Location Mark,
Matthew, and John all place the incident in
Bethany, a village in Judea. Mark and Matthew specify that it occurred at the home of
Simon the Leper. Luke 7:36 states that Jesus had been invited to dinner at the home of
Simon the Pharisee. Luke 7:39 makes clear that the sinful woman was living in the town/city (Greek: ἐν τῇ πόλει,
en têi pólei) Jesus was staying in; the preceding narrative of the
raising of the son of the widow of Nain (7:11–17) makes clear that this
polis (translated in English as 'town' or 'city') was
Nain. Luke 7:11–17 labels Nain a
polis three times, in verses 7:11 and 7:12. On the other hand, the unnamed place where Mary and Martha live in Luke 10:38–42 is labelled a 'village' (Greek: κώμη,
kómé) in verse 10:38. Luke therefore linguistically connects the sinful woman to the (larger) town/city of Nain, and distinguishes the unnamed place of Mary and Martha as a (smaller) village. Luke 7's "sinful woman" lived in Nain, but the Mary referred to in Luke 10 lived in a village somewhere else in Galilee, and the Mary referred to in John 11 and 12 lived in Bethany, Judea, so most modern scholars agree that they are three different characters, and there is no reason to assume that the sinful woman was named "Mary" as well. Finally, the hosts receiving Jesus at their house seem to be four different characters across the stories:
Simon the Leper in Mark and Matthew,
Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7, Martha in Luke 10, and
Lazarus of Bethany in John 11–12.
Mary of Bethany : (Matthew 26:6–13, Mark 14:3–9, John 12:1–8) These three accounts all refer to the same woman. John 12 names her as Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Matthew and Mark don't name her, but describe the same event: The account in Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 12 has as its location the city of
Bethany. In John's gospel the woman is named as
Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Criticism surrounding the action is directed at Mary for using an expensive ointment which could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. In the Matthew/Mark/John accounts, Jesus links the anointing with a preparation for his burial as he would be crucified not many days hence.
The sinful woman :The event in Luke features an unknown sinful woman. A different woman, not named, described as a "sinner" (possibly a prostitute or someone with a bad reputation). It takes place in the northern region, as Luke 7 indicates Jesus was ministering in the northern regions of
Nain and
Capernaum. The woman uses her tears, as well as perfume. Criticism in this account is directed at Jesus for allowing a sinner to touch him. In Luke, Jesus connects the action with the woman's sins, his forgiveness, and the lack of hospitality of his host.
Conflation :As with many events in the Gospels, ambiguous or missing details between the authors' accounts lead to different interpretations by readers and scholars. The accounts are generally considered to be independent events, though often been conflated—a result being the assumption that Mary is a
prostitute. This is furthered by the presence of a number of
women named Mary in the New Testament, leading to Mary of Bethany being interpreted as
Mary Magdalene. :The rationale behind two events stems from the details in each account. All four have a setting in a house for a meal, a woman, and expensive perfume poured on Jesus to which someone objects. However, the geographic location is not identified as Bethany in Luke's account. The home in Matthew and Mark is of
Simon the Leper, while in Luke it is a house of a
Pharisee named Simon. John identifies
Mary of Bethany and Luke "a woman in that town who lived a sinful life"—which has usually been taken to mean a prostitute—while Matthew and Mark just say "a woman". The place of anointment also differs, with Mark and Matthew stating that it was over the head, with John and Luke recording an anointing of feet and wiping with hair. :The central message of the stories in Matthew, Mark, and John is very similar with some minor differences such as "The poor you will always have with you" and "She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial". These are not in Luke, who instead records comments on hospitality and forgiveness of sins that are not in the other accounts. ==Debate==