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A Woman with Perfume for Jesus(A)

Jesus was in Bethany at the house of ·Simon, who had a skin disease [L Simon the leper; C for leprosy, see 1:40; Simon may have been healed by Jesus]. While Jesus was ·eating there [L reclining; C the posture for a banquet or dinner party; 2:15], a woman approached him with an alabaster ·jar [vial] filled with very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She ·opened [broke open] the ·jar [vial] and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.

Some who were there became ·upset [indignant] and said to each other, “Why waste that perfume? It was worth ·a full year’s work [L over three hundred denarii]. It could have been sold and the money given to the poor.” And they ·got very angry with [harshly scolded] the woman.

Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you ·troubling [bothering; criticizing] her? She did an ·excellent thing [beautiful/good deed] for me. You will always have the poor with you, and you can help them anytime you want [Deut. 15:11]. But you will not always have me. This woman did the only thing she could do for me; she ·poured perfume on [anointed] my body to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the ·Good News [Gospel] is preached in all the world, what this woman has done will be told, and people will remember her.”

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While he was in Bethany,(A) reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.(B)

Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages[a] and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you,[b] and you can help them any time you want.(C) But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.(D) Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world,(E) what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 14:5 Greek than three hundred denarii
  2. Mark 14:7 See Deut. 15:11.

Perfume for Jesus’ Burial(A)

Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon, ·who had a skin disease [L the leper; C for leprosy, see 8:2; Simon may have been healed by Jesus.]. While Jesus was there, a woman approached him with an alabaster ·jar [vial] filled with expensive perfume. She poured this perfume on Jesus’ head while he was ·eating [L reclining; C the posture for a banquet or dinner party].

His ·followers [disciples] were ·upset [indignant] when they saw the woman do this. They asked, “Why waste that perfume? It could have been sold for a great deal of money and the money given to the poor.”

10 Knowing what had happened, Jesus said, “Why are you ·troubling [bothering; criticizing] this woman? She did an ·excellent thing [beautiful/good deed] for me. 11 You will always have the poor with you [Deut. 15:11], but you will not always have me. 12 This woman poured perfume on my body to prepare me for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever the ·Good News [Gospel] is preached in all the world, what this woman has done will be told, and people will remember her.”

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Jesus Anointed at Bethany(A)(B)

While Jesus was in Bethany(C) in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you,[a](D) but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.(E) 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 26:11 See Deut. 15:11.

A Woman Washes Jesus’ Feet(A)

36 One of the Pharisees ·asked [invited] Jesus to eat with him, so Jesus went into the Pharisee’s house and ·sat at the table [L reclined; C at a formal meal guests would recline at a low table with their feet stretched out behind them]. 37 [L And look/T behold] A ·sinful [immoral] woman in the town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she brought an alabaster ·jar [vial; flask] of perfume 38 and stood behind Jesus at his feet, ·crying [weeping]. She began to ·wash [wet; drench] his feet with her tears, and she ·dried [wiped] them with her hair, kissing them many times and ·rubbing [anointing] them with the perfume. 39 When the Pharisee who asked Jesus to come to his house saw this, he thought to himself, “If ·Jesus [L this person] were a prophet, he would know ·that the woman touching him is a sinner [L who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner]!”

40 Jesus said to ·the Pharisee [L him], “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

Simon said, “Teacher, tell me.”

41 Jesus said, “Two people owed money to ·the same banker [L a certain moneylender/creditor]. One owed five hundred ·coins [L denarii; C a denarius was equal to a day’s wage for a laborer] and the other owed fifty. 42 They had no money to pay what they owed, but ·the banker [L he] ·told both of them they did not have to pay him [L forgave both (debts)]. Which person [L therefore] will love ·the banker [L him] more?”

43 Simon answered, “I ·think [suppose] it would be the one ·who owed him the most money [L for whom he forgave the larger].”

Jesus said to Simon, “You are right.” 44 Then Jesus turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she ·washed [wet; drenched] my feet with her tears and ·dried [wiped] them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss of greeting, but she has ·been [not stopped] kissing my feet since I came in. 46 You did not ·put oil on [anoint] my head, but she ·poured perfume on my feet [has anointed my feet with perfume]. 47 [L Therefore] I tell you that her many sins are forgiven, ·so [that is why] she showed great love. But the person who is forgiven only a little will love only a little.”

48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 The people ·sitting at the table [L reclining together; 7:36] began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50 Jesus said to the woman, “·Because you believed, you are saved from your sins [L Your faith has saved you]. Go in peace.”

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Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman(A)(B)

36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet,(C) he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[a] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet,(D) but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss,(E) but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head,(F) but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”(G)

49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you;(H) go in peace.”(I)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 7:41 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see Matt. 20:2).

Jesus with Friends in Bethany

12 [L Therefore] Six days before the Passover Feast, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus lived. (Lazarus is the man Jesus raised from the dead.) There they had a dinner for Jesus. Martha served the food, and Lazarus was one of the people ·eating [L reclining; C it was customary to eat formal meals while reclining around a low table] with Jesus. [L Then] Mary brought in a pint [C Greek litra; about eleven ounces, weighing just under a pound] of very expensive ·perfume [ointment/fragrant oil] made from pure nard. She ·poured the perfume on [anointed; C not the word for royal or priestly anointing, but for hospitality or care] Jesus’ feet, and then she wiped his feet with her hair. And the ·sweet smell [fragrance] from the perfume filled the whole house.

Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] who would later ·turn against [betray] him, was there. Judas said, “This ·perfume [ointment/fragrant oil] was worth an ·entire year’s wages [L three hundred denarii]. Why wasn’t it sold and the money given to the poor?” But Judas did not really care about the poor; he said this because he was a thief. He was the one who kept the money ·box [or bag], and he often stole from it.

[L Therefore] Jesus answered, “Leave her alone. It was right for her to save this perfume for today, the day for me to be prepared for burial. [L For] You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.”

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Jesus Anointed at Bethany(A)

12 Six days before the Passover,(B) Jesus came to Bethany,(C) where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served,(D) while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume;(E) she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.(F) And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him,(G) objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.[b] He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag,(H) he used to help himself to what was put into it.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.(I) You will always have the poor among you,[c](J) but you will not always have me.”

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Footnotes

  1. John 12:3 Or about 0.5 liter
  2. John 12:5 Greek three hundred denarii
  3. John 12:8 See Deut. 15:11.