Find John 12 with me.
Worship is the one activity believers will do for all of eternity. Worship offers us these incredible benefits of peace and joy in our lives. Listen and learn from a story of incredible worship. As you listen, refuse to be Judas while embracing Mary. Oh, that there would be someone here who would emulate Mary’s worship!
Today’s Scripture
“Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus” (John 12:1-11).
Sermon Preview
1. A Family’s Love for Christ
2. A Woman’s Love for Jesus
3. A Thief’s Love for Himself
4. Our Savior’s Defense of Mary
1. A Family’s Love for Christ
“So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at the table” (John 12:2).
This is a dinner party, but it is so much more than a dinner party.
I will show you how all 3 siblings worship in a moment, but how do we get our arms around this story?
Let’s dig into a beautiful act of worship, shall we?
1.1 Celebration Dinner
This was a celebration dinner to honor Jesus. This is not just an ordinary evening meal among friends. They had a thank-you dinner to honor Jesus because He raised Lazarus from the grave after 4 days (verse 2). They focus on Jesus and His amazing power in raising Lazarus from the dead.
1.2 Simon the Leper
The Gospel of Mark and Matthew tell us they had this special dinner at Simon, the leper’s house (Mark 14:3). Some have wondered if Simon was the father of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, but this is only speculation. There’s a lot we don’t know about Simon, but we do know one thing we do know about this man Simon: he contracted the deadly debilitating disease known as leprosy. And Simon miraculously had been healed by the master. Picture the scene at the dinner table in your mind now. Simon would have been there telling everyone about how the scabs fell from his skin when Jesus healed him. Perhaps that’s where Lazarus might have stopped Simon to say, “You think that’s something, wait to hear what happened to me!” ?. There’s joy in the air, with great food being shared by all. Again, we know all this took place at Simon’s house. We also know this took place in Bethany, which was two miles from Jerusalem.
1.3 Palm Sunday
It’s likely Saturday evening, March 28, 33 AD, and after sundown when the dinner takes place if we understand verse 1 correctly.1 This would be at the conclusion of the Jewish Sabbath, so people observing the Jewish custom not to travel on Sabbath would begin gathering, as verse 9 tells us. Palm Sunday was the very next day (March 29, 33 AD). Palm Sunday is when Jesus enters Jerusalem on the back of a colt with people shouting, “Hosanna.”
The air was thick with excitement. The Passover crowds in Jerusalem would already begin to gather at this point. And the crowds were like a powder keg ready for a spark — filled to the brim with both messianic fervor and hatred of Roman rule.2 Listen as John tells us this story: Verse 1: “Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead” (John 12:1).
So, let’s make the connections together. Remember, the chief priests and the Pharisees had issued a warrant for His arrest (John 11:57). You might even call this what I understand law enforcement officials today call a “BOLO” or “Be on the lookout” for Jesus. Immediately, the next verse (12:1) says Jesus came back to the very town He had just left to go into hiding. Jesus is moving into danger, not away from it. This is the Passover when He will die.3
1.4 Who?
Remember that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are siblings and prominent characters in the gospels.
1.4.1 The Bravery of Friends
I should pause to note the bravery of Jesus’ friends here in light of verse 57: “Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him” (John 11:57).
To openly dine with Jesus when the religious cartel has ordered everyone to “rat” Jesus out and where He’s located is unusually brave.
1.4.2 All Who Are There
Mary is about to express her heart to Jesus in a lavish way as we will see. Martha is busy serving, and Lazarus quietly watches the one who gave him life. The Bible says Jesus and Lazarus are there at the dinner. Of course, there would be Jesus; He’s the guest of honor. You also have the disciples following Jesus. Lastly, outside, a crowd of people gather, who are just really interested in what happened with Lazarus and Jesus.
Dinners in this day and time were not so much sitting at a table but reclining at a table. Jesus would have laid on His side, facing the table, with His body and feet angling away from the table.4
Now, briefly look at all three siblings in turn.
1.4.3 Martha and the Meal
Martha is in her usual place organizing the meal and ensuring it’s well served. No doubt she had been up the night before, getting things ready so at the earliest dawn, she could fire the oven. All day, the aroma of a celebration meal had wafted through the rooms of the house. Nothing was too good for Jesus. Martha had used her best recipes, and she loved bringing course after course to Jesus and His men. They loved it, too.5 She was doing her thing, and everybody was happy.
1.4.4 Lazarus and the Table
Even Lazarus served the Lord in his own way. Yes, I am aware that the text says he did nothing more than recline at the table. But he was the star of the show alongside Jesus. He had been raised from the dead four days after his demise when decomposition would have taken place.
Never once does the Bible record a single word he spoke. Lazarus is a witness; yes, he’s a witness. All he has to do is sit there and eat, and he’s a witness because verse 9 says there’s a bunch of people that gathered just to see Lazarus. People ran up to him, staring at him wherever he went.
Don’t you imagine that Lazarus grew tired of the onlookers wanting to catch a glimpse of him? No doubt Lazarus would have loved his privacy away from prying eyes after being in the spotlight. How many times did he have to answer, “How do you feel?” How many times did he have to answer, “Did you really die for 4 days? What did you see while you were away?” Despite all this, Lazarus is front and center next to Jesus.
Today, celebrities often recuse themselves away from the public’s prying eyes, wishing to retire to a more private life. Lazarus’ presence was the best thing to convince onlookers that he was indeed alive and well.6
Remember, Jesus will eat fish in front of the Disciples to convince them: “And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them” (Luke 24:40-43).
Just as they stared at Jesus eating a meal after the first Easter, our friend Lazarus served the Lord while eating at the table for the skeptics.
1. A Family’s Love for Christ
2. A Woman’s Love for Jesus
“Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (John 12:3).
2.1 Mary and the Perfume
It’s only the Gospel of John names Mary as the one who pours perfume on Jesus. As the meal progressed and the familiar glow of contentment settled on the apostolic band, Mary left the room.
2.2 Prostitute Anoints Jesus
Mary had been influenced by an incident that had taken place earlier in Jesus’ ministry. In fact, the Gospel of Luke describes the whole scene. Sometime earlier, Jesus was reclining at the dinner table of a curious Pharisee. The Pharisee had not been considerate. He had not washed Jesus’ feet or anointed His head, and as they were reclining with their feet away from the table, in came a prostitute. She was clutching a vial, and as she came to Jesus, she was intending to anoint Jesus’ head. But she lost control and began to weep, and her tears fell on Jesus’ feet, which were all dusty, making quite a mess. The prostitute did not know what to do, so she used her hair to clean His feet.
As she cleaned His feet, she was again overcome with emotion. So, according to Luke 7:38, “and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.” Mary undoubtedly had this incident in the back of her mind. Mark carefully how one person’s worship inspires another, my believing friends. Mary thought, “I want to do the same thing for Jesus. I want him to know how much I love him.”
2.3 Mary Anoints Jesus
Hers was not an impetuous act but a calculated act.7 With this inspiration in mind, Mary knows what she needs to do. She breaks open an alabaster jar and silently approaches Jesus and, presumably, she kneels at His feet. She brings with her “a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard” (verse 3). The Roman pound would be around 11-12 ounces for us today.
2.4 The Perfume
This was no ordinary or generic perfume in the hands of Mary. She didn’t run down to the local store to get it. It was of the highest quality and normally possessed by only the well-to-do in the Mediterranean world.8 This nard would have come from Northern India and would have rose red and sweetly scented.9 Perhaps the whole family planned this moment. Perhaps they pooled their savings to buy this gift. Or perhaps it is a hugely valuable family heirloom that has been passed on for years, and now the time has come to pour it out.
2.5. Improper for a Woman
Mark this: everything Mary was doing was improper for Jewish women. The Bible says in verse 3: “anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.” She would normally use a towel, but Mary used her hair.
A Jewish lady would never unbind her hair in public. She was raising eyebrows because she’s likely single (no husband is mentioned), and only loose women would shake her hair loose like this in public. This was not a sexual act on Mary’s part, but it did powerfully communicate her devotion to the King of Kings. A servant would have washed Jesus’ feet with water, not a wealthy woman like Mary. In that dusty, hot culture, everybody wore sandals all day. At night, when you took the sandals off, it was really foul. It was considered unbelievably degrading to have to take somebody else’s sandals off. To take somebody else’s off was considered absolutely degrading. If you had servants, one of the rules was you could never make a Jewish servant take your sandals off. That would be too degrading to make a fellow countryman do. Rabbis were not allowed to ask their disciples to do this. It was beneath them.10
Dealing with people’s feet was such a lowly and disgusting task. So, when Mary goes to the feet of Jesus combined with wiping the perfume with her hair… … she’s going as low as she can go to tell everyone He’s as high as you could go.
Here’s what Mary is saying, “I don’t care what anybody thinks. I know who you are, and I know you deserve all my honor, and there is no act of devotion for you that is beneath my dignity. There is no act of devotion that I care what anybody else thinks about when I do it. I don’t care what anyone thinks. I know who you are, and I know I must honor you with everything I have.”11
Remember, my friends, that the Bible says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.” The Bible says the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Mary has taken the most precious possession she owns, and she’s poured it on Jesus’ feet.
2.6 All the Siblings Served
Notice that both sisters had their own way of showing their love to Jesus. So, Martha’s role was to thank Jesus by seeing to the details of the dinner. And Mary’s role was to thank Jesus by pouring this expensive ointment out on Jesus. Even Lazarus gave testimony to the greatness of Jesus. In all these ways, they would express their wonder and joy and thanks for the greatness of Jesus and His grace and power to raise Lazarus from the dead.12 True believers do not always feel moved to serve the Lord in the same way. But true believers are always moved to serve the Lord in some way.
1. A Family’s Love for Christ
2. A Woman’s Love for Jesus
3. A Thief’s Love for Himself
“But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’” (John 12:4-5).
3.1 A Critic’s Question
You know these are the first recorded words of Judas in the Bible? His first recorded words were a complaint. Like a gopher popping out of his hole, Judas pokes his head up to complain. “It’s just too expensive,” says the Betrayer. “The money could have been better used to share with those in need.” Don’t you love it when someone piously stands up to say, “I care for the poor, unlike the rest of you ungrateful reprobates.”
Again, Judas says, “The money could have been better used to share with those in need.” But would it? Would it really? Had she had a pound in her possession but only given half a pound, would she really have been better served? Would Mary feel better holding back half of the fragrant perfume when she watched Jesus crucified just a few days later?
If you give half of your heart to Christ, are you better served by keeping some back for yourself? If you were to give half your mind to Christ… If you were to give half your abilities to Christ, would you be better served? Are half of your abilities, half of your mind, or half of your heart a worthy gift for the Savior? Isn’t the highest way of living to live fully for Christ? I think we’d be much better served not to listen to greedy, stealing Judas at this point. Surely, the smell of the fragrant perfume all over the house was a beautiful memory for everyone involved. Surely, Mary thought to herself, “As horribly as he’s being treated, it gives me comfort to know how much He meant to me. I’m so glad I proudly ‘wasted’ all of it on Him.”
3.2 A Year’s Wages
Out of his greed, Judas eventually sold Christ for thirty pieces of silver, an amount probably equal to 120 denarii. Mary gave Jesus an offering worth two-and-a-half times that amount. The minimum wage is $7.25 currently, but what experts call the living wage is around $15.75 per hour here in Fort Worth. A livable wage in Fort Worth is estimated to be $15.75 per hour for a single adult with no children. This means that a worker would need to earn $32,500 per year to afford basic necessities such as housing, food, transportation, and healthcare.13 Whether it’s the living wage or the minimum wage, can you imagine spending between $15,000 to $32,500 on perfume? And can you imagine pouring it out in just one setting?
3.3 What Did Martha Think?
Matthew, Mark, or John don’t tell us what Martha must have done when she smelled the perfume from the next room over. You know, she would have been in the other room, and she would have smelled it. She would have said, “Mary! What have you done?” Mary doesn’t care what Martha thinks.
3.4 Judas
I’ll spend just a moment on Judas. John, who not only authored the gospel of John but was also one of the twelve roaming around with Jesus and Judas for more than three years, offers two significant comments about Judas.
John knew Judas well. First, John said he would betray Jesus at the end of verse 4. Judas’ name is synonymous with treachery to this day. Can you think of anyone who names their child Judas? “Here’s my son, Judas.” Second, John says Judas is a thief in verse 6. As keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
3.4 Contrast Mary and Judas
Think about Mary and Judas for a moment. Think about their contrasting styles and the way they view money. John teaches us something by bringing these two so close together. You’re either going to sell out for Jesus or attempt to sell Jesus out. You’re either going to sell out for Jesus as Mary did. Or, you’ll attempt to sell Jesus out as Judas did.
With Jesus, there are only two options: either you attempt to use Jesus (as Judas did) or you make yourself useful to Jesus.
3.5 Masters in Life
You’re going to have a master in this life. Money, pleasure, the approval of others, or addictions. The question isn’t whether we serve a master—it’s which one we’ve chosen. Jesus is the only Master whose love brings you freedom. He’s the only Master whose commands bring you life. And He’s the only Master whose grace empowers us to live for your true purpose.
1. A Family’s Love for Christ
2. A Woman’s Love for Jesus
3. A Thief’s Love for Himself
4. Our Savior's Defense of Mary
“Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial’” (John 12:7). Jesus says, “Leave her alone. Bug off. Go away. Let it go, Judas.” Judas jumped to conclusions; Jesus jumped to defend Mary.
4.1 Three Reasons to Leave Mary Alone
Now, Jesus gives three reasons why Judas should leave Mary alone in verses 7 and 8: “Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me’” (John 12:7-8).
Let’s look at the reasons in this order:
1. Verse 8b: Leave her alone, because you do not always have Me with you.
It’s as if Mary gives the roses before the funeral instead of bringing them to the family afterward.
2. Verse 8a: Leave her alone, because the poor you always have with you.
“Judas, your heart is wrong here. You’re a thief. You’re not worried about the poor any more than a wolf is worried about a sheep. You stay away from Mary, Judas.” Jesus paraphrases Deuteronomy 15:11 here when He says in verse 8: “For the poor you always have with you.” It’s as if Jesus is saying to Judas, “We don’t want her to be your clone. If you really want to serve the poor, there’s nothing stopping you. You don’t love the poor. You don’t love me. You love you, and you love money, Judas.”
3. Verse 7: Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial.
Caiaphas predicted: “Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish” (John 11:50). Now, just as Caiaphas predicted Jesus’ death, now Mary is preparing Jesus for His death. Neither knew fully what they were saying or what they were doing.
4.2 Her Story Will Live Forever
John doesn’t include this really memorable statement Jesus says on this occasion: “Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her” (Matthew 26:13).
Jesus said, “You’ll never tell MY story without talking about HER. And you’ll never tell HER story without talking about ME.” Isn’t that something? Her worship was a lavish display of love. Mary’s act of worship is celebrated all over the world for thousands of years. Are you more Mary or are you more Judas?
EndNotes
1 Andreas J. Köstenberger, John, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), 358.
2 Andreas J. Köstenberger, Justin Taylor, and Alexander Stewart, The Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 27.
3 John Piper, “Leave Her Alone, Judas, This Is for My Burial,” Sermons from John Piper (2000–2014). (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2014).
4 Darrell L. Bock, Luke 1:1-9:50, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, ed Moises Silva (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), 694.
5 R. Kent Hughes, John: That You May Believe, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1999), 290.
6 C. H. Spurgeon, “Concentration and Diffusion,” The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons. (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1909), 55.
7 Hughes, 292-293.
8 Edward W. Klink III, John, ed. Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 525.
9 Köstenberger, John, 360-361.
10 Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of John: A Commentary & 2. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012), 448.
11 Timothy J. Keller, “Following Christ,” The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).
12 John Piper, “Leave Her Alone, Judas, This Is for My Burial,” Sermons from John Piper (2000–2014). (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2014).
13 https://www.workstream.us/wage-index/texas/fort-worth; accessed February 18, 2025.
