Comparing The Anointing At Bethany

The anointing at Bethany is an event described in each of the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. While there are four differing reports of this event, the information that is constant throughout all accounts describe Jesus in a house, in which a woman approaches him and pours ointment on his body and while those present reproach the woman’s actions, Jesus responds in understanding. In comparing and contrasting the descriptions of the anointing at Bethany, the actions of the woman in all four accounts treat her behavior as a symbol of love and devotion to Jesus.
While in Matthew and Mark Jesus is placed in the home of Simon the leper, Luke identifies a setting within a Pharisee’s house and John describes a place where Lazarus