Section 12:1–8

Mary anointed Jesus

This section describes what happened at a dinner party in Bethany at the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. Mary anointed (poured perfume/oil on) Jesus’ feet. Judas thought that she wasted something very valuable, but Jesus said that it was for his burial. Here are some other possible titles for this section:

Jesus was anointed in Bethany
-or-
Mary anointed Jesus for his burial

Paragraph 12:1–3

This paragraph tells how Mary anointed Jesus with perfume. She did this to honor him and show that she was devoted to him. Jesus had raised her brother Lazarus to life.

12:1a

Six days before the Passover: This phrase indicates the time of the next event in the narrative. See 11:55a. In some languages it may be natural to translate it as a separate sentence:

It was six days before the Passover feast.
-or-
In six days ⌊the Jews⌋ would celebrate the Passover.

Passover: This is the name of a Jewish festival. It reminds the Jews of the time when they were slaves in Egypt. God went to kill the first-born sons of the Egyptians so that they would allow the Jews to leave Egypt. The term Passover refers to the fact that God passed over (did not enter) the houses of the Jews. That means that he did not harm their sons. See the note at 2:13a for more details.

See how you translated this word in 2:13a, 11:55a, Mark 14:1, and Matthew 26:2.

Jesus came to Bethany: Jesus returned to Bethany, where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived.

Bethany: Bethany is the name of a village near Jerusalem. See how you referred to it in 11:1. In some languages it is natural to say:

the village of Bethany
-or-
the village called Bethany

12:1b

the hometown of Lazarus: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the hometown of Lazarus is more literally “where Lazarus was.” This phrase reminds the readers of the importance of Bethany, where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. See chapter 11 for more details. This was the village where Lazarus and his sisters lived. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

where Lazarus lived (New Century Version)

whom He had raised from the dead: This clause identifies Lazarus for the readers. He had died, and Jesus had caused him to live again (11:44). In some languages it is more natural to use a separate sentence. For example:

This was the man whom he had raised from the dead.

This is background information. Indicate this in a way that is natural in your language. One way to do that is to place this clause in a separate sentence in parentheses. For example:

(Lazarus is the man Jesus raised from the dead.) (New Century Version)

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