Matthew 26:12
In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus takes this woman's loving act and reinterprets it, not as mere extravagance, but as a profound, God-given preparation for his death. By saying "she did it to prepare me for burial," he reveals that her seemingly excessive generosity was actually a divinely appointed foresight, aligning with his imminent sacrifice.
Just days before Passover, Jesus is at a dinner in Bethany when a woman anoints him with very expensive perfume. His disciples are indignant, seeing it as a waste, but Jesus defends her, stating she has done it to prepare his body for burial and that her act will be remembered wherever the Gospel is preached.
Why did this woman pour such expensive perfume on Jesus? The disciples were outraged, but Jesus saw something deeper. Discover the profound love that moved her.
This act of pouring costly ointment wasn't just a gesture of respect; Jesus reveals it as a deeply intentional preparation for His impending death and burial.
A Love That Foresees
When Jesus says, "she has done it to prepare me for burial," He's not saying she fully understood His crucifixion. The disciples certainly didn't grasp it. However, Jesus interprets her extravagant act through the lens of His own foreknowledge. In ancient Jewish custom, precious oils and perfumes were used to anoint and prepare a body for burial. This woman, moved by a love that perhaps sensed the shadow of death falling over Jesus, performed an act that symbolically fulfilled this ritual, even if she didn't consciously understand its full implication.
Jesus Honors Her Love
Instead of rebuking her or the disciples for their judgment, Jesus elevates her action. He sees past the disciples' focus on cost and waste to the heart of her devotion. Her act, even if not fully understood by her, was a powerful, tangible expression of love and honor directed towards His body, anticipating the sorrowful event that was just days away.
At the very moment plotters were secretly planning Jesus' death, a woman honored Him with a lavish act. What does this contrast reveal about God's purposes?
This intimate moment of anointing occurs in the shadow of betrayal and conspiracy. While religious leaders were plotting Jesus' demise, this woman's act becomes a sacred, unintended counterpoint – a symbol of devotion amidst treachery.
Divine Providence at Work
The chief priests and scribes were actively seeking to kill Jesus (Matthew 26:1-5). They wanted to delay the act until after the Passover feast to avoid public unrest. Yet, Jesus knew His time was fixed, and He was willingly going to the cross.
This woman's action, performed in Bethany, interrupts the narrative of plotting and misunderstanding. It's a beautiful, fragrant symbol of the sacrificial death that Jesus was willingly embracing. While human hands were plotting to seize and kill Him, her hands were tenderly anointing His body, an act that Jesus Himself interprets as preparing Him for the tomb.
Understand the original words
myron · Greek Noun
A fragrant, often expensive oil used for medicinal, cosmetic, or funerary purposes. In Scripture, it is used for anointing people and objects set apart for sacred service or honor.
entaphiasmos · Greek Noun
The interment or placement of a corpse in a grave. Biblically, this represents the finality of death and the transition of the body to the ground.
This intimate act of anointing, occurring just days before Jesus' crucifixion, was interpreted by Jesus himself as a preparation for his burial. It highlights the tension between the disciples' expectation of an immediate kingdom and Jesus' foreknowledge of his impending death and resurrection.
c. 7 AD
Birth of Jesus
The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, marking the beginning of his earthly ministry.
c. AD 28-30
Jesus' Public Ministry
Jesus travels throughout Galilee and Judea, teaching, healing, and gathering disciples.
c. 30 AD
Jesus Enters Jerusalem
Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem during Passover week, drawing a large crowd.
c. 30 AD, shortly before Passover
Plot to Arrest Jesus
The chief priests and elders meet to plot Jesus' arrest, deciding to wait until after the Passover festival to avoid public unrest.
c. 30 AD, days before Passover— this verse
John's Gospel elaborates on this moment, highlighting Jesus' similar defense of Mary's action and emphasizing that her act was specifically a 'keeping' of the oil for His burial, underscoring the prophetic nature of her deed.
2 Chronicles 16:14This Old Testament passage describes the anointing of King Asa's body with perfumes and spices after his death, illustrating the ancient practice of preparing bodies for burial with precious oils, which provides context for Jesus' statement.
These verses describe women preparing spices and ointments after Jesus' death to anoint His body, showing the fulfillment of His prophetic statement about preparation for burial and highlighting the continued importance of such actions in Jewish burial customs.
The beloved's name is likened to 'ointment poured forth' in this poetic book, resonating with the precious and fragrant nature of the ointment poured on Jesus, hinting at the beauty and significance of His sacrifice even in death.
calvinMatthew 26:1-13: "And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,"
- And it happened when Jesus had finished all these discourses, he said to his disciples, 2. You know that after two days is the passover; and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. 3. Then were assembled the chief priests, and scribes, and elders of the people, in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4. And entered into consultation how they would take Jesus b…
barnesMatthew 26:12: "For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial."
She did it for my burial - It is not to be supposed that Mary understood clearly that he was then about to die - for the apostles, it seems, did not fully comprehend it, or that she intended it for his burial; but she had done it as an act of kindness and love, to show her regard for her Lord. He said that it was a proper preparation for his burial. In ancient times, bodies were anointed and embalme…
Jesus takes this woman's loving act and reinterprets it, not as mere extravagance, but as a profound, God-given preparation for his death. By saying "she did it to prepare me for burial," he reveals that her seemingly excessive generosity was actually a divinely appointed foresight, aligning with his imminent sacrifice.
Just days before Passover, Jesus is at a dinner in Bethany when a woman anoints him with very expensive perfume. His disciples are indignant, seeing it as a waste, but Jesus defends her, stating she has done it to prepare his body for burial and that her act will be remembered wherever the Gospel is preached.
Just days before Passover, Jesus is at a dinner in Bethany when a woman anoints him with very expensive perfume. His disciples are indignant, seeing it as a waste, but Jesus defends her, stating she has done it to prepare his body for burial and that her act will be remembered wherever the Gospel is preached.
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Beyond Human Understanding
Jesus’ disciples, focused on the practical cost, missed the profound spiritual significance. They saw waste; Jesus saw a sacred act of love and anticipation. Her seemingly impulsive act of devotion, viewed through Jesus' prophetic words, highlights how God can use even actions not fully comprehended by the doer to fulfill His divine purposes.
Supper in Bethany
Jesus is dining at the home of Simon the leper in Bethany. A woman, identified as Mary in the Gospel of John, anoints Jesus with expensive perfume.
c. 30 AD, Passover Day
The Last Supper
Jesus shares the Passover meal with his disciples, instituting the Lord's Supper.
c. 30 AD, shortly after Passover
Crucifixion and Burial
Jesus is arrested, tried, crucified, and buried.
"In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial." — Jesus takes this woman's loving act and reinterprets it, not as mere extravagance, but as a profound, God-given preparation for his death. By saying "she did it to prepare me for burial," he reveals…
