Mark 14:7-8

“For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you will you may do them good. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for burying.'

He indicated further that what the woman had done was a sign, a portent of His coming death. It was like an anointing for burial. This was another hint from Him of His approaching death.

‘She has done what she could.' It may be that we are to see here the suggestion that this woman had an inkling of His coming death. Possibly she had overheard the disciples talking between themselves of His teaching by the way, and being inspired by God, had acted accordingly, wanting to show her love and gratitude to Him before it was too late. Perhaps too there is a hint that in contrast the disciples were a little lacking in their awareness of His situation. At least she was not thinking only of what position she would hold in the future. Often it is the woman who sees what the man fails to see because her approach is different.

‘For you have the poor always with you --- but you will not always have Me.' Compare here Deuteronomy 15:11. Jesus was not decrying the needs of the poor. He was rather pointing out His uniqueness and that this woman has responded to His uniqueness while she could. She had recognised in Him One worthy of special honour at a time when such recognition was especially important. It was a special occasion justifying her action. Incidentally these words - ‘the poor always with you' - indicated that Jesus was certainly anticipating a gap between His ascension and His return during which the poor would always be there to be helped.

‘And whenever you will you may do them good.' This too stresses the unique nature of this moment. Whereas the poor could be helped at any time, this was a ‘once in a lifetime' opportunity that she had seized. We should note that Jesus' concern for the poor comes out again and again elsewhere. He would have been the first to speak out against waste. But there are some actions which rise above that criteria, and this was one of them, simply because of the identity of the One for Whom she was showing her love. On the one hand it does not justify extravagance that merely benefits ourselves or wins us praise, depicting us as ‘generous people'. On the other it does warn against rash judgments and unjustified criticism. Each has to answer for his or her own actions.