Mark 14:4 Commentary and Bible Study

The disciples got it entirely wrong. What a strange thing to do! They were even indignant. Mark is quite kind; he says, some of them protested; Matthew seems to imply it was all of them. John tells us it started with Judas, and that doesn't surprise us: Judas who never really believed; Judas who would betray Christ. He was the one who said, ‘Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?’ (John 12:5). What a waste! What a foolish thing to do! Apart from what he said in connection with the betrayal of the Lord, these are the only words of Judas recorded in the Gospels. They characterise him. He was the treasurer on behalf of the disciples, and had charge of the money bag. He could not bear to see this waste, as he perceived it, and lied about why it grieved him, John’s Gospel tells us. His real concern was not about the loss to the poor, but about the loss of opportunity to pilfer more money from the common purse. But the other disciples, without thinking, were contaminated by what he said, and they all fell in line and murmured at her. What a way to treat her! She was one of the family of the house. She was sister of Lazarus, who was alongside Simon the leper, and had been a host in her house previously – Christ had been there with the disciples. And yet they murmured at her, a disciple of Christ, with disapproval, even with indignation. Their thinking was not the same as Judas’, but it was still wrong and earned a firm rebuke from the Lord. Now, actually, there are valuable lessons to learn from this, because although Judas was badly motivated in leading the protest, the other disciples didn’t know that, they couldn’t read his heart and they agreed with him but for better reasons. This is why. They had learned from the simplicity of the Lord’s life and they did not like to see what appeared to be such a waste, that somebody (Mary) had gone out and bought with her money such a precious item and was breaking it open upon the Lord. No doubt inside themselves they thought, ‘This is a very nice gesture but it is a terrible waste. The Lord wouldn’t like this. He lives a simple life and a simple lifestyle.’ It shows also the compassionate rule that prevailed with Christ and the disciples. They were trained up to be frugal. When they had means, they spread them abroad. You know, we are told in John’s Gospel that when Judas went out at the Last Supper in order to betray the Lord, the disciples didn’t know that he was going to betray the Lord. One of the things they thought was that perhaps he was going to buy something urgently that was missing at that feast and the other thing they thought was maybe he has gone to give money to the poor, which is a little insight into how they conducted themselves When they had means, they constantly gave to the poor and they themselves lived simply.