Wednesday of Passion Week #
On Holy and Great Wednesday, the Church commemorates a striking event described in the Gospel according to Matthew:
“Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head as He sat at meat. But when His disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, He said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon Me. For ye have the poor always with you; but Me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her” (Matt. 26:6–13).
Alongside the act of the woman, full of unreserved love for the Savior, the Church also remembers another act, marked by inexpressible ingratitude: the betrayal conceived against the Master by one of His twelve closest disciples—Judas Iscariot. As the Gospel says, “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him” (Matt. 26:14–16).
The Evangelist Matthew does not reveal who the woman was that poured the fragrant ointment upon the Lord’s head; the Apostle John states that it was Mary, the sister of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead (John 11:1). Yet in the hymns of Holy Wednesday, this woman is identified with the sinful woman, that is, a harlot, of whom it is said in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 7:37), that she anointed the Lord with ointment in the house of Simon the Pharisee.
Among the interpreters of Holy Scripture, there has never been complete agreement on this matter since ancient times, but most have thought that these were three different women, each of whom, in different times and places, dared to pour out her love in this manner. However, the Church’s hymnographers had a different aim than the exegetes. Brief hymns are not the place to solve complex textual comparisons; they are always directed toward a simple and powerful pious feeling.
To heighten the contrast with the faithlessness of the disciple who, from the very beginning, had heard all the truths preached by the Master, received from Him the gift of miracles, and along with the other apostles healed the sick and cast out demons in Jesus’ name, but nevertheless chose to betray the Master into the hands of those who sought His death, the hymnographers, relying on Luke’s account, introduce the image of the repentant harlot, seized by a rush of divine love and devotion—echoing the words of the Lord Himself: “Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you” (Matt. 21:31). In moving and powerful words, the Church praises the boldness of the sinful woman and encourages all who truly repent, even those guilty of grievous sins, to hope in the mercy of God. Glorifying her sudden turning to repentance, the holy fathers do not spare the highest praise.
“With what did the harlot repay Thee, O Lord, when Thou didst forgive her all her sins?” cries out St. Ephraim the Syrian. “[…] Her love was precious and beautiful, and her faith was victorious, for in exchange for ointment and tears she received the forgiveness of her sins. She had sins, ointment, and tears; but Thou hadst mercy and the fullness of compassion. With her tears she washed Thy feet, and with her hair she wiped them. With ointment she anointed Thy feet and received from Thee forgiveness of sins. […] That defiled sinner was plunged into a flaming stream, and the drops of tears from her eyes extinguished that fiery stream. With tearful drops she moistened Thy holy feet—and the burning river was quenched, and the fire consumed her not. The waters that flowed from the eyes of the defiled and unclean sinner fell upon the waves of fire, and they turned back and burned her not” (On Repentance).
Moreover, the holy theologians discern in this event a symbolic meaning. The sinful woman who poured the fragrant ointment upon the head of the Lord is seen by them as an image of the Church, called from among the Gentiles—once unfaithful to her Heavenly Bridegroom, but now truly become His Bride, whom “Christ loved… and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:25–27).
Blessed Jerome recalls, in this regard, the words from the Song of Songs of Solomon, addressed to the Divine Bridegroom by the Bride, who is understood either as the Church or as the believing soul: “Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee” (Song of Songs 1:3–4). Jerome explains: “The Church, gathered from all nations, brings her gifts to the Savior—the faithfulness of believers. She broke the alabaster box [of ointment] so that all might share in the ointment […] that Christ might make you Christs, that is, anointed ones” (Commentary on the Gospel of Mark).
Thus, on the eve of the Lord’s Passion, the story of a simple sinful woman reminds us both of the very foundation of salvation—repentance—and of the gracious fruit of the Cross-bearing struggle—the foundation of the Church, which the Savior redeemed with His own blood, that henceforth she, richly endowed with the gifts of the Spirit, might form His body on earth. “For as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body—so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body […] and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:12–13).
Grant us, O Lord, to be truly—not merely in name—members of Thy body, united in one faith, in one hope, moved by Thy Spirit, following Thy will in every motion of our heart. And may none of us become like Judas, who madly tore himself away from the gracious and divine-human unity.
Stikhera at the Praises, Tone 1
Thou, the Virgin-born Son, the harlot, recognizing Thee as God, cried out with weeping, praying with tears as one who had done deeds worthy of tears: “Loose my debt, as I unloose my hair; Love her who loves Thee, even if she be justly hated; and with the publicans will I proclaim Thee, O Benefactor and Lover of mankind.”
The harlot mingled precious ointment with her tears and poured it upon Thy most pure feet, kissing them; Thou didst straightway justify her. To us also grant forgiveness, O Thou who didst suffer for our sakes, and save us.
When the sinful woman brought Thee ointment, then did the disciple take counsel with the transgressors. One rejoiced in pouring out the costly ointment, the other made haste to sell the Priceless One. She recognized the Master, he was sundered from the Master. She was set free, but Judas became a slave to the enemy. Sloth is evil, but repentance is great—grant it unto me, O Savior, who didst suffer for us, and save us.
O the wretchedness of Judas! He saw the harlot kissing the feet, and devised deceit in a kiss of betrayal. She loosed her hair, but he was bound with rage, bearing in place of myrrh the stench of wickedness— for envy permits not one to choose what is good. O the wretchedness of Judas! From which deliver, O God, our souls.