John 12:1-3 1Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2Then, they made a dinner for him there, and Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3Then, Mary, taking a pound of very expensive ointment made from pure nard, anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the smell of the perfume.
With the Passover coming, it was time for Jesus to return to Jerusalem. On his way, he stopped in to visit Lazarus, Mary, and Martha in Bethany, a couple of miles outside of Jerusalem. What a reunion it must have been. The time between Lazarus’ resurrection and the events from chapter 12 onward is unknown. John develops a lot of his Gospel around the timing of Jewish feasts. This may not have been fabricated because Jesus intentionally went to Jerusalem at those times to show how he fulfilled Scripture and what the feasts meant. Each feast pointed to him and what he came to do. The Passover was one of the most significant feasts of the Jewish calendar and represented God’s salvation of Israel from Egyptian slavery. Spiritually, it also represented God’s gracious salvation from sin. John’s interpetation of the days of the Passover and the events that took place the following week has been debated. It appears that he counted the Passover as beginning on Thursday evening, which would make the events of this story taking place on Saturday, either at the conclusion of the Sabbath or in the evening, which might be considered the beginning of the next day in Jewish thinking.
The story of a woman anointing of Jesus is also mentioned in Matthew 26:6–13, Mark 14:3–9, and Luke 7:36–38. There are significant similarities but also notable differences between these accounts. Of these accounts, Luke’s is the most different. The redactional issues with these accounts are complex. From an objective look at the accounts, it appears that there was a story that took on different nuances in the early Christian tradition. Rather than trying to reconcile each account to another, each Gospel can be treated on its own in order to understand the author’s intended message within the larger context. In John’s Gospel, the story intersects with other stories before and after this passage. It reflects back on the raising of Lazarus and especially Mary’s experience of it. It looks ahead to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus to the religious authorities. By doing this, the story summarizes the two choices John has highlighted throughout his gospel. Mary represents the decision to believe in Jesus, with the reward of Jesus’ honoring her. Judas represents those who do not believe and eventually experience judgment.
Verse 2 gives the setting and situation. Jesus had gone to the home of the siblings. Little is told about the home, the economic status of the family, or if the parents were still living. This story and the previous one focuses only on the three siblings. Martha had the gift of hospitality, as suggested in this verse and Luke 10:38-42. The new life Lazarus was a great reason to have a dinner with Jesus. Reclining at table was the typical way ancient people ate a special meal like this. This was a great time to celebrate, but little did everyone know, except Jesus, what the coming days would bring. Jesus used this dinner time and Mary’s next actions as a teaching moment to prepare everyone for what would come next.
Mary’s gift was significant in many ways. First, the amount and type of perfume were extravagant. The Greek litran was a measurement of about 11 ounces or three-quarters of a pound, which was a significant amount. Nard is a plant grown in India. Oil is extracted from the root. It likely was imported, and as the story goes on to describe, it was very expensive, as John notes. Where Mary got this and what its purpose was are not described, but theories include an inheritance, her dowry, or that the family was wealthy.
Second, Mary took the most humbling position of bowing down before Jesus and wiping the perfume on his feet. Since Jesus was reclining, his feet likely extended outward. Using her hair required Mary to let down her hair which likely was tied up in a traditional way. This act also exposed her hair before a male audience, which may have shocked some propriety. Using her hair as a cloth to anoint Jesus’ feet was probably the most humbling position she could take. John also notes how the smell of the perfume filled the whole house. A small dab of perfume like that would be enough to fill a room, so a large amount would have been overwhelming. The smell would have lingered for days. Mary’s head would have smelled for many days. The smell would also linger everywhere Jesus went for several days at least. Mary’s act was done selflessly and out of gratitude for all Jesus had done for her and her family.
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