Mary Anoints Jesus
John 12:1-11
As we begin John 12 we are half way through the Gospel of John. But we have entered into the last week of Jesus’ life. Like all the Gospels, John devotes more pages to the week of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection than to anything else. These events are the heart of the Christian gospel. This is what the Gospel has been building toward. John has demonstrated to us through the work and words of Jesus that He is the Christ, the Son of God in whom we must believe for eternal life.
Throughout our study of the Gospel of John we have seen mixed responses to Jesus Christ. There’s no one else like Him who evokes the opposite extremes of love and hate, devotion and rejection, worship and blasphemy, faith and unbelief. He divides believers from unbelievers, sheep from goats, wheat from tares, light from darkness, children of God from children of the devil (MacArthur).
The epicenter of this divide is really belief and unbelief. John has written his eye-witness account of Jesus in this Gospel so that people would believe. MacArthur points out:
Unbelief and belief are extreme reactions to Christ. Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is so extreme it leads to eternal life in heaven. Not believing in Jesus Christ is so extreme it leads to eternal death in hell.
We have seen those extremes in this Gospel. Now, as we come to John 12, those extremes become manifested, in particular, through two characters. One is Mary and the other is Judas. They demonstrate those extremes of belief and unbelief by how they respond to Jesus. At the same time one person is demonstrating her belief and her love for Jesus through a very expensive gift, another is indignant at the waste because of his greed and his unbelief.
Ultimately this is a story about the worth of Jesus. The contrast is between one who places infinite value upon Jesus and another who values money more than Jesus. Piper writes:
It is a beautiful thing when the worth of Jesus and the love of his followers match — when the value of his perfections and the intensity of our affections correspond. Mary’s heart corresponded to the treasure that Jesus is. Judas’s heart contradicted the treasure that Jesus is.
Listen for that contrast as we read John 12:1-11
1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s [son], who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. 7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 “For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.
The supper in honor of Jesus (John 12:1-2)
This account begins with “Then, six days before the Passover…” The word “then” really means therefore, indicating that something follows from another necessarily. The scene is really set for this event at the end of John 11. The antagonism between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders had reached a peak when He had raised Lazarus from the dead. Ever since that time they had been planning a way to kill Jesus (John 11:53). They were anticipating His arrival in Judea for the Passover week and looking for their chance to seize Him (John 11:57). Therefore, because all of this was waiting in Jerusalem and God’s timing was right, “Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany.”
If our Lord’s arrival at Bethany is an amazing thing in John 11, it is even more amazing in John 12. Bethany is the very place “where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.” The miracle of the raising of Lazarus is fresh in our mind. It is also very fresh in the minds of those who witnessed the raising of Lazarus in Bethany, and came to trust in Jesus as a result. It is painfully fresh in the minds of the unbelieving Jewish religious leaders, who look upon the raising of Lazarus as the last straw. At the direction of Caiaphas, the High Priest that year, the Sanhedrin had been called together, and the members were now unified in their resolve to kill Jesus.
“There they made Him a supper,” (John 12:2). The supper was for Jesus. Others were there but it was held in His honor. Matthew and Mark tell us that the supper was held at the home of Simon the leper (Matt. 11:6; Mark 14:3). We should probably say, “Simon the former leper,” because I imagine that Simon had been healed by Jesus. Otherwise, he would not have been hosting such a dinner. Jesus’ disciples are also present (Mt. 26:8), but John only mentions one of them in his account here.
True to her nature, “Martha served,” (John 12:2). It would appear that hospitality was one of Martha’s gifts, for we find her doing the same thing in Luke 10. Martha is a doer and likes to give of herself in serving others. There is no complaining about her service here as in Luke 10. She does it because she loves her Lord and she loves the people she serves. Thank the Lord for those who serve. In fact, the Lord Jesus says in Luke 22:27, “I am among you as the One who serves.” Serving is Martha’s gift to the Lord.
Mary anoints Jesus (John 12:3)
Mary also likes to give, but from what we know of her from Luke 10, she is more contemplative, more absorbed with the person and words of Jesus. Her gift is also very personal. John points out “Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him,” (John 12:2). Again the word “then” which means “therefore” connects verse 2 and 3 and indicates the motivation of Mary’s action. She is grateful to the Lord for raising her brother Lazarus from the dead who even at that moment was there reclining at the table with Jesus. It is a heart filled with joy and love that prompts her beautiful act.
“Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” Mary takes a Roman pound (about 12 ounces) of this very precious and costly perfume made from pure nard. Nard is an aromatic herb grown in the high pasture-land of the Himalayas, between Tibet and India. Harvesting this plant in such a remote location, processing it and then transporting it to Israel would have made this an extremely precious perfume. The value of it is expressed as well in Matthew in that he points out that it was in an Alabaster jar, which in itself would have been expensive. In John 12:5 its value is set by the man who knew the price of everything, but the value of nothing: Judas Iscariot. He estimates its monetary cost at 300 denarii. A denarius was the common wage for a full day’s labor. This perfume was worth what the average laboring man would have earned in a full year. To give you a little perspective, a worker who makes a minimum wage of $10 per hour earns about $25,000 in 300 days of labor. This was a very expensive gift!
Mary has sought to do something lavish for the Lord as expression of her great love for Him and gratitude for having her brother back alive. What Mary does here is remarkable. Mark tells us that Mary broke the alabaster jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head (Mk 14:3). But John emphasizes that she also anointed Jesus’ feet with it to such an extent that she needed to wipe of the excess, which she did with her hair.
This is shocking. In complete disregard for Jewish rules of propriety for women not to loosen their hair in the presence of men, she anoints Jesus feet and wipes them with her hair. This is love that knows no limits, love without restraint. It’s extravagant. It’s humble. It’s generous. She gave the most precious thing she had. Mary was so caught up with her devotion to Christ that she didn’t stop to consider what others might think about her. Like David dancing before the Lord wearing only an ephod (2 Sam. 6:14-23), Mary cast public opinion to the wind, let her hair down, and wiped Jesus’ feet. David’s fervent devotion embarrassed his wife, but the Lord stood with David. Mary’s action made the apostles uncomfortable, but Jesus sided with Mary. She loves Jesus and she gives to Him her best as a demonstration of that love.
No wonder the house was filled with the fragrance of this perfume. Heartfelt worship of King Jesus is never merely private. It always spills over onto others — one way or the other. The lavish, heartfelt, sacrificial, grateful display of affection was for Jesus. But everybody was blessed (Piper). There must have been stunned silence.
Judas objects (John 12:4-6)
The silence didn’t last. As they were contemplating the humble sacrifice of Mary, they were interrupted by the hypocritical self-interest of Judas. John 12:4, “But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s [son], who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?””
What a horrible interruption to such a lavish expression of believing love and devotion. The scene is tortured by the intrusion of a man identified by Jesus back in chapter 6 as an unbeliever (John 6:64) and a devil (John 6:70).
The question had a certain pragmatic ring to it, so, according to Matthew and Mark the other disciples joined in with Judas saying “Why this waste?” (Matt. 26:8). From their standpoint it seemed like such a waste to anoint Jesus with something worth that much. Why, a real ministry, like feeding the poor, could have been accomplished if it had been sold.
John is also quick to point out the character of Judas introducing him in the story as the one that would betray Jesus, but then he also specifically points out the greed that was in Judas’ heart. John 12:6, “This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.” Judas was not really concerned about the poor. His only thought was what he might get out of it if it had been sold and put into their money box. Judas was a thief. He was the treasurer for Jesus and the disciples. They trusted him to be honest with the money that was given to them to pay for their living expenses. The rest of the disciples seemed to have no clue of Judas’ real motives. Even on the night that Judas left the last supper to betray Jesus to the Pharisees, the other disciples just thought that he had left to give alms to the poor since he was the treasurer (John 13:29).
Judas was evil, but the reaction of the other disciples was really not much better. They were not looking for personal monetary gain from the sale of the perfume, but they had a false idea of the nature of what it meant to worship, to serve God. They, like the Pharisees, viewed giving to the poor as a superior to a direct act of worship. Human pragmatism distorted what was really important.
Now, don’t get me wrong. We are to reach out the poor and strive to meet their needs. Both the Old Testament commandments concerning the care for the poor and the New Testament teachings about the poor call us to have practical ministry to those in need. However, that ministry must be done with proper motive and never as a substitute for true worship. Good works in themselves are not even pleasing to God unless they are done for His glory (Matt. 5:16). In addition, helping people out, meeting their needs and making them comfortable in this life is of little value if we are not also preparing them for eternity.
Another element we must see in what Mary did that makes it superior to selling the nard for a practical ministry to the poor, is that Mary did it as an act of selfless and sacrificial worship. She gained nothing for herself from it. Inherent in the idea among the Jews in giving alms to the poor was a benefit to themselves in gaining the favor of people by doing it. That is why Jesus had to make a stern correction of their practice in Matthew 6:1-4 that it be done for God’s glory and not their own.
Mary gave out of her love for Jesus in gratitude for all that He had done. Judas only considered what could have been in it for him. The other disciples improperly judged an act of pure worship with a pragmatic outlook.
Jesus rebukes Judas (John 12:7-8)
Jesus rebukes Judas and with him the other disciples in John 12:7-8, “But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 “For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.””
Matthew records what Jesus said more fully (Matt. 26:10-13):
10 But when Jesus was aware of [it], He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 “For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 “For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did [it] for My burial. 13 “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
She did a good work for Jesus. She did not do it to get noticed. she did not do it for others. She did it for Jesus. It was all for Him. Let me ask you, why do you come to worship? Is it for Jesus? Or is it to be noticed by others? It is a good work for the Lord? Or are you trying to gain favor with God and people? Jesus said, “she has done a good work for Me.”
Also He said “she has kept this for the day of My burial.” Her anointing Jesus was in anticipation of His death and burial. We don’t know how long Mary had this precious oil. Perhaps it was a family heirloom. But she had not used it or sold it. She had kept it for Jesus. How much did she understand about Jesus’ impending death? Perhaps Mary had understood what Jesus had said on previous occasions about His approaching death (John 6:52-56; 7:323; 8:21-23; 10:11,15). Perhaps it was the amazing providence of God that she unwittingly anointed Jesus for His burial.
Jesus also added a statement that these pragmatic disciples would understand. He seems to quote Deuteronomy 15:11, “For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’” There would always be opportunity to do good for poor people because they would always be around, but the opportunity to minister to Jesus before His death would soon be gone. So, yes, we do have a responsibility to help care for the poor, and that is a work that will never end until Jesus returns. We should take that responsibility seriously and help according to Biblical principles.
The rebuke silenced the disciples from further attacks on Mary and her actions. What Mary did was an act of selfless and sacrificial worship. It would be an act that would be spoken of in memory of her wherever the gospel message would go in the future.
The response of the Jews (John 12:9-11)
John now changes the scene to what is happening outside the house. Remember that Bethany is only a short distance away from Jerusalem. News about Jesus arrival in Bethany would have spread throughout Jerusalem. Many would seek to have their curiosity satisfied.
“Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.” So the curious come out to see not only Jesus, but also Lazarus because of the miracle performed upon Him. It is good to have a healthy curiosity about Jesus—if it leads you to seek to know more about Him and even to believe in Him. Jesus had told the Pharisees (John 10:38), “though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
But others were not curious. They only had hatred for Jesus and now that hatred was spilling over to anyone that caused people to believe in Jesus: 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.
Notice the witness of Lazarus. John does not record a single word that Lazarus spoke. The people were not believing in Jesus because Lazarus was some great orator and convincing them of the truth. The very fact that He was alive was evidence enough that Jesus is Lord. Only the Son of God, the promised Messiah could raise a man from the dead.
But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also. They wanted to destroy the evidence. You get an idea of the extreme hatred they had for Jesus. It never was about evidence. They never denied His miracles. They didn’t deny the resurrection of Lazarus. As we saw at the end of John 11, their unbelief was in spite of the evidence. As Abraham says in Jesus’ story about the rich man and a poor man named Lazarus in Luke 16:31, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” They wanted to kill Lazaus because on account of him many of the Jews were going away, going away from the temple, going away from Judaism, going away from them and believing in Jesus.
We have seen two opposite extreme responses to Jesus. What is your response to Jesus? Is it a selfless and sacrificial love like Mary? Is it self-centered materialism like Judas? Perhaps you are like one of the curious multitude. If so, I pray you will soon see and also believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
This story illustrates Jesus’ words in Mark 8:35-36: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”
Jesus repeats this idea later in this chapter (John 12:25), “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Mary denied herself and “hated her life” for Jesus’ sake by her extravagant act of devotion to Him, and she gained that which would not be taken from her (Luke 10:42). Judas greedily wished that he could have pocketed some of Mary’s gift. In a few days, he would sell Jesus for a paltry sum. But he forfeited his soul.
Judas’ god was money and within a matter of a few days he would commit suicide by hanging himself. If your god is money you will forfeit your soul.
Mary worshipped Jesus with everything she had and in a few days she will be celebrating another resurrection. Because Jesus Himself will give up His life on the cross. He will be broken, His blood spilled out. He will take the punishment of death for the sin of the world. And Jesus would rise triumphant over sin and death three days later. Now He gives the gift of eternal life to all who believe in Him.
Have you trusted in Jesus?
