Matthew 26:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?

NIV: When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked.

NASB: But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, 'Why this waste?

CSB: When the disciples saw it, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked.

NLT: The disciples were indignant when they saw this. 'What a waste!' they said.

KJV: But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?

NKJV: But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?

A woman at a dinner party has done an extraordinary and extravagant thing. She has poured a bottle of extremely expensive oil over Jesus' head to anoint Him. John 12:1–11 seems to describe the same moment, making this woman Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus. The oil was a full pound of nard ointment that she also poured over Jesus' feet and then wiped off with her hair. By any measure, this is an act of enormous honor and respect, as well as an act of great and intimate humility.

How do the disciples reclining at the table with Jesus react to this aromatic devotion from the woman? Matthew tells us they are indignant, not because of the woman's boldness but because of the cost of the oil. "Why this waste?" they say. John, if telling the same story, makes it clear that the primary objection comes from Judas Iscariot, the disciple who will soon betray Jesus (John 12:4–6).

Matthew 26:6–16 finds Jesus and the disciples in Bethany at the home of a man identified as "Simon the leper." A woman, likely Mary the sister of Lazarus, opens a bottle of extremely expensive ointment and anoints Jesus' head as He reclines at the table during dinner. The disciples think the ointment should have been sold and the money given to the poor, but Jesus insists she has done a beautiful thing that will prepare Him for burial. Judas then offers to turn Jesus over to the chief priests. They pay him 30 silver pieces, a price ironically associated with the cost of a common slave.

The Jewish religious leaders further their plots to arrest and kill Jesus, finding a willing traitor in Judas Iscariot. A woman anoints Christ with oil during a dinner at Bethany. Next, Jesus and the disciples hold the Passover meal in an upper room where Jesus predicts His arrests and introduces the sacrament of communion. Then Jesus prays in unimaginable agony in the garden of Gethsemane before being betrayed by Judas and captured. The disciples scatter. Before the high priest, Jesus explicitly claims to be divine. They convict Him of blasphemy and sentence Him to death. As this happens, Peter denies knowing Jesus and runs away in shame.

After a long series of teaching (Matthew 24—25), Matthew 26 begins with Jesus saying He will be delivered up for death. Christ is anointed at a dinner in Bethany and Judas agrees to turn Him over to the chief priests. Jesus holds a Passover meal with the disciples, predicts an act of treachery, and introduces the sacrament of communion. He tells the disciples they will run in fear and that Peter will deny Him, which happens just as prophesied. Christ prays in great sorrow in a garden and is then arrested and taken away and unfairly sentenced to death. After this, Jesus will be taken to the Roman governor, where Jewish leadership will press for Him to be executed as an insurgent.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 11/21/2024 12:35:59 PM