Mark 2:15

2:15 As Jesus ¹  was having a meal ²  in Levi’s ³  home, many tax collectors ⁴  and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.

Mark 6:4

6:4 Then ⁵  Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, and among his relatives, and in his own house.”

Mark 14:3

Jesus’ Anointing

14:3 Now ⁶  while Jesus ⁷  was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, reclining at the table, ⁸  a woman came with an alabaster jar ⁹  of costly aromatic oil ¹⁰  from pure nard. After breaking open the jar, she poured it on his head.

[2:15]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:15]  ² tn Grk “As he reclined at table.”

[2:15]  ³ tn Grk “his.”

[2:15]  ⁴ sn The tax collectors would bid to collect taxes for the Roman government and then add a surcharge, which they kept. Since tax collectors worked for Rome, they were viewed as traitors to their own people and were not well liked.

[6:4]  ⁵ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[14:3]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[14:3]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:3]  ¹¹ sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[14:3]  ¹² sn A jar made of alabaster stone was normally used for very precious substances like perfumes. It normally had a long neck which was sealed and had to be broken off so the contents could be used.

[14:3]  ¹³ tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205). The adjective πιστικῆς (pistikh") is difficult with regard to its exact meaning; some have taken it to derive from πίστις (pistis) and relate to the purity of the oil of nard. More probably it is something like a brand name, “pistic nard,” the exact significance of which has not been discovered.