Mathew 12:6-13

GOD sees the heart of a person, not as the world sees them, but as He made them to be! 

He knew from the beginning of time just how Mary would honor Him.

The inhabitants of Bethany wished to express their thanks to Jesus, who by a glorious miracle had honored their obscure village. Lazarus was the guest of honor. Simon was a leper who evidently had been cleansed by Jesus. He may have been the father of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. The costly fragrant oil was a perfume extracted from pure nard. Mary poured the costly perfume on both the head and feet of Jesus. She could have opened the flask in such a way that it would have trickled out; instead, she broke the flask and poured out the oil to cover Jesus’ body. The perfumed ointment was placed on Jesus before His death; normally it would have been used after His death. Judas Iscariot said that this oil cost three hundred denarii. One denarius was a laborer’s wage for one day. Thus the oil cost approximately a year’s wages. The expensive oil points to the value of Jesus’ death and the high cost of devotion to Him. The New King James Study Bible

“In the act of love done to Him she had erected to herself an eternal monument, as lasting as the Gospel, the eternal word of God. From generation to generation this remarkable prophecy of the Lord has been fulfilled; and even we, in explaining this saying of the Redeemer, of necessity contribute to its accomplishment” [Olshausen]

Beautiful are the lessons here. Love to Christ transfigures the humblest services. All, indeed, who have themselves a heart value its least outgoings beyond the most costly mechanical performances; but how does it endear the Saviour to us to find Him endorsing the principle as His own standard in judging of character and deeds. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Matthew 26:6–13 (NKJV)

⁶ And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, ⁷ a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. ⁸ But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? ⁹ For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”

¹⁰ But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. ¹¹ For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. ¹² For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. ¹³ Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

John 12:2–8 (NKJV)

² There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. ³ Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

⁴ But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, ⁵ “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” ⁶ This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

⁷ But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. ⁸ For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”