John 12:1-8

Mary Anoints Jesus

1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. ¹

2 So they hosted a dinner for Jesus there. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him.

3 Then Mary took about a pint ^[a] of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was going to betray Him, asked,

5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii ^[b] and the money given to the poor?”

6 Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “She has kept this perfume in preparation for the day of My burial.

8 The poor you will always have with you, ^[c] but you will not always have Me.”

Cross References

• 1. (Matthew 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9; Luke 7:36–50)

Footnotes

• [a] Greek a litra; that is, approximately 12 ounces or 340 grams
• [b] A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.
• [c] See Deuteronomy 15:11.