Then
six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. So they made him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him. Mary, therefore, took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.
John 12:1-3
John 11 [55.] Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand. Many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. Then they sought for Jesus and spoke one with another, as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that he isn’t coming to the feast at all?” Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had commanded that if anyone knew where he was, he should report it, that they might seize him.
John 12 [1.] Then six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. So they made him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him. Mary, therefore, took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. Then Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, one of his disciples, who would betray him, said, “Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the poor?” Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having the money box, used to steal what was put into it. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you don’t always have me.”
John 12 [9.] A large crowd therefore of the Jews learned that he was there, and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests conspired to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.
Meaning:
Jesus had withdrawn to Ephraim while the leaders in Jerusalem plotted his death (John 11:53-54). Now, as the Passover drew near, he came back to Bethany, the village where he had raised Lazarus. At a supper given in his honour, Mary performed an act of extravagant love that Jesus would connect with his burial (John 12:7). Mark and Matthew also tell of this anointing at Bethany (Mark 14:3; Matthew 26:6-7).
- “Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany”
John counts down to the Passover, the feast at which Jesus would die. This is the beginning of the final week of his earthly life. Bethany, less than two miles from Jerusalem, was where he stayed during these days. Returning there was itself an act of courage, since the chief priests had ordered that anyone who knew where he was should report it (John 11:57).
- “So they made him a supper there”
The meal was a celebration and an expression of gratitude. Mark and Matthew place it in the house of Simon the leper, probably a friend of the family. John focuses on the three people Jesus loved.
- “Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him”
Each member of the family appears in a familiar role. Martha serves, as she did when Jesus visited before (Luke 10:40), though there is no hint of complaint now. Lazarus, who had been four days dead, reclines at the table, living proof of Jesus’ power. His presence would draw crowds to Bethany (John 12:9).
- “Mary, therefore, took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious”
A Roman pound was about 340 grams, as the PIB footnote explains. Nard was an aromatic oil from a plant grown in the mountains of northern India, imported at great cost. Judas would estimate its value at three hundred denarii, about a year’s wages for a labourer (John 12:5).
- “Anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair”
Mark and Matthew say that the ointment was poured on Jesus’ head. With so much ointment, Mary probably anointed both, and John highlights the feet. Anointing the head honoured a guest or a king; anointing the feet was an act of deep humility, usually the task of a servant. For a Jewish woman to let down her hair in public was unusual, but Mary cared nothing for appearances. Whenever we meet Mary in the Gospels, she is at Jesus’ feet: listening to his word (Luke 10:39), grieving (John 11:32), and now worshipping. A different woman anointed Jesus’ feet on an earlier occasion in Galilee (Luke 7:38).
- “The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment”
Everyone in the house could smell what Mary had done. Her devotion could not be hidden. Jesus said that her act would be told wherever the Good News is preached (Mark 14:9).
The Significance of John 12:1-3
- Love that gives its best
Mary gave something extremely costly without hesitation. True devotion to Christ does not calculate the minimum; it gives freely out of love and gratitude for what he has done.
- Humble worship
Mary took the place of a servant at Jesus’ feet. Worship involves humbling ourselves before him, whatever others may think.
- A fragrance that spreads
The scent of Mary’s gift filled the house. Paul describes Christ’s own self-giving as “a sweet-smelling fragrance” (Ephesians 5:2). Lives poured out in love for Christ carry that fragrance to others.
Cross-References:
Mark 14:3: "a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard—very costly. She broke the jar, and poured it over his head." Mark’s account of the anointing.
Luke 10:39: "She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word." Mary at Jesus’ feet on an earlier visit.
Luke 7:38: "she wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment." A different anointing in Galilee.
Ephesians 5:2: "Walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance." Love that gives itself.
Conclusion: Six days before the Passover, Jesus came back to Bethany, where a supper was held in his honour with Martha serving and the risen Lazarus at the table. Mary anointed his feet with a pound of very costly nard and wiped them with her hair, and the fragrance filled the house. Her humble and lavish devotion prepared him for the death that lay ahead.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible