John 12:7-8
Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus isn't just saying Mary saved this expensive ointment for a future event; He's revealing that her act today is already fulfilling that purpose. By anointing Him, she's essentially preparing Him for His burial, performing a sacred, albeit unconscious, pre-funeral rite that the Jewish custom would later demand.
Mary has just poured an expensive ointment on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair, an act that Judas immediately criticizes as wasteful. Jesus defends Mary, explaining that her action is a preparation for his impending burial. This event occurs shortly before Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and his subsequent crucifixion.
Judas saw a waste of precious ointment. Jesus saw a sacred preparation for His imminent death. What's the difference?
When Judas questioned Mary's extravagant use of the expensive spikenard ointment, calling it a waste (John 12:5), Jesus corrected him. Jesus revealed that Mary's action, though perhaps not consciously intended by her, was a divinely guided preparation.
A Higher Purpose
Jesus states, "Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial" (John 12:7). This means Mary had, perhaps unknowingly, preserved this ointment for a specific, sacred purpose: the embalming of Jesus' body after His death. Her act wasn't a squandering of resources but a fulfillment of a future need, a preemptive act of love and respect in anticipation of His burial.
Divine Direction
Commentators note that while Mary may not have fully grasped the implications, her action was guided by the Holy Spirit. Jesus highlights that this wasn't a random act but a deliberate provision for His burial, which was only days away. The ointment was "kept" not in storage, but in its use, fulfilling its ultimate purpose.
Jesus uses Mary's act to point to His impending death. How does this shift our perspective on His final days?
Jesus' response, "against the day of my burying hath she kept this," is a profound statement about the immediate future. It underscores that His crucifixion and burial were not distant possibilities but imminent realities.
A Six-Day Countdown
This event occurs just six days before the Passover, the very festival during which Jesus would be crucified. By highlighting the "day of my burial," Jesus forces those present, and us as readers, to confront the reality and nearness of His sacrificial death. Mary's act of anointing His feet becomes a stark, poignant foreshadowing of His lifeless body being prepared for the tomb.
Urgent Love
The urgency implied by "the day of my burying" suggests that love and service toward Jesus should not be postponed. Opportunities to show devotion, especially in light of His ultimate sacrifice, are precious and fleeting. Jesus’ statement implicitly calls for a recognition of His suffering and a response of costly love, rather than criticism.
Understand the original words
entaphiasmos · Greek Noun
The day or process of committing a dead body to the ground or a tomb; in the New Testament, it points toward the anticipated death and entombment of Jesus as part of His redemptive work.
ptōchos · Greek Adjective/Noun
Those who are in a state of financial or material lack; Scripture frequently commands care for the poor as a reflection of God’s own compassion and justice.
Jesus' statement points to the imminent reality of His death and burial, framing Mary's extravagant act of love as a profound, albeit unconscious, preparation for His entombment.
c. AD 30— this verse
Jesus Anointed in Bethany
Mary, sister of Lazarus, anoints Jesus' feet with expensive spikenard and wipes them with her hair, an act Jesus interprets as preparation for His burial. Judas Iscariot objects, but Jesus defends Mary's action.
c. AD 30, days after anointing
Jesus Enters Jerusalem
Jesus makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, fulfilling prophecy and signaling the imminent Passover feast.
c. AD 30, Passover week
Last Supper
Jesus shares His final meal with His disciples, instituting the Lord's Supper and offering final teachings.
c. AD 30, Passover week
Betrayal and Arrest
Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus to the authorities, leading to His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.
c. AD 30, Passover week
This passage directly parallels Mary's anointing, with Jesus stating, 'Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told as a memorial of her.' This highlights the significance of her selfless act.
Mark 14:8Similar to John, Mark records Mary's action and Jesus' affirmation, 'She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burying.' This emphasizes the premonition of Jesus' death and the symbolic preparation for it.
John 19:40This verse describes the actual burial preparation of Jesus' body by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, using spices and linen cloths. It shows the fulfillment of the symbolic anointing Mary performed earlier.
Luke 7:47Jesus declares, 'Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loves much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.' This connects Mary's extravagant act of love to the forgiveness she has received, showing the depth of her gratitude.
henryJohn 12:1-11: "Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead."
12:1-11 Christ had formerly blamed Martha for being troubled with much serving. But she did not leave off serving, as some, who when found fault with for going too far in one way, peevishly run too far another way; she still served, but within hearing of Christ's gracious words. Mary gave a token of love to Christ, who had given real tokens of his love to…
meyerJohn 12:7: "Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this."
John 12:7-8 . According to the Recepta , Jesus says: “She has fulfilled a higher purpose with the spikenard ointment ( αὐτό ); in order to embalm me with it to-day (as though I were already dead), has she (not given it out for the poor, but) reserved it .” Comp. on Matthew 26:12 . According to the correct reading, however (see the critical notes): “Let her alone, that she may preserve it (this ointmen…
Jesus isn't just saying Mary saved this expensive ointment for a future event; He's revealing that her act today is already fulfilling that purpose. By anointing Him, she's essentially preparing Him for His burial, performing a sacred, albeit unconscious, pre-funeral rite that the Jewish custom would later demand.
Mary has just poured an expensive ointment on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair, an act that Judas immediately criticizes as wasteful. Jesus defends Mary, explaining that her action is a preparation for his impending burial. This event occurs shortly before Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and his subsequent crucifixion.
Mary has just poured an expensive ointment on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair, an act that Judas immediately criticizes as wasteful. Jesus defends Mary, explaining that her action is a preparation for his impending burial. This event occurs shortly before Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and his subsequent crucifixion.
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Crucifixion and Burial
Jesus is crucified and then buried in a tomb, fulfilling the prophecy Jesus alluded to with Mary's anointing.
"Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”" — Jesus isn't just saying Mary saved this expensive ointment for a future event; He's revealing that her act today is already fulfilling that purpose. By anointing Him, she's essentially preparing Hi…
