wearing sandals are liable to suffer much from dryness and scorching. There was nothing, moreover, out of the common way in a woman doing this service. To " wash the saints' feet," St. Paul names among the good works of a Christian widow. (1 Tim. v. 10.)
The motive of Mary, in doing what she did, was evidently strong and grateful love to her Lord and Saviour. Not only from what she had learned from Him for her own spiritual bene- fit, but also for what He had done for her brother Lazarus, she felt there was nothing too great or too good to do for Him. Her feelings made her anxious to do her Master the highest honour, regardless of expense, and indifferent to any remark that wit nesses might make.
The extent of her gratitude is shown by the lavish profuseness with which she used the ointment on this occasion, although it was very costly. This seems indicated by her " wiping our Lord's feet with her hair," having poured on them so much oint- ment that they needed wiping; and also by the "house being filled with the odour of the oiutment." She poured out so much ointment that the scent of it filled the whole apartment and the whole house where the guests were. Any one who knows the powerful odour of otto of roses, in the present day, will easily understand this.
What this " ointment of spikenard " was has puzzled the com- mentators in every age, as the Greek word throws no certain light on the question. Some think that it means " potable " oint- ment, that might be drunk ; some that it means perfectly " pure " ointment, that might be trusted as genuine and unadulterated. Augustine thinks that the expression denotes the place from which the ointment came. The question is of no importance, and must be left unexplained for want of materials to explain it. Enough for us to know that it was something very valuable and costly. How costly an ointment might be, any one can guess who knows the value of pure otto of roses.
I can only repeat the opinion already expressed, that this anointing was certainly not the anointing which is described in Luke vii. ; and most probably was not the anointing of Mark xiv. The anointing in Mark was two days before the passover, while this was six. In Mark the ointment was poured on the head, and here it was poured on the feet. In Matthew and Mark several "disciples" murmured, but here only Judas is named. These discrepancies, in my judgment, are insuperable, and make it necessary to believe that there were two distinct anointings at Bethany during the last six days preceding the crucifixion. I grant that it is a choice between difficulties, and that there are difficulties in the view I maintain. But I do not think them so weighty as those of the other view. At any late, I am sup- ported by the great authority of Chiysostom, Chemnitius, and Lightfoot, as well as of Whitby and Henry. 14