John 12:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

NIV: You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.'

NASB: For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.'

CSB: For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

NLT: You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.'

KJV: For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

NKJV: For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

This is the second part of Jesus' defense of Mary, sister of Lazarus. She was criticized by Judas for "wasting" precious oil anointing Jesus, rather than selling it and giving the money to the poor (John 12:1–4). The truth is that Judas was bitter to see a chance at theft slip through his fingers (John 12:5–6). Jesus began His response by noting that Mary's actions relate to His impending death and burial. Though Mary was a student of Jesus (Luke 10:38–42), it's hard to know just how well she understood what was about to happen. Knowingly or not, this was her chance to anoint Jesus body, since she won't be present when the other women approach the tomb after His death (Mark 16:1).

Here, Jesus makes a remark about the poor which can be grossly misunderstood if taken out of context. Judas' complaint was a clever deception because it contained an element of truth. Logically, Mary could have sacrificed her oil for the poor, instead of an anointing. However, the opportunity to honor Jesus was unique—it was the last chance she would have for that act of worship. The symbolism and lesson contained in that act is one that has been preserved in God's own Word (Mark 14:6–11).

Jesus' comment is not, at all, meant to brush aside the idea of caring for those who are poor. Suggesting otherwise means ignoring everything else the Bible says about service, sacrifice, charity, and love (Matthew 5:16; James 1:27). Rather, the point is about the uniqueness of this moment. Seven days from the evening described here, there will still be opportunities to feed the poor of Jerusalem; but Jesus will not be there anymore. Mary isn't "wasting" money on something she could have done at any time or any place. She was inspired to take advantage of a irreplaceable moment in time—and for that, she deserved respect, not derision.

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.