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 12:7-8
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:
At a supper in Bethany, Mary had anointed Jesus’ feet with a pound of very costly nard (John 12:3). Judas Iscariot objected that the ointment should have been sold and the money given to the poor, though John explains that he said this because he was a thief who stole from the money box (John 12:4-6). These verses give Jesus’ reply, which defends Mary and points to his coming death.
- “Leave her alone”
Jesus would not let Mary be shamed. Mark records that others joined in the criticism, and Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for me” (Mark 14:6). What looked like waste to Judas was precious to Jesus. He saw the love behind the gift.
- “She has kept this for the day of my burial”
Mary had kept the ointment, and now she used it for Jesus at the right moment. Whether or not she fully understood, her act anticipated his death. In Mark’s words, “She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying” (Mark 14:8). In Jewish custom the bodies of the dead were anointed with spices and perfumes before burial.
Jesus knew that his death was only days away. When he died, his body was buried in haste before the Sabbath; Joseph of Arimathaea “wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb” (Mark 15:46). The women who came on the first day of the week with spices “that they might come and anoint him” found the tomb empty (Mark 16:1). So Mary’s anointing was the one Jesus received with gratitude while he was still alive.
- “For you always have the poor with you”
Jesus was not dismissing the poor. His words echo the law of Moses: “For the poor will never cease out of the land. Therefore I command you to surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor, in your land” (Deuteronomy 15:11). The verse that says the poor will always be present goes on to command generosity. Mark adds Jesus’ words, “whenever you want to, you can do them good” (Mark 14:7). Caring for the poor is an ongoing duty for God’s people at all times.
Elsewhere Jesus identified himself with the needy: “because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). There is no conflict between devotion to Jesus and love for the poor; true devotion produces such love.
- “But you don’t always have me”
Mary had a unique opportunity that would soon pass. Jesus would not remain with his disciples in bodily form much longer. Some moments call for a special act of love that cannot be postponed. Mary recognised the moment; Judas, who cared more for money than for Jesus, did not.
The Significance of John 12:7-8
- Jesus values wholehearted devotion
Jesus received Mary’s gift with honour, while others criticised it. Acts of love for Christ that the world calls wasteful are never wasted in his eyes.
- Worship and compassion belong together
Jesus did not set worship against care for the poor. Christians are called to both: to honour Christ with their best and to open their hands generously to those in need, for “He who has pity on the poor lends to Yahweh” (Proverbs 19:17).
- Seizing the moment
Opportunities to show love do not last forever. Mary acted while she could. Believers can ask God for the wisdom to recognise such moments and the courage to act on them.
Cross-References:
Mark 14:8: "She has anointed my body beforehand for the burying." Mark’s parallel account of Jesus’ words.
Deuteronomy 15:11: "For the poor will never cease out of the land. Therefore I command you to surely open your hand to your brother," The law Jesus echoed.
Matthew 25:40: "because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." Jesus identifies himself with the needy.
Mark 16:1: "bought spices, that they might come and anoint him." The anointing that could not take place.
Conclusion: When Judas criticised Mary’s costly gift, Jesus told him to leave her alone, explaining that she had kept the ointment for the day of his burial. He reminded his disciples that the poor would always be with them, echoing the law’s call to generosity, but that he would not always be with them. Mary’s love seized the moment, and Jesus honoured her for it.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible