fact, if you visit a Bedouin tent today, you do not sit on the ground straight legged with the soles of your feet
facing out toward your hosts as this is a great insult.
The self-righteous Pharisee obviously brought Y‘shua into his home to challenge Him, so he did not show
Him the courtesy or honour due Him. However, the sinful woman who realised her sinfulness came in
humility and worship seeking forgiveness. Y‘shua said, ―I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for she
loved much. But he, who has been forgiven little loves little" (verse 47). Y‘shua told her that her faith had
saved her and sent her away in peace, leaving the Pharisee to ponder His words.
All of us would agree that these women showed great devotion by their actions. In fact, by breaking their
alabaster boxes, which was the only way to get the ointment out, they showed the depth of their
commitment. Their gesture displayed a total commitment to their Lord, which cost them much. They could
not put the box back together and get the ointment back. And, their total commitment to Y‘shua was subject
to criticism in both cases. In one instance, it was the believers who criticised the woman; and in the other
case, the religious leaders of the world.
Customs of the Day(44) ―And turning to the woman, He said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You
did not give water for My feet, but she washed My feet with tears and wiped off with the hairs of her head.
(45) You gave Me no kiss, but she from when I entered did not stop fervently kissing My feet.
(46) You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with ointment." (Luke 7:44-46)
During Y‘shua‘s lifetime, there were three important customs that concerned an invited guest:
When an invited guest entered the host's house, the host would place his hand on the guest's shoulder and
give him the kiss of peace.
The kiss of peace was similar to today's shaking of hands or hugging when greeting a person. It was
intended to be an indication of happiness because of one's arrival, affection towards the person; or the
affirmation of one's peaceful intentions toward another person.
In Y‘shua‘s lifetime, the kiss of peace was also an indication of respect that was always given to a person of
importance or a notable rabbi upon their entering the host's home.
When a guest entered a home, the host would either supply water for his guest to wash his feet, wash the
person's feet himself, or have a servant or slave wash them.
Guests were given water by their host as a courtesy to provide for their cleanliness and comfort (Gen 18:1-4;
19:1-2; 24:32; 43:24).
The washing of another person's feet was a gesture of submission to the authority of another (1
Sam 25:41).
The washing of another person's feet was sometimes an expression of respect and love (Luke 1:37-50; John
12:3).
The host would either burn a small amount of sweet-smelling incense to perfume the house or place a drop
of rose oil / perfume upon the guest's head.
All of these things were done to show respect and to provide comfort and pleasure for the guest; however,
Simon performed none of these common courtesies for Y‘shua who was the guest of honour. By this neglect,
we can clearly see Simon's attitude toward Y‘shua.
The broken alabasterThere were two customs in the East that may have had a bearing on why Mary broke the alabaster rather
than just opening it and pouring the ointment out. Both of these customs fit well with the Gospel message
when viewed in the light of who Y‘shua was and what he was about to do on the Passover:
If a glass was used by a distinguished guest, it was broken so that it could never be used by a lesser person.
It was a custom to first bathe the dead, and then anoint the body with fragrant ointments and/or perfumes.
After the body had been anointed, whatever contained these ointments and/or perfumes were broken and its
fragments placed with the body.
Lane gives this explanation: ―The costly perfume is identified as nard, the aromatic oil extracted from a root
native to India. To retain the fragrance of nard, enough ointment for one application was sealed in small
alabaster flasks. The long neck of the flask had to be broken to release the aroma. Early in the first century
Pliny the Elder (Natural History XIII. iii. 19) remarked that ―the best ointment is preserved in alabaster.‖ The
value of the perfume, and its identification as nard, suggests that it was a family heirloom that was passed on
from one generation to another, from mother to daughter.‖ William L. Lane, The Gospel According to Mark
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), p. 492.