When Jesus finished his sermon to the disciples, he revealed his fate to them.

“As you know, the Passover is two days away – and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

The chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest Caiaphas. They discussed how to arrest and kill Jesus without angering the people. “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there could be a riot among the people.”

While Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured the perfume on his head while he reclined at the table. The disciples saw her action and were indignant.

“Why this waste?” they asked. “This expensive perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor.”

Aware of their comment, Jesus said to them,

“Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. The poor will always be 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 the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has been done will be told in memory of her.”

Then one of the Twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Jesus to you?”

So they counted out for him, thirty pieces of silver. From then on, Judas watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them.

What the story means to us today

Feelings of love, respect, and devotion to our Savior

Jesus knew that he would be betrayed, turned over to the authorities, and executed. After Jesus reveals his impending fate to the disciples, the unnamed woman responds in kind. The woman may have wasted expensive perfume that could have been put to better use, but her act was an act of love, respect, and devotion toward Jesus. Jesus recognized that the woman accepted the news of his upcoming death and acted out of respect for him.

Jesus said, “Wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has been done will be told in memory of her.” It should not go unnoticed that Jesus already knew that his message would spread worldwide. The remainder of Matthew records how he prepared the disciples, and people everywhere, for what would ultimately grow to become the world’s largest and most widespread religion.

Additional thoughts and considerations

Jesus’ popularity in ancient Israel

The chief priests conspire to create a scheme to kill Jesus in a manner that does not draw the ire of the people. They agree that Jesus must be killed but “not during the festival or there may be a riot.” During the Passover festival, the population of Jerusalem could easily increase fivefold. The chief priests’ concern shows that Jesus was a popular figure among many – a chief reason the leaders sought to crucify him.

Did Jesus eat with a leper?

The verses say, “Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,” reclining at a table. It’s fairly clear that Simon was no longer a leper, or he would have been isolated from the people. However, no other information is given about him. He may have been a former leper who had been healed by Jesus (The Dead Sea Scrolls contain a record of a leper colony near Bethany). Still, the home would have been clean, or Jesus and the disciples would not have been there.

Who was the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet?

John’s account of the event names the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet as “Mary.” This “Mary” was likely the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Martha and Lazarus were siblings who were close friends of Jesus. They are mentioned in the Gospel of John, and in one story, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. In another story, Martha and Mary host Jesus at their home, and Martha is busy with preparations while Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, listening to his teaching.

Why would Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve Disciples, betray Jesus?

The reason for Judas’ betrayal of Jesus is not apparent and has been the subject of debate and speculation for centuries. Some believe Judas was motivated by greed, while others propose he had become disillusioned with Jesus’ teachings or was upset because Jesus was not actively fighting his impending capture and execution. Possibly the very actions in this story, the perceived waste of expensive perfume, angered him. Maybe he was planning to leave the group and take all the money (Judas was responsible for managing the disciples’ money), plus what he could get from the chief priests, and flee. We simply do not know.

One of the most widely accepted explanations for Judas’ betrayal is that Judas betrayed Jesus for no other reason than personal gain – thirty pieces of silver. This theory proposes the obvious – that Judas was more concerned with his own riches than with loyalty to Jesus and his message.

Whatever the reason, Judas’ act of betrayal fit God’s plan.

The fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy

The amount of money paid to Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus was not an arbitrary number but, instead, fulfilled the prophecy mentioned in the book of Zechariah. The prophet wrote that the price of betrayal would be “thirty pieces of silver,” precisely the amount Judas received. As mentioned by Matthew, the book of Jeremiah also contains a prophecy that seemingly matches this fulfillment.

Note also that the elders did not want to arrest Jesus during the Passover festivities for fear of inciting a riot. But it appears as if Judas’ offer to turn Jesus over to the authorities was too good for them to pass up. Thus, Jesus’ prediction came true, and the connection between Passover and Jesus’ crucifixion was established.

The countdown to Jesus’ crucifixion begins

Jesus said Passover was two days away. Passover begins on Thursday afternoon. Accordingly, we can deduce that Jesus spoke these words on the Mount of Olives late in the day, Tuesday evening. The betrayal of Jesus had been set in motion, and he was hurtling toward his death.

The science and history behind the story

What is Passover?

Passover is one of the most important festivals in the Jewish calendar. It commemorates the Israelite’s liberation from slavery in Egypt, as described in the book of Exodus. During Passover, Jews retell the story of how God delivered their ancestors from bondage in Egypt and brought them to the promised land.

The Passover festival usually takes place in March or April and lasts for 7-8 days, depending on which tradition is followed. It begins with a ritual meal called the Seder, which involves the recitation of prayers, eating of symbolic foods, and the retelling of the Exodus story.

One of the most important aspects of Seder is the eating of matzah or unleavened bread. This act is a reminder of the Israelites’ hasty departure from Egypt that did not allow for time to let their bread rise before leaving.

Passover is a time for Jews to reflect on their tradition. It’s a celebration and renewal. It’s an opportunity for Jews to remember their history and heritage and pass on lessons and principles that have guided their people for thousands of years to their children.

30 pieces of silver

According to historical records, in Jesus’ day, 30 pieces of silver would have been worth approximately four months’ wages for a laborer or common worker. However, it’s essential to remember that the value of silver was different at different times and places, so the exact value may have varied.

The chief priests and elders of the people

Matthew tells us that the chief priests and “elders of the people” assembled to plan for Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. These were probably the clerical and religious leaders of the Sanhedrin.

The high priest at the time was Caiaphas, who took the position from his father, Annas. Caiaphas was the first appointed high priest of the Roman province of Judea and served in this role from 18 to 36 AD. He was appointed by the Roman governor, Valerius Gratus, and served as the high priest during the reign of Emperor Tiberius.

During his time as high priest. Caiaphas was responsible for maintaining order in the Jewish community and ensuring the Jewish people remained loyal to Rome. This was a difficult task as many Jews of the era were unhappy with Roman rule and longed for their independence.

According to the Gospel of John, Caiaphas said “it was better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.” This statement was made in the context of the Jewish leaders’ fear that Jesus’ growing popularity could lead to a rebellion against the Roman authorities.

Caiaphas presided over the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council of elders. He accused Jesus of blasphemy and ultimately handed him over to the Roman authorities to be crucified.

Why does Luke say the high priest was Annas, not Caiaphas?

Luke mentions the high priest as Annas, while the other three gospels say the high priest was Caiaphas. The difference is due to the political and historical context of the time. Annas was the high priest in AD 6-15 before being disposed of by the Roman governor Valerius Gratus. However, Annas remained a powerful figure in Jewish society and continued to influence the high priesthood even after being replaced by his son-in-law, Caiaphas, who held the position from AD 18 – 36.

True to form, Luke appears to be more concerned with accuracy in his historical account and thus refers to Annas as the high priest at the time of Jesus’ trial, despite Caiaphas being the official high priest recognized by the Roman authorities at the time. In fact, in Luke 3:2, he mentions priesthood as a pair, “the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas”.

Additionally, Luke may have wanted to emphasize the corruption and political maneuvering within the high priesthood and the impact it had on Jesus’ trial and execution.

“Reclining at the table”

The scriptures tell us that Jesus and the disciples reclined at the dinner table. In early Israel, middle eastern meals were eaten at a table while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head near the table and the feet farthest away.

Notes on Biblical translation

The differences between the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

This story has minor variations between the four gospels. For instance, Luke’s story of the anointment seems to record a different anointing, one that took place in Galilee, not Bethany. Also, in Luke, the woman is described as a sinner. In John’s account, she is further named as Mary of Bethany.

In Luke, the host is a Pharisee, whereas the host here is Simon the Leper.

There may have been different anointings, for surely not every event that occurred in Jesus’ life is recorded in the New Testament, or they may be erroneous memories or even minor mistakes the disciples made when noting the events of the day.

Bible Text

NIV

26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 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.

8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, r but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 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.”

14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 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. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

The New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. Print.

The NET Bible

26:1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he told his disciples, 26:2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” 26:3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people met together in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas. 26:4 They planned to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 26:5 But they said, “Not during the feast, so that there won’t be a riot among the people.”

26:6 Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 26:7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfumed oil, and she poured it on his head as he was at the table. 26:8 When the disciples saw this, they became indignant and said, “Why this waste? 26:9 It could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor!” 26:10 When Jesus learned of this, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a good service for me. 26:11 For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me! 26:12 When she poured this oil on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 26:13 I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

26:14 Then one of the twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 26:15 and said, “What will you give me to betray him into your hands?” So they set out thirty silver coins for him. 26:16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray him.

Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2006. Print.

New King James Version

26 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”

10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982. Print.

The Message

      1–2 26 When Jesus finished saying these things, he told his disciples, “You know that Passover comes in two days. That’s when the Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over for crucifixion.”

      3–5 At that very moment, the party of high priests and religious leaders was meeting in the chambers of the Chief Priest named Caiaphas, conspiring to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him. They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week. “We don’t want a riot on our hands,” they said.

      6–9 When Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper, a woman came up to him as he was eating dinner and anointed him with a bottle of very expensive perfume. When the disciples saw what was happening, they were furious. “That’s criminal! This could have been sold for a lot and the money handed out to the poor.”

      10–13 When Jesus realized what was going on, he intervened. “Why are you giving this woman a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives, but not me. When she poured this perfume on my body, what she really did was anoint me for burial. You can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she has just done is going to be remembered and admired.”

      14–16 That is when one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the cabal of high priests and said, “What will you give me if I hand him over to you?” They settled on thirty silver pieces. He began looking for just the right moment to hand him over.

Peterson, Eugene H. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005. Print.

King James Version

26 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, 2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. 3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. 5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009. Print.

Sources: NIV, The Message, The NET Bible, King James Version, NET Bible Notes, Faithlife Study Bible, The Apologetics Study Bible, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary, The Bible Reader’s Companion, Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Holman Concise Bible Commentary, The Bible Exposition Commentary, The Teacher’s Bible Commentary, The Teacher’s Commentary, The Bible Guide, Word Studies in the New Testament, Holman Bible Handbook, Calvin Commentaries, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines, The New Manner and Customs of the Bible, Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, The Lexham Bible Dictionary, Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Harper’s Bible Dictionary, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, The Archaeological Encyclopedia, Biblical Archaeology Review, The New Bible Dictionary, The Lexham Analytical Lexicon, Glossary of Morpho-Syntactic Database

Image Credits:
• Jesus and disciples at table in the house of Simon the leper via National Library of Wales with usage type - Public Domain, circa 1503-4
• The Evil Counsel of Caiaphas plot against Jesus by James Tissot via Catholic Resources by James Tissot with usage type - Public Domain
• Annas and Caiaphas by James Tissot via Wikimedia Commons by Brooklyn Museum with usage type - Public Domain, between 1886 and 1894
• Jesus Christ before Caiaphas via Wikimedia Commons by Jose Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro with usage type - Creative Commons License, September 16, 2016

Featured Image Credit:
• The Evil Counsel of Caiaphas plot against Jesus by James Tissot via Catholic Resources by James Tissot with usage type - Public Domain