John 12:1-8

Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

1 Six days before ¹the Passover, ²Jesus therefore came to Bethany, ³where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

2 So they gave a dinner for him there. ⁴Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.

3 ⁵Mary therefore took a pound^[a] of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said,

5 "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii^[b] and ⁶given to the poor?"

6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and ⁷having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 Jesus said, "Leave her alone, so that she may keep it^[c] for the day of my burial.

8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

Cross References

• 1. ver. 12, 20; John 11:55
• 2. For ver. 1-8, see Matthew 26:6-11; Mark 14:3-8
• 3. John 11:1
• 4. Luke 10:38, 40
• 5. [Luke 7:37, 38]
• 6. John 13:29
• 7. [See ver. 5 above]

Footnotes

• [a]. Greek litra; a litra (or Roman pound) was equal to about 11 1/2 ounces or 327 grams
• [b]. A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
• [c]. Or Leave her alone; she intended to keep it