Mark 14:8

“She hath done what she could, etc..] What she had in her heart, and in the power of her hands to do; she hath done according to her ability, and her good will; and if she had not done it now, she could not have done it at all. She is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying; or, “as if it was to bury me”, as the Syriac version renders it. Christ signifies by this, that he should shortly die, and that this woman came before hand to anoint him, and, as it were, to perform the funeral rites before he was dead; it being revealed to her by the Spirit, that Jesus would quickly die, and she should not be able to perform this good work when dead, and therefore came to do it before; or, at…”

“See this passage explained in the notes at Matthew 26:1-16. Mark 14:1 And of unleavened bread - So called because at that feast no other bread was used but that which had been made without leaven or yeast. By craft - By subtlety (Matthew); that is, by some secret plan that would secure possession of him without exciting the opposition of the people. Mark 14:3 Ointment - This word does not convey quite the proper meaning. This was a perfume. It was used only to give a pleasant odor, and was liquid. Of spikenard - The “nard,” from which this perfume was made, is a plant of the East Indies, with a small, slender stalk, and a heavy, thick root. The best perfume is obtained from the root, though…”

“14:8 Jesus interprets the woman’s action. She had anointed his body in preparation for his burial. Whether the woman was consciously motivated by Jesus’ imminent death is unclear; her loving act served the purpose Jesus assigned it.”

“hath done: "It appears to me more probable," says Dr. Doddridge, "that Matthew and Mark should have introduced this story out of its place - that Lazarus, if he made this feast (which is not expressly said by John), should have made use of Simon's house, as more convenient - and that Mary should have poured this ointment on Christ's head and body, as well as on his feet - than that, within the compass of four days, Christ should have been twice anointed with so costly a perfume; and that the same fault should be found with the action, and the same value set upon the ointment, and the same words used in defence of the woman, and all this in the presence of many of the same persons; all which…”