Mary Anoints Jesus' Feet

Six days (12:1). “Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany.” Passover remembered the night God spared Israel in Egypt: “And when I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). That same Passover, Jesus, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), would give His life. Bethany. “Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away” (John 11:18). Jesus was going up to Jerusalem for the last time, and He stopped first with this family. Where Lazarus was. John describes Bethany as the place “where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.” The village was now known for the miracle Jesus had done there. A supper in His honor (12:2). “There they made Him a supper.” The meal was given for Jesus. It was a way of honoring Him as Lord. Martha served. Martha's part is told in two words: “Martha served.” Quiet, faithful service to Jesus is one of the ways love shows itself. Lazarus at the table. “Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.” Four days in the tomb (John 11:17), then called out by Jesus' voice (John 11:43-44), Lazarus now shared a meal with the One who raised him. His place at the table was living proof of who Jesus is. The shadow of the cross. The supper was full of life, yet the week ahead led to the cross. Jesus had told His disciples plainly what would happen in Jerusalem, ending with these words: “And the third day He will rise again” (Mark 10:34). For you. Jesus is still the center of a home that belongs to Him. Thank Him at your table, tell what He has done, and serve the people around you for His sake.

A pound of spikenard (12:3). “Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard.” A pound of pure nard was a large amount of a very expensive oil. Judas valued it at three hundred denarii (12:5); with a denarius as a day's wage (Matthew 20:2), that was most likely close to a year's pay. Aleipho. “Anointed the feet of Jesus.” The Greek word is aleipho (say: ah-LAY-foh), to rub or pour oil on someone. Mary used it on His feet and then “wiped His feet with her hair.” She gave her treasure and her honor at the lowest place. Mary of Bethany. John had already named her: “It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair” (John 11:2). She is not the woman “who was a sinner” in Luke 7:37, who anointed Jesus at Simon the Pharisee's house much earlier. Two different women honored Jesus at two different times. Matthew and Mark. Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9 tell of a supper in Bethany where a woman poured very costly oil on Jesus' head. Many Christians see this as the same event; John is the one who tells us her name. Worship that gives. Mary's gift honored Jesus above her most costly treasure. Worship is more than singing. It is treating Jesus as worth more than anything we own. Worthy. Heaven sings it: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12). The riches belong to Him. For you. Ask what you cling to most tightly: your time, your money, your plans, what people think of you. Bring it to Jesus and honor Him with it.

Judas Iscariot (12:4). “But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said…” He was one of the twelve, close to Jesus every day. The question (12:5). “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” On the surface it sounded wise and kind. Caring for the poor matters to God. Kleptes (12:6). “This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief.” The Greek word is kleptes (say: KLEP-tace), a thief, someone who steals in secret. The money box. He “had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.” Later in John we read again that Judas had the money box (John 13:29). He was trusted with it, and he was unfaithful. Words and the heart. Judas' words were about the poor, but his heart was not. “For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Near Jesus, not changed. Being near Jesus every day did not make Judas' heart right. A heart is changed only when it turns to Jesus and trusts Him. Who would betray Him. John names what Judas would later do. It stands as a sober warning: being close to good things is not the same as belonging to Jesus. For you. Be the same person when no one is checking the box. Confess hidden sin quickly: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Let her alone (12:7). “But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone.’” Judas had criticized the gift, and Jesus defended the giver. He received the gift Judas had found fault with. Kept for this day. “She has kept this for the day of My burial.” Jesus spoke of His death as near and certain. He knew why He had come and how close the hour was. Before the cross. Within the week, Jesus would be crucified. The oil poured on His feet in Bethany came days before the cross, and Jesus Himself connected the two. The poor (12:8). “For the poor you have with you always.” Jesus was not brushing the poor aside. He was saying that His followers would always have people in need around them, and so they would always have chances to help. But Me you do not have always. The chance to honor Him at that table, before the cross, would soon be gone. Mary did not miss it. Two kinds of giving. Worship given to Jesus and help given to the poor do not compete. The trouble at that supper was not caring for the poor. It was a heart that only pretended to care. The risen Lord. Jesus rose again and returned to His Father. He still receives the worship of His people, and He still sends them to care for people in need. For you. Do not put off loving Jesus. Worship Him today, and look for one person in need whom you can help for His sake this week.