We have an update to the Day 2 Bible Background.
In a nutshell, our printed piece is incorrect.
Here’s where we made the mistake:
When you read Luke 10:38, there’s a cross-reference to John 11 and John 12, in which we find that Mary anointed Jesus’ feet.
John 11 mentions it as if it’s in the past. Then John 12 mentions it, so it appears that Mary had either done this before, or the reference in 11 is pointing to the future event. (Confused yet?)
Additionally, the NIV Study Bible comments that “you can find similar accounts of Jesus’ anointing in Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3, and Luke 7:37.” I took this to mean that they were all recordings of the same event…which isn’t necessarily true. While I did research the John and Luke passages…I didn’t investigate the Mark 14:3 passage. Had I researched the Mark passage, I’d have found an additional comment that scholars believe the Luke event is completely separate. It’s rather confusing, since the events are so similar. But it’s our error, completely.
Fortunately, we don’t ever share the “sinful woman” part with kids—it was purely for the reader’s understanding and deeper study. So none of the actual curriculum is inaccurate. Just that one phrase. We’re sorry! We take this research very seriously and are sure to use reputable sources…we just didn’t dig deeply enough on this one.
