John 12:3

Wells of Living Water Commentary - John 12:1-11

Mary Anointing Her Lord John 12:1-11 INTRODUCTORY WORDS We are now coming to the close of the life of our Master presenting the third of three Bible scenes centering around Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. It is the story of Mary breaking the alabaster box upon the feet of her Lord. The first verse says, "Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom He raised from the dead." We wish, by way of introduction, to briefly state the events of the... read more

James Nisbet

James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary - John 12:3

AN OFFERING OF LOVE‘Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.’John 12:3What Mary brought was not a poet’s song, or a conqueror’s crown, or some great achievement of genius, but an offering of love, and the fragrance of it has floated down the ages as Christ said it should, for it is one of the most lovely deeds that have been recorded in the pages of... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - John 12:1-8

Jesus Is Anointed (John 12:1-8 ). This incident is significant in that it is unintentionally prophetic. By her action in anointing Jesus, Mary is intending to proclaim her gratitude and love, but what she does not know, although the readers are intended to recognise it, is that she is anointing Him both as Messiah and for His burial. read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - John 12:3

‘Mary therefore took a pound of very costly fragrant oil 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 aromatic oil.’ The fragrant oil was nard or spikenard, an import from North India which came from the roots (i.e. spikes, therefore "spikenard") of the nard plant. It was pure oil and therefore of a high quality as well as imported and consequently very expensive. Matthew and Mark point out that the liquid was... read more

Arthur Peake

Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible - John 12:1-8

John 12. The Final Scenes in the Public Manifestation. John 12:1-Ruth : . The Anointing.— The scene is the same as that recorded by Mt. and Mk. Luke 7:36-Philippians : represents a different incident, or at least a widely divergent tradition, from which, however, some details in Jn. may be borrowed. The date, six days before the Passover, may by different methods of calculation be identified with Nisan 8, 9, or 10. The last is the most probable. Apparently the author deliberately corrects... read more

Matthew Poole

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible - John 12:3-8

Both Matthew and Mark relate this story with some different circumstances: see the notes upon those two places, where all the differing circumstances are considered and explained, and the parts of this history are more largely explained. read more

Joseph Exell

Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary - John 12:1-8

EXPLANATORY AND CRITICAL NOTESJohn 12:1. See Homiletic Note, p. 341.John 12:2. The Synoptists inform us that it was in the house of Simon the leper (Matthew 26:6; Mark 14:3). It has been suggested that Simon was a relative of the family of Lazarus, or that Martha was the wife of Simon. There is no ground for such conjectures. It seems more in accordance with verisimilitude that Simon and Lazarus, being both subjects of Jesus’ healing power, resolved to honour their Benefactor, and that the... read more

William Nicoll

Sermon Bible Commentary - John 12:3

John 12:3 Church Building and Church Decoration I. I only remember reading in the Old Testament of two collections being made, and both of these were for what we might call Church Building and Church Decoration. The one we shall find at the end of the Book of Exodus, and the other at the end of 1 Chronicles. To the glory of God and in grateful memory of all that God had done for them, were both the Tabernacle and the Temple erected, the freewill offering of a glad and thankful people. And God... read more

C.I. Scofield

Scofield's Reference Notes - John 12:3

Mary As Martha stands for service, and Lazarus for communion, so Mary shows us the worship of a grateful heart. Others before her had come to his feet to have their need met; she came to give Him His due. Though two of the evangelists record her act, John alone gives her name. feet of (See Scofield " :-") . read more

Chuck Smith

Chuck Smith Bible Commentary - John 12:1-50

Chapter 12Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he had raised from the dead. They made him a supper; and Martha served [typical of Martha]: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very expensive, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the aroma of the ointment ( John 12:1-3 ).Typical of Mary, worshipping;... read more