Lesson for September 7, 2025
The Book of John
Lesson 31
Chapter 12:1-18
Mary Anoints Jesus with Perfume
Verses 1-11
“Therefore, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they made Him a dinner there, and Martha was serving; and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who intended to betray Him, said, 5 ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the proceeds given to poor people?’ 6 Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he kept the money box, he used to steal from what was put into it. 7 Therefore Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. 8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.’ 9 The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not on account of Jesus only, but so that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.”
Mary was simply honoring Jesus as the Messiah, the Anointed One of Israel. Mary had a great love for Jesus, and this was her way of expressing it. She purchased one of the most valuable things in the ancient world in the time of the Roman Empire, “oil of spikenard,” a burial perfume. This is the most expensive of all of the things that can be used in burial. It was very expensive because it was very scarce. It was the result of the trade between the Roman Empire and India or China. Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii. The probable cost of this ointment was 300 denarii. A denarius was a day’s wages (Matthew 20:2) So, that means 300 days’ wages, almost a year’s wages. So, it was very costly.
But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who intended to betray Him, said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the proceeds given to poor people?’ Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he kept the money box, he used to steal from what was put into it. Judas Iscariot was an unbeliever, a thief, and a betrayer, who did not love Jesus. Judas didn’t care for the poor at all. Judas was out for Judas! As the treasurer, he was responsible for handling the money Jesus and the disciples were given to operate their ministry. As we see, Judas just wanted to steal money for himself.
In this story, we get a glimpse of the “real Judas.” The rebuke that Jesus gave him may have contributed to his betrayal. Jesus defended Mary from the bullying of Judas. Mary had done a right thing. What Mary did also showed that a person who has a capacity for love tends to be extravagant in the expression of their love. Judas was critical, because he wanted to steal the money. The disciples were also critical because they followed the wrong person, Judas. Here’s what Matthew 26:8 records to confirm the disciples’ attitude, “But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, ‘Why this waste? For this perfume could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.’”
Therefore, Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.’ Mary’s act of love foreshadowed the death of Christ on the Cross. Lazarus was now alive, and they were celebrating with Jesus, not realizing that this “death oil” was pointing to the Cross and the payment for sin that Jesus would make for them. Mary wiping the feet of Jesus with hair showed she was oriented to the grace of God and had a servant’s mentality. As the house was filled with the fragrance, it was a picture that God the Father would be satisfied with the death of Christ on the Cross. So, it anticipated the Doctrine of Propitiation.
The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not on account of Jesus only, but so that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead.But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus. Here we have a contrast between crowds of people wanting to see Jesus and Lazarus, and the religious Jews who wanted to kill them. Their motives were pure evil, wanting to eliminate the competition. People were flocking to Jesus, some to see the miracles and some to observe and listen. This infuriated the Jews, seeing their power and income potentially eroding. So, not only did they want to kill Jesus, but they also wanted to kill Lazarus, the ultimate demonstration of a miracle.
Jesus’s Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem
Verses 12-18
“On the next day, when the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 they took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord, indeed, the King of Israel!’ 14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 ‘Do not fear, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.’ 16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things for Him. 17 So the people who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. 18 For this reason also the people went to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see that you are not accomplishing anything; look, the world has gone after Him!’”
Remember, the Jews wanted Jewish nationalism, independence from the Roman Empire. Palms branches are symbolic of Christ as the Branch, a title of the Lord Jesus Christ found in Jeremiah 23:5-6 and Zechariah 3:8; 6:12,13. We find a crowd of people trying to use Jesus to further their own ends. Jesus Christ did not let people use Him in a power grab in the Roman Empire. He refused to be used by the mob. The adoration of Jesus by the mob was political! It was political expediency, rather than spiritual recognition.
Zechariah 9:9 is a prophecy of this event, “Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is righteous and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey,
even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
The fulfillment of this prophesy was significant because it demonstrated that Jesus came as a savior, even though He was a king. He was not riding on a horse, like a military conqueror, He was riding on a donkey! This fact that Jesus would come the first time to die on the Cross and pay the penalty for sin was missed. The Jews had been taught all their lives that when Messiah came, he would be a military leader. They completely overlooked the fact that there would be two “comings,” the Virgin Birth and the Second Coming. The Jewish theologians were blinded by Satan to this truth. Even the disciples did not fully understand what was going on until after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus.
So, the people who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. For this reason, also the people went to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. So, the Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see that you are not accomplishing anything; look, the world has gone after Him!’
Raising Lazarus from the dead was continuing to have long-reaching effects among the Jews and also on the Gentiles. Those who had seen Jesus raise Lazarus were spreading the news and spreading the Gospel, and many were believing in Jesus for salvation. Therefore, when the word got around that Jesus was coming to the Feast of Passover, a large group gathered to meet Him.
You see that you are not accomplishing anything; look, the world has gone after Him! The Pharisees are frustrated at this point. They knew that if they killed Jesus without having discredited Him, they were going to have a martyr. So they were trying to discredit Him and kill Him. This had proved to be a great problem for them. The crowd knew where Jesus was, but they are not taking any information to the Pharisees. They were instead rushing out of Jerusalem to seek Jesus on His trip from Bethany.
The crowd recognized Jesus Christ as the greatest power they had ever witnessed, and they want Him to become the King of the Jews. Therefore, they were going out with palm branches, and shouting verses from Psalm 118, simply because they were expecting Jesus Christ to take over and defeat the Romans.