Mary Anoints Jesus with Perfume: Sunday School Lesson, Crafts & Games New

Shortly after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, they threw a dinner party for Jesus in Bethany. During the dinner, Mary poured a bottle of expensive perfume on Jesus' feet and washed his feet with her hair. Judas, pretending to care about the poor, scolded her for wasting so much money. But he didn't actually care about the poor, he was stealing money from the group. Jesus told the group that she was symbolically preparing him for his burial by pouring oil on him.

A Dinner in Bethany After Lazarus Was Raised (John 12:1-2)

This story happened directly after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, in the same town (Bethany) where it happened. Can you imagine the very interesting dinner conversation?! 

Also, notice Martha serving dinner again while Mary does something else! But there was no disagreement this time. It seems like they worked through their conflict from earlier. 

Mary Pours Perfume on Jesus’ Feet (John 12:3)

Some translations say that Mary poured "oil" on his feet while others say she poured "perfume." Which was it? Both! Mary used a perfume made out of nard (or spikenard), which is an aromatic essential oil. And she poured a lot of it on his feet! She poured a pound of the oil on his feet. Some translations give us the liquid equivalent - about a pint. Think about how perfume is used and then imagine pouring a pint of it out at one time. You can see why this was such a memorable event.

Judas Complains About the Cost (John 12:4-6)

Judas was offended by the apparent waste and excess of this act. He estimated that the oil would have been worth about 300 days wages. That's a lot of money! Perhaps younger kids can't visualize that, but older elementary students can get an idea of how much money it was if they think about their parents working for almost an entire year just to buy one thing. 

But Judas wasn't being honest about his motivation. John is careful to let us know that Judas was stealing money from the "moneybag," the shared money that Jesus and his disciples had to live. Remember, they were traveling from town to town without a home of their own. So this money was being used to pay for things like food and shelter along the way.

When did the disciples learn about his stealing? We don't know. Perhaps they were aware of it along the way, but were hoping Jesus would confront him about it. Perhaps they found out after the fact. Jesus surely knew about it, but in his wisdom he chose not to intervene. 

Jesus Says Mary Is Preparing Him for Burial (John 12:7-8)

For a while, the Jewish leaders had planned to kill Jesus for the things he was saying, and Jesus was predicting his death to his disciples frequently. Given how much time Jesus spent with Mary, Martha and Lazarus, it isn't hard to believe that Mary had a sense that things were coming to a climax.

Spices and oils were used to embalm the bodies of the dead in preparation for burial. See Luke 24:1-2
The practice of anointing with oil was used in the Old Testament as well, for various purposes. See Exodus 30:22-38 for the instructions Moses was given on Mt Sinai.

What Happened Next (John 12:9-12)

Word got around that Jesus was back in Bethany after the amazing miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead and a large crowd gathered at the house. The Jewish leaders of the day were getting increasingly concerned about Jesus, so this event really kicked into high gear their preparations to put him to death. 

They also wanted to put Lazarus to death because so many Jews were coming to faith in Jesus because of his testimony. This is just a bit amusing, though. Jesus raised him from the dead once - couldn't he do it again if he wanted to?!

We see in the Mark version of this story (see Mark 14:10-11) that immediately after Mary anointed Jesus with perfume, Judas left to make his plans with the Jewish leaders to betray Jesus. 

The next day, Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday.

Questions About Mary Anointing Jesus

This story is the subject of considerable debate and confusion. We've sought to answer some common questions below.

Which Mary Anointed Jesus?

Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus anointed Jesus, not Mary Magdalene. There are many Marys in the gospels, but John is clear about which Mary it is by identifying the town and her siblings.

Did Mary Pour the Perfume on Jesus’ Head or His Feet?

Both. John says that Mary poured the perfume, or oil, on Jesus' feet. Matthew and Mark say she broke an alabaster jar and poured it on his head. Both can be true. She poured the oil on his hair and it ran down to his feet. Perhaps John wanted to capture the similarities between what Mary did for Jesus and what Jesus turned around and did for the disciples when he washed their feet? 

Was Jesus Anointed Twice? (Luke 7 vs. John 12)

According to most chronologies, this event occurs just before Holy Week (which begins on the Sunday before the Crucifixion with the Triumphal Entry). We include it here in the "Preparing for the Crucifixion" section as Jesus clearly points to his impending death and burial within the story.

All four gospels record an event where Jesus was anointed with costly oil by a woman. The question is whether it is one event told in all four gospels, or whether there were two different events, one recorded in Matthew, Mark, and John and a separate event recorded in Luke. 

The story in Luke 7:36-50, however records different people involved. It is an unnamed "sinful woman" at a different person's home (Simon the Pharisee). We focus on the John account in telling this story.