GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 14:5
Grumblers Beware
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan gave $100 million to the Newark, New Jersey, public school system. Grumblers complained that the gift was mismanaged, merely a token of the benefactors’ wealth, and did not bring about significant change to the school system.
Jeff Bezos set up a $2 billion fund to help homeless families and create a network of nonprofit preschools in low-income neighborhoods. Grumblers complained that the gift was insignificant compared to the benefactor’s wealth; they said that he could have done more. Others mumbled that it was a way to avoid paying taxes.
Oprah Winfrey donated $40 million to establish a Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. Grumblers complained that the money could have been used to assist a larger number of girls in less lavish surroundings; besides, she attached her name to the school.
A woman used expensive perfume to anoint Jesus’ head. Some people in the room mumbled about the gift. “‘For this perfume could have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor.’ And they harshly scolded her.” (Mark 14:5) For “harshly scolded,” Mark used the word “enebrimōnto” (ἐνεβριμῶντο), which embodies both strong disapproval and the idea of audible expression. So, the grumblers were not only mumbling among themselves, but also openly criticizing the woman, scolding her. One denarius was a daily wage for a laboring man, so her gift amounted to about a year’s wage for a laborer, a significant amount—roughly $67,000 in today’s terms. Matthew said that it was Jesus’ own disciples who were doing the grumbling. (26:8-9)
There is no indication that any of the disciples sacrificed anything approaching this woman’s gift. Yet, they grumbled, scolding her, before Jesus, who would sacrifice everything only a few hours later.
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