In Mark 14:3-14, Mark records two events. The first involves a woman who anoints the Lord’s body with a bottle of perfume. The second involves a homeowner who allows the Lord to celebrate the Last Supper at his home. Even though they seem to be completely separate events, I think they have a couple of things in common.

Both the woman and the man are connected with dinners in which Jesus participated. All of us have taken part in such meals. In that sense, there was nothing unusual about these events. Of course, the presence of the Lord changes everything.

Both the woman and man made a sacrifice for the Lord. The perfume that the woman used was every expensive. The home that the man provided was a rare find during the Passover Feast in Jerusalem. Tens of thousands of people were visiting Jerusalem and would have wanted such a room in which to celebrate that meal. It would be like an Airbnb in a city hosting the Superbowl. The owner of the house could have rented out the room for a hefty fee.

Even though the man and woman had something that was valuable in the short term, what they had was really pathetic when placed in the proper perspective. The eternal King of Kings was the Guest of honor at these meals. They both knew who He was. What can you offer Someone like that? What could you give Him that would be worthy of Him? The answer is clear: nothing.

I think that is why they have something else in common. They are anonymous. We are not told their names even though Mark knew them. We know from other passages that the woman was Mary, the sister of Lazarus. Jesus had raised her brother from the dead. Even though the perfume was expensive, how did that compare to what the Lord had done for her?

Church tradition tells us the owner of the home where the Last Supper was held was Mark’s father. It is a strong tradition and if it is true, then Mark didn’t even mention his own dad’s name! This is in keeping with the humble offering his family made to the Lord, even though a good sum of money could have been obtained by renting out part of their home.

But there is something else the woman and man have in common. They knew that what they offered was pitiful in light of the One to whom they gave, but they gave what they had. In the case of the woman, the Lord specifically states this. He says that she gave “what she could” (14:8).

The Lord then adds that she will be greatly rewarded for what she did, both in this world and the world to come (14:9). Her fame and service to Him will echo throughout eternity.

Mark’s juxtaposition of these two accounts suggests that what is true of the woman will also be true of the man. He had the privilege of hosting the Last Supper in his home. At the time, he simply saw it as an opportunity to lend the Lord a place to rest and eat a meal. Little did he know what would happen in the upper room of his house! We can rest assured that we will be talking about the man and the meaning of that meal in his home throughout eternity. I am sure he will be eager to share his memories of that night with us.

Mark is a book about what it means to be a disciple. A disciple is not the same as a believer. A disciple is a believer who follows the Lord and serves Him. We don’t have to have a PhD in Greek to understand what Mark is showing us by the examples of Mary and his dad.

If we are disciples of the King, he can use us just the way we are. We may look at our works for Him as insignificant. In one sense they are. What can we give Him that is of any value or impressive in His eyes? But in another sense, our works are not insignificant. Because of His greatness, what we do for Him has enormous value. In fact, it has eternal value (Mark 9:41).