MARY ANOINTS JESUS

John 12:1-11

Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

Verses 1-3: Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

1 John first provides the setting for the anointing. He last places Jesus in Ephraim with His disciples (11:54). Six days before the Passover (Sunday), Jesus comes back to Bethany. The Judean Passover is mentioned three times in this gospel (2:13; 6:4; 12:1). This calendar observation is the source of a "three-year ministry" for Jesus.

Bethany is where Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, lives with his two sisters, Martha and Mary. The account of Mary's anointing Christ is also found in Matthew 26:1-13 and Mark 14:3-9.

2 At Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem, a dinner is given in honor of Jesus. Instead of informing the religious authorities about Jesus' whereabouts, they give a befitting dinner. This dinner takes place in the house of Simon the ex-leper (Matthew 26:6-13), who was possibly healed of his leprosy by Jesus. Martha is involved in serving the meal. Like Martha, Christians ought to be engaged in active service to the Lord. Lazarus is among those reclining at the table with Jesus.

3 Mary takes about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume, pours it on Jesus' feet, and wipes His feet with her hair, expressing her great devotion. As a result, the house is filled with the fragrance of the perfume. She is not bothered by the shame she may face as a result of her action. She is more concerned with pouring out her love for her Master. Love is lavish. "Like David, Mary would not give to the Lord that which cost her nothing (2 Sam. 24:24)."1 We are not told why Mary does this. She is possibly expressing her gratitude for what Jesus did to her brother.

The Murmuring of Judas

Verses 4-8: But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 "Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

4 The word "but" marks a contrast between Mary's selfless action and Judas' selfish attitude. Judas Iscariot is one of Jesus disciples. He will betray Jesus later. In fact, every time the Evangelist mentions Judas, he presents him as a betrayer (e.g. 6:71; 13:2). Judas objects to Mary's anointing of Jesus. He considers her action to be doubly extravagant and a waste of resources. He does not understand that devotion cannot be measured in terms of dollars.

5 Judas raises his voice in protest, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." As mentioned above, Mary's perfume is costly. It is worth 300 denarii, equal to the wages of a common laborer for a year at that time. His suggestion is that it would have been better to sell the perfume and give the money to the poor. The poor could have been greatly benefited from such a large sum of money.

6 Judas suggests this not because he cares about the poor. He is a greedy thief. As the treasurer for the Twelve, he keeps the money bag and helps himself to what is put in it. The money bag is used to meet the needs of Jesus and His disciples. Judas steals from the bag. He is the greedy materialist of his day. This is the most explicit evaluation of Judas in the four gospels.

7 Jesus defends Mary's action. He sharply rebukes Judas: "Leave her alone. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial." Jesus sees Mary's anointing as a preparation for His death and burial; it is a symbol of His soon coming burial, which will be just about a few days from now. She has done a beautiful thing for Jesus (Mark 14:6).

8 Jesus continues by saying that they will always have the poor among them, but He will not be them with very long. There is always more opportunities to alleviate poverty. The disciples, including Judas, need to keep their priorities straight. There will be no shortage of opportunities to help the poor (Deuteronomy 15:11). They will not always have Jesus with them.

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

Verses 9-11: Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

9 A large crowd of Jews who are celebrating the Passover in Jerusalem find out that Jesus is in Bethany, two miles away. They come to Bethany to see Jesus and Lazarus in particular, whom Jesus has raised from the dead. They have heard about Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the dead. They are curious to see things for themselves. Thus Lazarus is attracting others to Christ.

10 The chief priests (mostly Sadducees) make plans to kill Lazarus just as they are planning to kill Jesus (11:50-53). The belief of the crowd drives the religious leaders to further plotting. Since the chief priests do not believe in resurrection, Lazarus' being alive challenges one of their fundamental beliefs. Lazarus's very life provides a ground for faith in Christ. So they want to destroy the evidence.

11 The reason they want to kill Lazarus is now provided. It is because of Lazarus that many Jews are going over to Jesus and believing in Him. The resurrected Lazarus is a great threat to the chief priests and a living witness to Jesus' power. As long as Lazarus is alive, people will remember the miracle Jesus performed for him and acknowledge Him as the Messiah.

JESUS RIDES INTO...