Naming the Unnamed Women in Your Church

Photo by Molly Blackbird on Unsplash

The most beautiful acts of worship often occur anonymously. In the Gospels, we read several accounts of women who minister to Jesus by anointing him; in all but one, the woman remains unnamed. 

Scholars disagree whether these stories reflect one, two, or three distinct anointings. Compare the unnamed sinful woman who anoints Jesus’s feet at Simon the Pharisee’s house early in the ministry of Jesus in Luke 7:38-50, the unnamed woman who anoints Jesus’s head at Simon the leper’s house during Passion Week in Mark 14:3-9 and Matthew 26:6-13, and Lazarus’s sister Mary who anoints Jesus’s feet during Passion Week in John 12:1-8.

We’re going to focus here on the Gospel of Mark, in which Jesus goes to the home of Simon the leper and reclines at the table for dinner just a few days before his death (14:3-9). This in itself is a remarkable act—Jesus enters the home of one who may be unclean. It is possible, however, that Jesus had previously healed Simon from leprosy and the man is still known by his former nickname.

This latter possibility is also suggested by the fact that other people are present in Simon’s home; he is not secluded. One of those who enters the room is an unnamed woman who breaks open an alabaster jar of expensive ointment and pours it over Jesus’s head. In an act of pure extravagance, this woman allows perfume worth nearly a year’s wages to flow down Jesus’s face and beard. 

This anonymous woman anointed God’s anointed one. She enacted physically what God had already done metaphorically. 

Some of those who are present are offended at the extravagance and suggest that the perfume could have been sold and the funds given to the poor. After all, the Torah required Jews to support the poor and promised rewards for doing so: “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and will be repaid in full” (Prov. 19:17). In today’s terms—calculated only at minimum wage—the perfume is worth more than $17,000. If wages for skilled labor are calculated, this would be the equivalent of more than $38,000. In one fell swoop this woman uses her nest egg to bless Jesus in his final days. Yet how many of the poor could this jar have fed if it had been sold? When Jesus had previously told his disciples to feed 5,000 people, they had asked if they were to buy 200 denarii worth of bread to feed the crowd (6:37). Did this woman just take bread out of the mouths of thousands in order to give Jesus a momentary blessing?

When she is criticized, Jesus defends her: ministry to the poor is always available (Deut. 15:11), but ministry to Jesus would not be possible much longer. This woman is the only one in the room who recognizes the need to lavish love upon her savior. Although Jesus would soon face accusations, arrest, mocking, torture, and death, in this moment he is celebrated. He is treated like the king he is. Although he will not receive the public acclamation due his majesty when he appears before religious and political leaders, this unnamed woman declares a truth that must be heard.

Jesus then applauds this woman in a way that is unique in the Gospel of Mark: he says she has done a good service to him (literally, “she worked a good work,” v. 6). Not even his own disciples receive this commendation. The nameless, voiceless woman whom others criticize receives the highest praise. 

Yet Jesus foreshadows his death as he declares that she has prepared him for his burial. (John 19:40 notes that, according to Jewish custom, bodies were buried with spices. In Mark, Jesus interprets the nard as serving the same function.) The celebratory anointing of the king simultaneously serves as a funeral rite. Jesus knows full well that his victorious reign is effective not as the result of worldly power, but through sacrifice. 

She, too, sacrifices as she offers this luxurious gift to bless Jesus, only to endure the scorn of those in the room who do not share her level of devotion. Indeed, on the heels of this story, her loving and generous act is contrasted with the greedy betrayal of Judas, who makes a deal with the religious leaders to hand over his master for far less money than the woman had lavished on her Lord. The named disciple simply doesn’t measure up to the unnamed woman. 

In fact, for several of the apostles of Jesus, we learn their names but hear nothing in the Gospels of their good works. Yet of this unnamed woman Jesus declares, “Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her” (v. 9).

Today we are experiencing another season of remembrance: in the United States, March is Women’s History Month, a time to honor the contributions women have made in a variety of fields throughout our history. The story of the unnamed woman in Mark 14 reminds us that many cultures overlook or undervalue the contributions of women. Too many women remain nameless. But Jesus calls us to remember all of those who have faithfully served the Gospel. 

March, then, is a perfect time for our churches to remember the good works that have been performed by nameless women who humbly and extravagantly serve the gospel of Jesus Christ. Who are the women who serve in the nursery, who teach Sunday school, who faithfully disciple the youth of the church, who serve as treasurers and trustees in our churches? Who are the women who work in the kitchen, sweep the floors, design the banners, care for the sick, teach Bible studies, lead worship, feed the poor, and preach sermons in our churches? Who are the women who, in word and deed, preach the Gospel without recognition or fanfare? 

This is a perfect time for church members to offer words of gratitude and public acclaim to those nameless women who serve Jesus not out of a desire for celebrity or recognition, but simply because they profoundly love him. It is time to remember the role models for all believers, the women who bear the fruit of the Spirit, displaying love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

May we, like Jesus, recognize each unsung woman of the faith and tell the stories of what she has done in remembrance of her. 

Suzanne Nicholson is Professor of New Testament at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. She is an Elder in the Global Methodist Church and serves as Assistant Lead Editor of Firebrand.