… 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. – Matthew 26:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 17, 2017): Matthew 26

Virginia Woolf famously remarked that “for most of history, anonymous was a woman.” Our world struggles for sexual equality, although admittedly we are at various stages of the struggle depending on where in the world you look. But the reality that we sometimes forget is that the struggle is actually new. It was not that long ago when women simply did not appear in the pages of history unless there was something extraordinary about them. And if they did want to make a difference, they often did it under male names. Karen Blixen, the author of “Out of Africa,” wrote under the name of Isak Dineson. One of my favorite 19^th-century English authors, George Eliot, was actually Mary Ann Evans. George Sand, one of Frances most prolific writers of the 19^th century, was really Amantine Lucille Aurore Dupin. And the list goes on. Sometimes these women were hiding behind the male names, but often writing under a male name was the only way to get heard. For most of history, anonymous was a woman.

Matthew doesn’t tell us who the woman is that broke into this space at the home of Simon the Leper, but that hasn’t stopped us from trying to figure out who she was. And we have some clues. The story that Matthew tells is remarkably similar to the one that John relates in his gospel (John 12), although it is not identical. And John refuses to let the woman be anonymous. In his telling, he says that she was none other than Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who Jesus raised from the dead.

Another similar story, but again not identical, occurs early in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 7). In Luke, once again the woman is anonymous, but Luke adds that she was sinful. These words, combined with the reaction of Simon the Pharisee (the host of the gathering as opposed to Matthew’s “Simon the Leper”) leads us to conclude that the woman was a prostitute. While Luke does not tell us the woman’s name, it is right after this story that we learn that Mary Magdalene, a woman tormented by demons, but healed by Jesus, joins the Jesus entourage. It is this one-two combination that has led many to conclude that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, connecting her with the unnamed woman of Luke 7.

In the end, maybe we can’t say with certainty who this woman was who anointed Jesus for his burial during the final days of his ministry (although Mary of Bethany seems to be the obvious solution). I wonder if maybe Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene weren’t the same person. The idea of combining the two women adds some explanation to Martha’s frustration that Mary refused to help her with dinner, instead insisting on sitting at the feet of Jesus. (Can’t you hear Martha complaining that Mary hasn’t done an ounce of honest work in her life, making her living on her back with the men?) And while that idea may be offensive to some, it underscores the idea that Jesus accepts us all, just as we are – even if sometimes we struggle with taking people just as they are. After all, Mary (either of Bethany or Magdalene) seemed to enjoy the favor of Jesus, in spite of her sin.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Mark 14