The Passage
      v1-2. The die is cast in that the religious authorities have decided to act against Jesus, planning to seize him and put him to death. They understand well Jesus' popularity and so plan to arrest him away from public gaze. All they need is the opportunity. Mark tells us that it is two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread which will commence on Nisan 14, Thursday evening. So it is Wednesday.
      v3-5. Mark dramatically changes the scene to a meal at Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper. His full name is given to distinguish him from the other Simons in the gospel. We know nothing more about him, nor are we even sure if Jesus is staying with him or just having a meal at his home. Having set the scene, Mark focuses on the woman and her act of love as a counter to the deceitful plans of the religious authorities and of the disloyalty of Judas. She destroys the perfume container, indicating her intention to use all the perfume. It is spike nard, most likely adulterated with pistachio nut oil. The anointing may image the prophetic anointing of the messiah, but is more likely an expression of loving devotion contrasted with the evil of Judas and the religious authorities. There is a ripple of disapproval - a grumble here and there, an unfriendly stare. Mark underlines their winging, not so much to expose their hypocrisy, but rather to emphasize the woman's devotion. Her critics concluded that the perfume was extremely valuable and could have been sold and used for a more legitimate purpose. It is typically human to go on about the poor and then ignore them. Interestingly, Matthew says it was the disciples who reacted this way, Luke that it was a "Pharisee" and John that it was Judas. Mark doesn't really specify since his focus is on the woman.
      v6-8. Jesus defends her action, calling it a "beautiful thing", a noble act. It is true, her loving kindness toward Jesus could have been redirected toward the poor, but the poor will always be with us and so there is always tomorrow. The woman seized the moment of the day. In the midst of hostility toward Christ she expressed loving devotion. Jesus raises the stakes by interpreting her action prophetically, well beyond her intentions. Her anointing of Jesus is highly appropriate because of his approaching death, a death where the proper anointing of the body prior to burial will not be performed; the death of a common criminal.
      v9. Jesus raises the stakes even further by telling those present, primarily the disciples, that the significance of this unnamed woman's action is so profound that the story of her anointing of Jesus will be carried alongside the gospel as a memorial to her.
      v10-11. From the devotion of an unnamed woman, an act which carried with it prophetic significance, Mark takes us back to real life. The authorities are seeking to arrest Jesus secretly and one of his own disciples is looking for the best time and place for them to do their dirty deed. Mark doesn't tell us why Judas is out to get Jesus, although the offer of money points to a motive of greed, cf. Matt.26:15a.

Grasp the moment
      She did the right thing at the right moment. The unnamed woman who anointed Jesus remains a mystery to us. Not only do we not know her name, probably because the disciples never new it (she passed Him by), but we know nothing of her motives. Did she understand the full significance of her act of love toward Jesus? Jesus knew his passion was imminent, but his disciples were blind to the gathering storm, so there is probably little chance that this unnamed woman understood that the anointing prefigured Jesus' death, a death of a common criminal where anointing for burial is not an option. Some commentators suggest she was anointing Jesus the messiah in preparation for his enthronement in Jerusalem, but again, we don't know. What we can say is that it was an act of selfless love toward the person of Jesus - an act of faith, generosity, acceptance, recognition, ...., an act, says Jesus, that will be remembered throughout time. In the midst of deception and disloyalty we find an act of dedication.
      In the journey of life, circumstances will often conspire and we find ourselves with a momentary opportunity to act in accord with the passion of Christ. Someone is sick and in hospital and just for one moment we get the feeling that we should do something, visit, send some flowers. The moment quickly passes and the rush of life takes over. The crazy thing is that often the outcome is disastrous and we are left wondering why we didn't act, why we didn't follow our gut feeling.
      A momentary act of love, seemingly unimportant, prompted by a gut feeling, can have enormous consequences when it taps into the sovereign will of God. When we place ourselves within God's intentions, what was of little consequence can be carried through to a wondrous end.
      Doing the right thing at the right moment is rarely our normal practice. For most of us life is filled with lost opportunities. None-the-less, next time a situation arises that is overshadowed by the passion of Christ, take it with both hands and let the oil flow.

v2
      gar mh "but not" - for not. The sentence is elliptical, "we will not arrest him at the feast .....". Mark, in this verse, explains the reason for the guile of the religious authorities.
      en th/ eJorth/ "during the feast" - at/during the feast/festival. "in the presence of the festival crowd", Jeremias. This is probably the intended sense, otherwise we must take it that their plan was to arrest Jesus after the festival, ie. not during the feast.
      tou laou (oV) "the people" - "The crowd."
      foruboV (oV) "riot" - tumult, confusion, noise. "Because the people will riot", CEV.

v3
      katakeimenou (katakeimai) part. "reclining at the table" - reclining. The word indicates they were in an eating position, lying on cushions around a low coffee-style table.
      nardou (oV) "nard" - Spike Nard, a precious perfume.
      pistikhV adj. "pure" - Taylor suggests "pure / genuine", but Cranfield says it is likely to refer to the base oil of the perfume, usually pistachio nut oil.
      suntriyasa (suntribw) aor. part. "broke" - having broken, crushed. "breaking the flask makes it henceforth unusable and therefore dramatizes the completeness of the outpouring; not a drop is held back", Gundry.
      alabasron (oV) "alabaster jar" - "A long tube-like flask of the type sometimes called a tear-bottle; it might have been made of alabaster, but more probably of glass", Shermon E Johnson.
      kateceen (katacew) aor. "poured" - poured, poured down, poured over. Anointing is a general courtesy performed for a guest and so therefore, this is not necessarily an anointing of the Messiah, although the anointing of a person's head increases the dignity of the anointing and therefore, the possibility that what we have here is a secret anointing for kingship in the terms of 2 Kings 9:1-13. Jesus explains the anointing in terms of an anointing for death, although there is no indication that the woman understands it in these terms. Matthew agrees with Mark on what part of the anatomy Jesus is anointed.

v4
      aganaktounteV (aganaktew) pres. part. "[saying] indignantly" - being unwilling, angry, indignant. The action "saying" is implied; "they said angrily to her", Barclay.
      proV eJautouV "to one another" - with/to themselves. "Were vexed / disturbed in themselves", or "commented /glanced indignantly one to another."
      eiV ti "why" - for what reason, purpose, why? BAGD.
      gegonen (ginomai) perf. "-" - [for what reason this waste of the ointment] become = taken place, happened. "Why such a waste", CEV.

v5
      hdunato (dunamai) imperf. pas. "could have been [sold]" - was able. "This perfume might have been sold", Moffatt.
      praqhnai (pipraskw) aor. inf. "sold" - to be sold. The infinitives, "to be sold" and "to be given" serve as the subject of the sentence, while "it" ("this ointment") serves as the subject of the infinities and is in the accusative case due to its function of referring to the nominal subject.
      dhnariwn triakosiwn gen. "a year's wages" - three hundred denarii. Genitive of measure. The NIV "dynamic equivalent" is better than "three hundred sliver coins", CEV.
      enebrimwnto (embrimaomai) imperf. "they rebuked [her] harshly" - they were reproaching, warning, expressing anger. Probably in the sense of gestures of reproach and disapproval, and verbal murmurings, hisses.

v6
      afete (afihmi) aor. imp. "leave [her] alone" - leave, leave alone, leave someone alone. "let go, tolerate", BAGD.
      parecete (parecw) pres. "[why] are you [bothering her?] - [why] do you cause, bring, give [her trouble]. "Why distress her", Barclay.
      kopouV (oV) "bothering" - troubles, dificulties.
      kalon (oV) "beautiful" - good, noble, worthy, beautiful. Her actions express self-giving love, but are also appropriate in that Christ is about to die and are therefore prophetic. F.W. Danker suggests that Psalm 41 lies behind the incident. Christ represents the righteous suffering poor and the woman has recognized him and so anoints him as an act of love toward God's broken one. "She has done a beautiful deed / a noble act of love."

v7
      pantote adv. "always" - at all times. "You will always have the poor with you", CEV.
      eu poihsai "help" - to do good. "You can do something for them any time you like", Barclay.
      oJtan qelhte "any time you want" - whenever you wish, will, desire. The reference to the poor is often used to justify ignoring their plight, but this is not Jesus' intention. They will always need our attention, but there will be occasions when other priorities will need to be addressed. This is one such occasion.

v8
      hJ escen epoihsen "she did what she could" - what she had she did. The verb "had" is probably taking the sense "was able"; "she has done all that she had it in her power to do", Barclay.
      murisai (murizw) aor. inf. "she poured perfume on my body" - [she did beforehand] to anoint. The infinitive use here is rare and unwieldy.
      proelaben (prolambanw) aor. "beforehand" - she prepared beforehand, acted ahead of time, anticipated. Of taking action before it is necessary to do so, MM.
      entafiasmon (oV) "my burial" - the burial. "The preparation for the burial (laying out the body), MM, although BAGD suggests the burial itself.

v9
      amhn de legw uJmin "I tell you the truth" - truly I say to you. "You may be sure", CEV. oJpou ean "wherever" - "In all the places that", TH.
      khrucqh/ (khrussw) aor. pas. subj. "preached" - is preached, proclaimed. This verse raises a number of questions. In what why is the anointing linked to the preaching of the gospel? Jeremias suggests that the "gospel" referred to in this verse concerns "the proclamation of the final victory of God", while the preaching refers to the shout of the angel on the last day as he announces that victory. On that day her act of love will be recounted before the thrown of God and stand to her favour. This is a very original interpretation and overcomes the nagging question as to why the anointing should be integrally linked to the gospel and recounted throughout the centuries. The notion that the anointing serves as a reminder to God for the woman's account is questionable. Gundry takes a straightforward approach to the words when he says "that alongside the gospel itself, what the woman has done will be talked about throughout the world with the result that she will be remembered."
      lalhqhsetai (lalew) fut. pas. "will be told" - will be spoken of. "Will also be recounted", Phillips.
      mnhmosunon "in memory" - reminder, memorial. Her act of love will serve as a reminder to God (Jeremias) or more likely a reminder to us of true devotion. "What she has done will be told too, and she will always be remembered", Barclay.

v10
      Iskariwq "Iscariot" - An identifier for the man Judas, possibly a family name, but more likely of a place, "the man from [the village of] Karioth."
      oJ eiJV twn dwdeka "one of the twelve" - the one of the twelve. The definite article underlines the one betrayer, Judas, as against the rest of the disciples.
      iJna + subj. "to [betray] - in order to. Introducing a purpose clause.
      paradoi (paradidwmi) "betray" - hand over, betray, deliver over. "He went to the Chief Priests and offered to help them arrest Jesus", CEV.