have something to learn from my friend. I think I will continue to accept her invitations to social gatherings and embrace her beautiful expressions.