All four gospels present an account of Jesus being anointed by a woman with a costly jar of perfume (Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; Luke 7:36-50; John 12:1-8). Matthew and Mark relate the same event but do not give the woman's name; Luke tells of a different woman, also anonymous, on an earlier occasion; and, in yet another event, the woman in John is identified as Mary of Bethany. Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany 1 Six days before i the Passover, j Jesus therefore came to Bethany, k where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 So they gave a dinner for him there. l Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 m Mary therefore took a pound 1 of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his.
Mary, the sister of both Lazarus and Martha, anointed Jesus' feet with spikenard six days before His crucifixion. Spikenard is an expensive, perfumed ointment used for anointing the dead. Mary anoints Jesus' feet - Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
Lazarus and his sisters hosted a dinner for him. Martha served and Lazarus was among those who joined him at the table. Then Mary took an extraordinary amount, almost three-quarters of a pound, of very expensive perfume made of pure nard.
She anointed Jesus. By anointing Jesus' feet, Mary demonstrates humility and devotion, as feet were considered the dirtiest part of the body. This act prefigures Jesus' own washing of the disciples' feet, emphasizing servanthood and love.
Anointing also has messianic implications, as the term "Messiah" means "Anointed One," pointing to Jesus' divine role and mission. Mary therefore took a pound 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.
Jesus returned to Bethany where a supper was prepared for Him. The resurrection of Lazarus meant that many people were now following Jesus. In these first verses, we have the memorial scene of Mary anointing the feet of Jesus with a pound of pure nard and wiping them with her hair.
The anointings of Jesus 's head or feet are events recorded in the four gospels. The account in Matthew 26, Mark 14, takes place on Holy Wednesday, while the account in John 12 takes place 6 days before Passover in Bethany, a village in Judaea on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives, where Lazarus lived. In Matthew and Mark, he is anointed by an unnamed woman.
In John, the woman is. The fact that Mary wiped Jesus' feet with her hair rather than a towel shows her deep humility and focus on honoring the Lord. The apostle John reports the dinner at Bethany where the anointed took place occurred six days before Passover (John 21:1).
John's mention of Passover is important. This was Jesus' final week on earth. Mary (Martha's sister) then took a pound of pure spikenard ointment worth a great price and anointed Jesus' feet, wiping His feet with her hair.
And the house was filled with the aroma of the ointment (John 12:3).