John 12:1-11
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- Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary & sermons.
- Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
- The Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto.
- XXXIX.1-2, 4-11, 15; Tatian's Diatessaron (c. 150-160).
- II.XXII.3, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
- XI.9, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Origen. (c.247)
- From Augustine's Tractates on John: Tractate 50 (12:1-12).
- From the
Geneva Notes.
- "A horrible example in Judas of a mind blinded with covetousness, and yet pretending godliness."
- From
Matthew
Henry's Commentary.
- "Mary gave a token of love to Christ, who had given real tokens of his love to her and her family. God's Anointed should be our Anointed."
- From
Wesley's Notes.
- "It seems Martha was a person of some figure, from the great respect which was paid to her and her sister, in visits and condolences on Lazarus's death, as well as from the costly ointment mentioned in the next verse. And probably it was at their house our Lord and his disciples lodged, when he returned from Jerusalem to Bethany, every evening of the last week of his life, upon which he was now entered."
- From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
- "The only use of [nard] was to refresh and exhilarate--a grateful compliment in the East, amidst the closeness of a heated atmosphere, with many guests at a feast. Such was the form in which Mary's love to Christ, at so much cost to herself, poured itself out."
- From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
- Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
- Mary Anoints Jesus, audio telling, story in episodes, graphic, audio and written commentaries. Go Tell Communications, Biblical Storytelling for the Global Village, 2013.
-
Commentary,
John 12:1-8 (Lent 5C), Matt Skinner, Preaching This Week,
WorkingPreacher.org, 2010.
- "Extravagance. Pleasure. Effusiveness. Exuberance. These aren't ideas that we usually associate with Lent and the overture to Jesus' passion."
- Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
-
"First
Thoughts on Year C Gospel Passages in the Lectionary,"
Lent 5,
William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
- "The unlikely ones in Mark and John?s world, the women, become the models. This is deliberately subversive and reflects so much of the experience of Jesus? ministry. Others were so good, so devout, and so busy being so, that they missed the point."
-
"Are We Having Fun Yet?"
Mary Hinkle, Pilgrim Preaching:
Keeping Company with Biblical Texts and the People Who Hear and Preach Them.
- "The best dancing is done on the devil's dance floor. Perfect love casts out fear. It does so by offering a security that all the carefulness in the world cannot match."
- Exegetical
Notes by Brian Stoffregen at CrossMarks
Christian Resources.
- "If Mary is the model disciple, then Judas is presented as her contrast. Mary is generous. If the ointment were worth 300 denarii, that is roughly equivalent to a year's salary. (1 denarius was about one day's pay.) Judas is greedy -- taking what doesn't even belong to him. Mary illustrates her faith with actions. Judas talks piously -- "giving to the poor" -- but we know that he is not sincere. Both "prepare" Jesus for burial -- she by the "anointing" and he by the betrayal."
-
"There's no soul in safety, only shadows," Peter Woods, I Am
Listening, 2010.
- "Is it not true that only when we have been helped by God, that we begin to understand how to live extravagantly in honouring Christ wherever we may find him?"
-
First
Look: John 12:1-8, Lee Koontz, reflectious, 2010.
- "Jesus? response to Judas is oftentimes used to minimize the importance of the Christian obligation to care for the poor and needy. It is very important to note that Jesus? response is a quotation from Deuteronomy 15:11, the entirety of which reads, 'Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ?Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.?' Rather than minimize one?s obligation to care for the poor, Jesus here quotes a verse which explicitly commands it."
-
Holy Textures, Understanding the Bible in its own time and in ours,
John 12:1-8, David Ewart, 2010.
- "In this passage, John has Mary portray the shocking intimacy of loyalty, trust, and bonding with Jesus that over-rides cultural norms; and contrasts that with the disloyalty and dishonesty of Judas."
-
Lectionary Blogging, John Petty, Progressive Involvement,
2010.
- "The meaning seems to be that Mary "has kept" the ointment until this moment so that she might use it to anoint Jesus. It would not make a lot of sense for the phrase to mean keeping the ointment for later embalming because she has already used it up."
-
"Anointing at Bethany and Washing of Jesus' Feet," Gospel Analysis, Sermons from
Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle,
Washington. Detailed background and exegesis.
- "Have you ever seen or experienced someone physically caring for a loved one in preparation for that dying person's death? Please describe that experience."
-
Kairos CoMotion Lectionary Discussion,
John 12:1-8, Wesley White. "A place of
conversation regarding Progressive Christianity."
- "If we can associate Jesus with the outcasts, a question for Mary is whom should we be anointing today? Might it be the poor and would that, after all these years, reconcile Mary and Judas?"
- Laterally Luke, by Brian McGowan, Anglican priest in Western Australia.
- "Mary, Sister of Martha & Lazarus," Sarah M. Foulger, Stirred by the Light - Voices of Lent.
-
"Mary
Anoints Jesus for His Burial," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible
Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources.
- "Christian fellowship can promote very close male/female relationships. How do we maintain integrity in these relationships?"
-
"The Woman Who
Loved Just Right,"
Expository Essay,
John 12:1-8, Dr. William R. Long.
Part 2.
- "Mary has demonstrated that she knows what is supremely important in life--to give of her best, with all her heart, in an action of selfless giving, to her Lord."
-
"The
House Was Filled with the Fragrance of Her Perfume,"
Jerry Goebel, One
Family Outreach. "Focus on scripture from a justice perspective." Exegesis, study, and teen study
and activities.
- "What once was an oasis for Jesus, that helped comfort him so he could go forward, was now an oasis in John?s memory that helped him deal with the rigors of his trials."
-
"Gospel Sound Track,"
Thomas G. Long, The Christian Century, 2001.
Religion Online.
- "John is convinced that life is double-plotted, that ordinary events unfold around us but that hidden among all the mundane props are signs of the eternal ."
- "And
the Fragrance Filled the House," exegetical notes by Peter L.
Haynes.
- "Of course, 300 denarii have their own aroma, for good or for ill. However, the real fragrance beginning to waft through the room is from the impending crucifixion of Jesus, of which his disciples have caught only a faint sniff."
-
Commentary by Hall
Harris at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
- "In the later rabbinic literature, Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7.1.1 states "The fragrance of good oil is diffused from the bedroom to the dining hall, but a good name is diffused from one end of the world to the other." If such a saying were known in the first century, this might be John's way of indicating that Mary's act of devotion would be spoken of throughout the entire world (compare Mark 14:9)."
- Lectionary
Commentary and Preaching Paths (Lent C5), by Jirair Tashjian, at The
Christian Resource Institute.
- "One of the theological issues raised in this passage is the interplay between the evil scheming going on behind the scenes to bring about the death of Jesus and the divine purpose working out in history. In the midst of the ugliness and hostility plotted against Jesus by the powers that be, common folk like Mary and Martha (women at that!) show hospitality to Jesus and recognize in him the Messiah."
- Articles & Background:
-
- "When taxes were so high, life for peasants was at best ?subsistant,? i.e., they had only several months of food stored. The wolf was always at the door. And there was no unemployment insurance, no social security, no medicare. The state took the surplus of peasants and gave them nothing in return."
- "Judas' Red Hair and the Jews," by Ruth Mellinkoff, at Jewish Heritage Online Magazine's Topic of the Month: Colors. Mellinkoff explores artistic representations of Judas and antipathy toward red hair.
-
"Moses / Jesus / Women: Does the New Testament Offer a Feminist Message?"
Esther Fuchs, Cross Currents, 1999.
-
-
- Recommended articles
from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are
linked below.
ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of
selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.
- Bruns, J. Edgar,
"A Note on John 12:3," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1966.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Coakley, J.F.,
"The Anointing at Bethany and the Priority of John," Journal of
Biblical Literature, 1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Eslinger, Lyle,
"Judas Game: The Biology of Combat in the Gospel of John," Journal
for the Study of the New Testament, 2000.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Holst, Robert,
"The One Anointing of Jesus: Another Application of the Form-Critical
Method," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1976.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Legault, André, C.S.C.,
"An Application of the Form-Critique Method to the Annointings in Galilee
and Bethany," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1954.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Long, Thomas G.,
"Gospel Sound Track," The Christian Century, 2001.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Michaels, J. Ramsey,
"Expository Article: John 12:1-11," Interpretation, 1989.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Simmons, Elizabeth McGregor,
"The Sense of Text: An Invitation to Lenten Preaching," Journal for
Preachers, 2004.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Ross, J.M.,
"Some Unnoticed Points in the Text of the New Testament," Novum
Testamentum, 1983. (Section on John 12:1 begins on page 67.)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Sanders, Beth, "Heaven Scent," The Christian
Century, 2007.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Satoko, Yamaguchi,
"Christianity and Women in Japan," Japanese Journal of Religious
Studies, 2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Songer, Harold S.,
"John 5-12: Opposition to the Giving of True Life," Review &
Expositor, 1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Bruns, J. Edgar,
"A Note on John 12:3," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1966.
- Reviews:
- Review: Jane S. Webster, Ingesting Jesus: Eating and Drinking in the Gospel of John. Society of Biblical Literature, 2003. Review by francis J. Moloney in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2004.
- Sermons:
- "The Prophet Mary," the Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor, Day 1, 2010.
- Sample Sermon on John 12:1-8, Kate Huey, SAMUEL, UCC, 2010.
- "Passionate Extravagance," the Rev. Robert Hayman, 2007.
- "Mary's Extravagant Love," Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson, Grace Lutheran Church, Medicine Hat, Alberta.
- "Expensive Oil for His Feet," Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington.
- "In the Thick of Deceit," John Jewell, 1998.
- With Children:
- "Anointing by Mary," Fr. Max Bowers, Kid's Church.
- "Mary Puts Lotion on Jesus' Feet," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
- Drama:
- "World's Best Gift," Cherry Grove Baptist Church, dramatix.
- "The Most Expensive Perfume," from A Certain Jesus by Jose Ignacio and Maria Lopez Vigil. Ideal for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today's gospel. Claretian Publications.
- Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Clip Art Images: John 12:1-8, John 12:1-8 #2, Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú.
- John 12:1-8 at Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration. Liberation emphasis.
- Images for this week's readings, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
- Clip Art: Jesus Anointed at Bethany, Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld woodcuts, World Mission Collection, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
- Hymns and Music:
- Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
- "When Mary Poured a Rich Perfume," original hymn by Carolyn Winfrey Gilette, based on John 12:1-9, tune: ELLACOMBE CMD. Bread for the World.
- Hymns with Scripture Allusions: John 12:3, 4. The Cyber Hymnal.
- Hymn selections (United Methodist) and more from Hymnsite.com.
- Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
- Study pages for Gospel Parallels:
- Study Links and Resources for the Book of John
