“Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” John 12:3.

There are four accounts of women anointing Jesus with oil, and often folks cannot discern whether these are different women or two. We will try to clarify this question in these posts.

But first let us examine the one incident in which this is neither the same woman or the same time and place. This is a sinful woman.

“Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, ‘This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.’” Luke 7:36-39.

The account above occurred just after John the Baptist, who was in prison sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus:

“Are You the coming One [the Messiah], or do we look for another?” Luke 7:19.

So, the time the sinful woman worshipped the Lord Jesus was before John the Baptist had been beheaded indicating that this was near the start of Jesus’ ministry.

The place is shown in Luke 7:36. “Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him.” So, Jesus was seated in a Pharisee’s house when the woman approached Him, not Simon the leper’s home.

This woman is characterized in Scripture as, “And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner…” There is no indication as to who she was or what kind of sinner she was, some have speculated that it was Mary Magdalene, this is incorrect because in Luke 8:2-3 it is stated that 7 demons were cast out of Mary Magdalene.

There were no demons cast out in the Luke 7:37-38 passage, only forgiveness of her sins, Luke 7:48, “And He said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’”

“…when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.” Luke 7:37b-38.

While Jesus was reclining at the table this woman came behind Him and since His feet would have been visible from behind, she was able to weep on them in such anguish that she was able to wash His feet with her tears. Can you imagine such repentant anguish!

She then wiped His feet with her hair and kissed His feet. This is total subjection to the one she had come to see as Jesus the Messiah. A woman’s hair is her glory, she laid her glory at Jesus’ feet, all glory to Jesus Christ! And she kissed His feet, showing her complete love and subjection to her Savior, Jesus Christ.

“…she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.” Luke 7:38c.

Fragrant oil of one sort or another was used to anoint the priests and kings; I believe that this woman anointed Jesus’ feet as an outward sign of the dedication of her life to Him, and more than that she anointed Him as her testimony that He is the long-awaited Messiah, Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords.

After all this Jesus proclaimed to the sinful woman that her sins were forgiven – on what basis?

We know that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was not yet accomplished, though it was complete in the mind of God the Father, so we can see that it was a done deal from that standpoint, and this is a good enough answer; however, there is another interesting aspect you may want to consider.

Before Jesus came into this world, there was only the promise that God would send His Messiah (means Anointed), the King who would settle the problem of sin. The following is the first of those promises.

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15.

If you will read the above account beginning at Genesis 3:9-19 you will see that at this point God is speaking to the snake in Eden, then in verse 15 God’s words take on a mysterious tone.

In verse 15 God is still speaking to the snake, however, at this point He is speaking to the one indwelling the snake, Satan himself.

God is still using the snake as an analogy when He says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman…” meaning enmity between Satan and the woman. This would show why women have been treated so horribly throughout the millennia.

Then God says, “…and between your seed and her seed…” here, God is speaking to Satan telling him there will be enmity between his seed meaning the Antichrist, and the woman’s seed Jesus the Messiah. Here we see God’s promise of a Messiah, Jesus Christ.

“He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15c.

In the last part of this prophecy God is still speaking to Satan inside the snake saying, “He shall bruise your head” meaning that Satan will receive a deathblow to his plans from Jesus at the cross.

And you Satan “shall bruise His heel”, Satan brought terrible pain and agony to Jesus when he got evil men to crucify Him on a cross. But Jesus rose again from the dead glorified in His sinless sacrifice for all mankind if they will accept that precious sacrifice for them.

However, Jesus had not died on the cross when this woman showed true repentance and laid all her sins at Jesus’ feet. Nevertheless, Jesus told her that her sins were forgiven.

No sins on earth would have been forgiven if Jesus Christ had not gone to the cross to be crucified.

The sinful woman believed Jesus’ words and accepted Him as her Savior. Before His advent godly men believed God’s words that He would send a Savior, and it was reckoned to them as righteousness.

“…just as Abraham believe God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Galatians 3:6.

This is the confession that Jesus desired as he was addressing a group in the treasury in the temple.

“So the Jews said, ‘Will He kill Himself, because He says, “Where I go you cannot come”?’ And He said to them, ‘You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’” John 8:22-24.

“…for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’” John 8:24b.

This was what Jesus wanted these men to admit; believe that I am He, the Messiah that Abraham, Moses and the prophets all prophesied about and believed in. Yet these men would not and died in their sins.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” Luke 13:34.

The sinful woman heard Jesus, believed that He spoke the truth that He is the Messiah, and by faith accepted Him as her Savior.

“Then He said to the [sinful] woman, ‘Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.’” Luke 7:50.

Two Women, Part 1 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 1-28-25 ck.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.