Mary of Bethany is the woman who poured ointment upon the head of Christ, and for this act Jesus said that wherever the gospel would be preached “throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her” (Mark 14:9).

I do not suppose Mary of Bethany is often thought of so even spoken of in this day and age, but, nonetheless, Jesus said this woman would be remembered.

Mary Served as an Example of FAITH.

Just days before He was to be crucified, Jesus returned to Bethany, and there He was in the home of one Simon the leper - to have a meal, and at that dinner a woman (Mary) anointed Jesus with a very expensive ointment.

Notice what the Bible says about that dinner: "And there they made him supper; and Marts served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him" John 12:2).

This dinner took place after Lazarus had been raised from the dead and notice Martha - the sister of Lazarus - was at that dinner serving dinner. No doubt, the dinner was in celebration of the resurrection of Lazarus - for the Bible tells us that Jesus came to Bethany “… where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead” (John 12:1). But even while this celebration of the resurrection of Lazarus was in the minds of the people there, Jesus, was also with a heavy heart -as the reality of his soon coming crucifixion and suffering would have been on his mind; and so, it was in this circumstance Mary of Bethany then surprised everyone by taking an expensive ointment to anoint Jesus Christ.

But upon anointing Jesus with the very expensive oil, Judas - the one who betrayed Christ was very upset saying: "Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?" (John 12:5).

Judah had the wrong attitude - because instead of respecting Mary’s act of service and generosity, Judah, thought it was wasteful for her to anoint Jesus with such an expensive item - arguing it should, instead have been sold and given to the poor - while that was not at all Juda’s true intent - for the scripture says that it was not because Judah cared for the poor but because he was a thief and just wanted to be in possession of the oil (John 12:6). But also notice that the other disciples also found fault with what Mary did and agreed with Judas - for the scripture says: “But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, to what purpose is this waste” (Matthew 26:8). Think of it, the very disciples of Jesus Christ thought Mary act of anointing Jesus with expensive oil was a wasteful thing to do.

But in response to the anger of the disciples over the ointment, notice what Jesus said: "When Jesus understood it; he said unto them, why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me" (Matthew 26:10). Perhaps another person - a normal carnal human being might have gotten very angry - feeling insulted that their friends or people thought it was a waste for someone to do such good to them, but instead of getting angry and all upset at the negative comment of the disciples, Jesus calmly and straightforwardly told the disciples that the woman (Mary) was doing a good thing for Him; and there is no doubt, the disciples, at some point, would come to regret saying what they said and repented of it.

Mary’s Faith

Mary apparently believes Jesus when he said He came to Jerusalem to die, and she may not have understood the full meaning of his death for all mankind, but she did believe what He said; she believed his word and did not doubt or question that Jesus was going to die; she just believed what He said and acted upon that belief by anointing Him with oil - doing the very best she thought she could do for Him before he died. The disciples who were with Jesus should have known better - by having proper respect and appreciation for Mary’s service of love and faith in Christ, but they did not; they failed to see and understand what she was doing, but Christ knew what she did and praised this woman for it.

For the true servants of God or Christian, Mary stands as an example of faith, trust and commitment to God. Though she was chided for her service by those closest to Jesus and though she probably did not fully understand what Jesus' death was to mean, she believed what He said and she served.

There are millions today who profess to believe on Christ, but unlike Mary, they do NOT actually believe all that Christ says -as they are willing to call Him Lord and yet not believe Him or what He says; For example, Jesus Spake these words - saying: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17).

Mary would have certainly believed that Jesus did not come to do away with the ten commandments of God - for Jesus told us to NOT think that He came to do any such thing, and yet, the millions who profess to believe on Christ disagree with Christ; they do NOT believe what He says, but has their own belief that since they are under grace the law of God has been abolished - done away - no law to obey; such do not believe Christ; they do not take Him at his word. Mary of Bethany believed Christ and gave her all by doing the very best for Him and for her faith - by believing in what He said and who He is really is; and for this, Jesus said this woman would be remembered to this very day; she would not be forgotten. With this in mind, I hope that the readers here will, indeed, take a moment to think of Mary of Bethany; to remember her humble service and the willingness to serve and honor her savior - offering to him the very best physical offering she had to offer. This woman is an example of faith and trust in God -and in her act of service to Christ, she at that moment in time, could see even more deeply than the disciples who had spent so much time with Christ.

There are many in this world who say they believe on Christ but do not do what He says or commands them to do, but Mary of Bethany believed Christ, and she showed it in her service to Him; it is no wonder Mary of Bethany is remembered and spoken of today - just as Jesus said she would.