Mary anoints Jesus

Jesus often visited his friends Martha, Mary and Lazarus in Bethany. They all loved Jesus very much. A short while after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, Jesus visited Bethany again. He was on his way to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Simon, a man who had a skin disease, gave a special meal for Jesus. Lazarus was there, and Martha helped to serve the food. Mary had prepared a surprise for Jesus. She wanted to honour him. She took a jar of very expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus’ head. The house was filled with the sweet smell of the perfume. The disciples were upset. They felt that Mary had wasted money by pouring the perfume over Jesus’ head. Judas Iscariot was especially angry. He said, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold? Why wasn’t the money given to poor people? It was worth a year’s pay.” But he didn’t really care about the poor. He was a thief. He wanted the money for himself. “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “She did it because she loves me. She also knows that I won’t always be here. The perfume is meant for the day when I am buried. That day is coming soon. And in the future, when my followers tell other people about me, they will also tell them how Mary poured perfume on my head. People will always remember her beautiful gift to me.”

Meanwhile, a large crowd gathered outside the house. They came to listen to Jesus and also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. This made the chief priests angry. They didn’t want people to follow Jesus. They were so angry that they made plans to have Jesus arrested and killed. They decided that they would kill Lazarus as well. Judas went to the chief priests. He was willing to tell them where Jesus was so that they could arrest him. They were pleased and promised to pay him well if he betrayed Jesus. Many people believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the one chosen by God to be their king. They also thought that he would make the Jews a free and independent nation again. These people were excited because they thought it would happen during the Passover feast. Matthew 26:6–13 Mark 14:3–9 John 12:1–8