Are you ready for some deep diving Bible nerdery? I’m back to the questions I had to confront when I wrote the poem about Mary’s anoining of Jesus’ feet before his crucifixion:
- Can we reconcile the four accounts, by the four different Gospel writers, of the anointing of Jesus by a woman who is only named in one account?
- Was Mary of Bethany (the sister of Martha and Lazarus) also called Mary Magdalene? If so, Why was she called Mary in some accounts and Mary Magdalene in others?
- Why is Luke’s anointing account in a different place chronologically and why is she called “a sinful woman” there?
- Is Mary also the “sinful woman” from Luke 7?
After doing some more research, I’m pretty confident with my conclusions, but I want you to see the texts and the evidence for yourselves. Are you ready to become a Bible super sleuth???
Today I’m going to lay out all the text that refer to Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene and draw out the clues that I see in these texts. All Scripture is taken from the NIV in this post.
I have bolded the information that stands out to me in each passage. For space and visual simplicity, I have condensed most of the dialogue from each account into a single paragraph.
Mary the Disciple
Luke 7:36-50: “When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them . . . Then [Jesus] turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Luke 8:1-2: “After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.”
Luke 10: 38-42: “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
THE CLUES:
- Luke is the only Gospel writer to place the anointing story in this place chronologically. These leads some scholars and most Bible commenters to reason that these are two different events.
- Luke is also the only writer to recount the story of Mary becoming a disciple of Jesus.
- As argued by Kenneth Bailey in his book, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, The woman in Luke 7 seems to already have had experience with Jesus, was already forgiven by him. She is responding to the insulting behavior of the Pharisee host and honoring Jesus, who has changed her life. If she is indeed Mary Magdalane, we learn immediately after in Luke 8 that she had been healed of seven demons. Remember that chapter divisions and headers were added later, so these two accounts are closely related in the text. Biblical authors often grouped their narratives according to the overarching story they were telling rather than by chronology (see this article). To me, It seems like Luke is setting up Mary’s origin story as a disciple in these three chapters.
- We learned from Luke 10 that Mary’s family had some kind of means. Although a father isn’t mentioned, at least one of the three children mentioned, Martha, has a home of her home. She has food to share and is able to host. Mary herself is included in the list of women who support Jesus’ ministry “out of their own means” (Luke 8)
- We learn from Luke 8 that Mary was called Magdalene. There are different interpretations of what this means. Just as Jesus was often called Jesus of Nazareth, she could be Mary is of Magdala, a city near the Sea of Galilee. It had a notorious reputation (see this article). This journal article argues that “Magdalene” can be interpreted several ways, citing the Gospel writers and early literature from the time. Another possible interpretation is that Magdalene was more of a title, meaning something like “of the tower” or “magnified one” (see this paper’s abstract here). Magdala comes from the Hebrew “migdal.” The NIV exhaustive concordance says that “migdal” in Hebrew can mean tower, an elevated platform, or a garden with terraces (see the Strong’s concordance entry HERE) from the root word “gāḏal,” to make strong. The city of Magdala could have been named for a tower or raised area in the town. This explanation might even merge the two possibilities–Mary had both lived in this town at one time and also reminded people of a tower or even a raised garden.
- Some later extra-biblical church traditions held that Mary once lived at one of her father’s homes in Magdala, the place where she somehow acquired her reputation as a “sinner.” The other family home was in Bethany, where Martha lived and where Mary first learned from Jesus as a disciple (source here).
- A question to explore would be, can we trace Jesus’ movements from the area around Magdala in Galilee down to Bethany (near Jerusalem) where we see Mary with her sister Martha? Here is a reference map.
The Death of Lazarus
John 11:1-44: “Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” . . . After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
THE CLUES:
- John specifically tells us that THIS Mary is the same “who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.” John is the only gospel writer who identifies her BY NAME as the same person.
- John’s mention of “the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair” implies that John was aware of this happening one time with one woman (possibly recorded in his gospel later in his chronology, but known to the readers already). This lends to the argument that all four are accounts of the same woman and the same event.
- John’s Gospel is thought to be the last written chronologically. Here is what Catholic Answers proposes: “It is conceivable that St. John, just because he is writing so long after the event and at a time when Mary was dead, wishes to point out to us that she was really the same as the “sinner”. In the same way St. Luke may have veiled her identity precisely because he did not wish to defame one who was yet living; he certainly does something similar in the case of St. Matthew whose identity with Levi the publican . . . he conceals” (Catholic Answers)
- Jesus has a special and loving relationship with these three siblings. John 11:5 says “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”
- This is a theme we see with Mary–her weeping–at her brothers’ tomb, at the anointing, at the empty tomb.
- The other theme we see is Mary at Jesus’ feet–at the anointing, at her brother’s tomb, in Martha’s house (as observed here)
The Anointing
Matthew’s account:
Matthew 26:6-16: “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.”
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Mark’s Account:
Mark 14:3-10: “While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.
“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.”
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John’s account:
John 12:1-8 “Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
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Luke’s Account:
Luke 7:36-50: “When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
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THE CLUES:
- Luke, Mark and Matthew all record that it was an alabaster jar of expensive perfume
- Matthew, Mark and Luke name the host as Simon.
- Matthew and Mark record that she anointed Jesus’ head. John records that she anointed his feet, as does Mark. This article examine possible ways to harmonize these. It’s possible she anointed his head with so much oil when she cracked her jar that it dripped down to his feet. The host didn’t provide anything for cleaning feet, so she used her hair (see Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes).
- Matthew, Mark, and John record that the people in the room were upset that she wasted the perfume. This would make sense if she was supporting the ministry with her money (as argued here). They, especially Judas, may have felt entitled to it. Their reaction doesn’t make as much sense if she is a random woman none of them know.
- Matthew, Mark and John place the event before Passover in Bethany. They all note that this event leads to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. They seem to contrast Mary’s devotion and act of love to Judas’ callous betrayal and love of money. The accounts also precede the Lord’s supper, where the disciples did NOT wash Jesus’ feet (similar to Luke’s account where the Pharisee doesn’t provide for the washing of Jesus’ feet).
- Only in John is Mary named as the anointer. She would not need to be called Magdalene here, because she is with Martha and Lazarus, so her identity would be clear as their sister. Also, there is not another Mary in the story to confuse (like there was at the cross and resurrection).
- Matthew, Mark, and John all connect her act to Jesus’ coming death and burial. In John’s account, Jesus says, “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. ” This directly links this Mary to the Mary at the resurrection, where she shows up with spices (and maybe perfume?) for his burial.
- Luke’s story seems thematically different and fits into his narrative differently. It precedes the introduction of the women disciples. It centers on Jesus’ forgiveness and acceptance of the woman, despite her past. It focuses on the mini parable Jesus told about forgiveness. It also focuses on the bad behavior of the host in contrast to the woman’s great love. This article says, “Luke may be structuring his material around an idea, grouping stories around themes so that his subjects suit his object. Scholars have recognized that the evangelists may group their narratives logically rather than chronologically or according to the geography of various travels.”
At the Cross
John 19:25: “Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”
Matthew 27:55-57: “Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.“
Mark 15:40: “Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome.”
Mark 15:47: “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.”
Luke 23:55-24:10: “The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment . . . .When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.”
THE CLUES:
- John places Mary, sister of Martha, in town with Jesus right before the Passover, just before these events. It would not make sense for one Mary to disappear and be replaced by another different Mary.
- There are two Mary’s here. The other is Jesus’ mother, also identified as “Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph.” Mark 6:3 tells us Jesus’ four brothers are James, Joses, Judas, and Simon. It makes sense that Mary would be called Magdalene here to distinguish between the two women, and just “Mary” elsewhere.
- except for the list of the women at the cross, where Jesus’ mother is listed first, it is Mary Magdalene that is consistently listed first. This seems an important pattern (see the 12 disciples’ names for example).
The Resurrection
Matthew 27:61: “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.”
Matthew 28:1: “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.”
Mark 15:45: Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
Mark 16:1: “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.”
Luke 23:55-24:10: “The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.”
Mark 16:9: “ When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.”
John 20:1 “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.”
John 20:16: “Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).”
John 20:12: “and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.”
THE CLUES:
- Note: Salome is possibly Mary, the mother’s, sister mentioned in John 19:25.
- Mark notes that Jesus had delivered Mary Magdalene from seven demons, which was also noted by by Luke (8:1-2).
- Again, “Mary Magdalene” is always used in these accounts when she appears with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Matthew even calls Jesus’ mother “the other Mary”!
- Jesus calls her Mary! She calls him, “Teacher,” which John has already recorded is what Martha called him in John 11:28. The word “Teacher” is the same in Greek here: didaskalos
- Side note: according to this article, Orthodox traditions place Mary and her sister Martha at the tomb as “Holy Myrrh Bearers”
- In all these list of women, Mary Magdalene appears first, which speaks of her importance
Witness
John 20:18: “Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.”
Acts 1:14: “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”
Matthew 26:13: “Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Mark 15:9: “Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
THE CLUES:
- Again, Magdalene would be necessary here to distinguish between her and Jesus’ mother, who were both present.
- John already directly ties Mary to the preparation of Jesus’ body for burial (John 12:1-8). It would only make sense that she would be there for the completion of that job and for the resurrection.
- I would guess that Mary was among the women waiting for the Holy Spirit in this account in Acts, even though she isn’t named by the author.
- Mary’s story was precious to Jesus and to the early followers of Jesus. They knew that her story would be told “throughout the world.”
Let’s talk about it!
Here are a few questions to discuss in the comments or with some of your Bible nerd friends:
- What evidence was most convincing to you (if you’re convinced!)?
- Not convinced? What evidence convinces you that they are different women?
- What further questions should we explore?
- Do you think understanding Mary’s identity is important? Why?
- Why do you think her identity has been split up in many of our church traditions?
These resources were helpful to me in preparing this information:
https://schooloffaith.com/rosary-archive/mary-magdalene-2
https://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/199647.pdf
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Image art is “Christ and St. Mary Magdalen at the Tomb” (1638) by Rembrandt Van Rijn
