MARY POURED IT ON JESUS’ FEET / JOHN 12:3

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) John 12:3

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.

The Fragrance of Wholehearted Devotion: Lessons from Mary’s Sacrifice

In John 12:3, we witness one of the most intimate and profound acts of worship recorded in the New Testament: Mary of Bethany takes a pound of expensive perfume, pours it on Jesus’ feet, and wipes them with her hair.

At first glance, it is a beautiful gesture. But when we look closer at the cultural context, Mary’s actions reveal a scandalous, breathtaking level of love, humility, and sacrifice that challenges how we follow Jesus today.

Three Ways Mary Shattered Expectations

Mary’s act of worship was unusual, counter-cultural, and deeply radical in three distinct ways:

• She broke tradition: In the ancient Near East, anointing oil or perfume was typically poured on a person’s head. By pouring it directly onto Jesus’ feet, Mary took the lowest possible position, demonstrating absolute humility.
• She surrendered her dignity: In first-century Jewish culture, a respectable woman would never let her hair down in public. Mary completely untied her hair to wipe Jesus’ feet. She cast aside societal expectations and personal reputation because she only cared about what Jesus thought of her.
• She gave her absolute best: The perfume she used was pure nard, valued at roughly a year’s wages. This wasn’t a surplus gift; it was likely her life savings or a precious family heirloom. It was a massive financial sacrifice.

A Short Window of Opportunity

Why did she do it? Perhaps Mary sensed what the disciples were still blind to—that Jesus’ time on earth was short. She realized that her window of opportunity to physically show her devotion to the Savior was rapidly closing, so she did everything she could, right then and there.

While others in the room criticized the “waste” of resources, Jesus graciously received her gift. He looked past the monetary value and saw the heart behind it. Mary’s faith and devotion represent the highest example of what God desires in His followers: a love that does not calculate the cost. Because of her selflessness, Jesus declared that her story would be told wherever the Gospel is preached.

Reflection for Today

Mary’s worship filled the entire house with the fragrance of the perfume. Today, we are invited to live lives that carry that same beautiful fragrance.

Are we willing to give Jesus our absolute best, even if others call it a waste? Are we willing to lay down our pride, our reputation, and our comfort to sit at His feet?

A Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the beautiful example of Mary of Bethany, who showed us what true, unreserved worship looks like. Forgive us for the times we have held back our best from You or cared too much about what the world thinks of our devotion.

Give us the courage to love You extravagantly. Teach us to sit at Your feet in humility, to surrender our pride, and to offer our resources, our time, and our lives as a sweet-smelling sacrifice to You. May our lives reflect Your goodness, and may the fragrance of our devotion draw others closer to Your grace.

In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

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Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

1. FOR THE SCATTERED CHILDREN OF GOD / JOHN 11:51-52
2. THE DEAD MAN CAME OUT / JOHN 11:44
3. JESUS WEPT / JOHN 11:35
4. DEEPLY MOVED IN SPIRIT / JOHN 11:33
5. I BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE THE CHRIST / JOHN 11:27
6. I AM THE RESURRECTION / JOHN 11:25-26
7. STAYED WHERE HE WAS TWO MORE DAYS / JOHN 11:6
8. JESUS LOVED MARTHA AND HER SISTER AND LAZARUS / JOHN 11:5
9. SICKNESS FOR GOD’S GLORY / JOHN 11:4
10. YOU ARE GODS? / JOHN 10:34
11. THEY SHALL NEVER PERISH / JOHN 10:28
12. MY SHEEP LISTEN TO MY VOICE / JOHN 10:27
13. I KNOW MY SHEEP / JOHN 10:14-15
14. I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD / JOHN 10:11
15. THE THIEF COMES … I HAVE COME / JOHN 10:10
16. I AM THE GATE / JOHN 10:9
17. JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD / JOHN 10:1
18. THOSE WHO SEE WILL BECOME BLIND / JOHN 9:39
19. THEY THREW HIM OUT / JOHN 9:34
20. WORK OF GOD MIGHT BE DISPLAYED / JOHN 9:3
21. BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS BORN, I AM / JOHN 8:58
22. WILL NEVER SEE DEATH / JOHN 8:51
23. HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF LIES / JOHN 8:44
24. IF GOD WERE YOUR FATHER / JOHN 8:42
25. YOU WILL BE FREE INDEED / JOHN 8:36
26. EVERYONE WHO SINS / JOHN 8:34
27. THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE / JOHN 8:32
28. IF YOU HOLD TO MY TEACHING / JOHN 8:31
29. I PASS JUDGMENT ON NO ONE / JOHN 8:15
30. I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD / JOHN 8:12
31. NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU / JOHN 8:11
32. IF ANY ONE OF YOU IS WITHOUT SIN / JOHN 8:7
33. JESUS HAD NOT YET BEEN GLORIFIED / JOHN 7:39
34. AS THE SCRIPTURE HAS SAID – STREAMS OF LIVING WATER / JOHN 7:38
35. GAIN HONOR FOR HIMSELF / JOHN 7:18
36. IF ANYONE CHOOSES TO DO GOD’S WILL / JOHN 7:17
37. IT HATES ME / JOHN 7:6-7
38. FEAST OF TABERNACLES / JOHN 7:2-3
39. JESUS HAD KNOWN FROM THE BEGINNING / JOHN 6:64
40. EATS MY FLESH AND DRINKS MY BLOOD / JOHN 6:54
41. THE FATHER … DRAWS HIM / JOHN 6:44
42. MY FATHER’S WILL / JOHN 6:40
43. I WILL NEVER DRIVE AWAY / JOHN 6:37
44. I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE / JOHN 6:35
45. DON’T BE AFRAID / JOHN 6:20
46. JESUS PRAYS ALONE / JOHN 6:15
47. THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND /JOHN 6:7
48. MIRACLES / JOHN 6:1-2
49. DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE WROTE / JOHN 5:47
50. ACCEPT PRAISE FROM ONE ANOTHER / JOHN 5:44
51. YOU DILIGENTLY STUDY / JOHN 5:39-40
52. YOU HAVE SENT JOHN / John 5:33
53. THOSE WHO HAVE DONE GOOD – RISE TO LIVE – THOSE WHO HAVE DONE EVIL / JOHN 5:29
54. HAS GRANTED THE SON TO HAVE LIFE IN HIMSELF / JOHN 5:26
55. HEARS … BELIEVES / JOHN 5:24
56. MAKING HIMSELF EQUAL WITH GOD / JOHN 5:18-24
57. PERSECUTED HIM / JOHN 5:16
58. STOP SINNING / JOHN 5:14
59. THE MAN WAS CURED / JOHN 5:9-10
60. THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS / JOHN 5:5
61. SIGNS AND WONDERS / JOHN 4:48
62. CROP FOR ETERNAL LIFE / JOHN 4:36
63. LOOK AT THE FIELDS / JOHN 4:35
64. SURPRISED TO FIND HIM TALKING WITH A WOMAN / JOHN 4:27
65. TRUTH / JOHN 4:24
66. WORSHIP … IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH / JOHN 4:23-24
67. SAMARITANS WORSHIP WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW / JOHN 4:22
68. WATER … ETERNAL LIFE / JOHN 4:14
69. SAMARITAN WOMAN / JOHN 4:7
70. WHOEVER REJECTS / JOHN 3:36
71. GIVES THE SPIRIT WITHOUT LIMIT / JOHN 3:34
72. LOVED DARKNESS INSTEAD OF LIGHT / JOHN 3:19
73. GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD /JOHN 3:16
74. JUST AS MOSES LIFTED UP THE SNAKE / JOHN 3:14-15
75. THE WIND … THE SPIRIT / JOHN 3:8
76. BORN OF WATER / JOHN 3:5
77. BORN AGAIN / JOHN 3:3
78. TEMPLE / JOHN 2:19
79. DROVE ALL FROM THE TEMPLE AREA / JOHN 2:15
80. SIGNS / JOHN 2:11
81. CHOICE WINE – HAD TOO MUCH TO DRINK / JOHN 2:10
82. WINE – THEY HAVE NO MORE WINE / JOHN 2:3
83. YOU SHALL SEE HEAVEN OPEN / JOHN 1:51
84. CEPHAS … PETER / JOHN 1:42
85. THE FIRST THING ANDREW DID / JOHN 1:41
86. THE TENTH HOUR /JOHN 1:39
87. WILL BAPTIZE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT / JOHN 1:33
88. LAMB OF GOD / JOHN 1:29
89. PHARISEES / JOHN 1:24
90. GRACE AND TRUTH / JOHN 1:17
91. THE WORD BECAME FLESH / JOHN 1:14
92. BORN NOT OF … HUMAN DECISION / JOHN 1:13
93. RECEIVED … BELIEVED / JOHN 1:12
94. THE WORLD DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM / JOHN 1:10
95. GIVES LIGHT TO EVERY MAN / JOHN 1:9
96. HIS NAME WAS JOHN / JOHN 1:6
97. LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS / JOHN 1:5
98. LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN / JOHN 1:4
99. WITH GOD IN THE BEGINNING / JOHN 1:2
100. THE WORD / JOHN 1:1
101. CREWS N AWAY: ANCHORED IN GRACE

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Blessings, Margarita & Stace