John 12:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"

NIV: "Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages. "

NASB: Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the proceeds given to poor people?'

CSB: "Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"

NLT: That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.'

KJV: Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

NKJV: “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”

One denarius was the typical daily wage of a laborer. Three hundred denarii was nearly a year's pay. Women, in that era, were not generally allowed to own property or land—and Lazarus' sister, Mary, has just poured perfumed oil worth about that much money on Jesus in an act of worship (John 12:1–3). This is a monumental sacrifice, probably representing her life savings, or something close to it. Thanks in part to the potent aroma, everyone in the building becomes aware of what has happened.

Judas, one of Jesus' disciples and His eventual betrayer (John 12:4), now pipes up to complain. According to other accounts, this criticism is echoed by others (Mark 14:3–11). On the surface, there is a certain logic to his response: do something useful, like helping the poor, rather than wasting resources on luxury. To be fair, many who nod along with Judas' criticism are doing so out of sincere concern.

This critique is actually a manipulative lie. Judas has no interest in the poor, but he knows how to disguise his real intentions. Judas is the disciples' treasurer, and the more money he controls, the more he can steal (John 12:6). Of course, this is not something the other disciples will learn until after Jesus has been arrested and Judas' lies are found out.

John 12:1–8 describes a dinner held at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Jesus has recently raised Lazarus from the dead, in a spectacularly public miracle. As a result, the religious leaders of Jerusalem have banded together to have Him killed. In this scene, Mary sacrifices an extremely expensive container of oil in order to anoint Jesus. Judas objects to this, dishonestly claiming that his concern is for the poor which the ointment's value could have supported. This is similar to an event related in Mark chapter 14, but not the same as the one recorded in Luke chapter 7.

Jesus is treated to an honorary dinner at the home of Lazarus, whom He has recently raised from death. At this dinner, Lazarus' sister, Mary, anoints Jesus with expensive oil. Jesus then enters Jerusalem to great fanfare, stoking fears that His popularity will attract the anger of the Roman Empire. That anger even inspires a murder plot against Lazarus. After being approached by non-Jewish seekers, Jesus offers a final plea for people to understand His ministry. In effect, these are the last public words spoken by Jesus in the gospel of John.

In the prior chapter, Jesus spectacularly raised Lazarus from death in front of a crowd of witnesses. This inspired local religious leaders to commit to having Him killed. Here, after a celebratory dinner where Jesus is anointed with oil, He will fulfill prophecy by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, celebrated with shouts of ''Hosanna'' and a massive crowd. This leads to a group of curious non-Jews approaching Him. Christ then offers a final plea for belief in Him and His message. After this, His ministry will turn to preparing the disciples for His impending death and resurrection. The next several chapters of the gospel of John are almost entirely made up of his teachings to these men.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.