Bible in a Year - Women’s Thematic Reading Plan | Day 78

Day 78 of the Women’s Bible Plan: Read John 12:1-8 and reflect on Mary, who anointed the feet of Jesus with very costly ointment of spikenard. Through her act of worship, this devotional helps women learn what it means to love the Lord deeply and offer Him what is precious. 

🌸  Dear Sister, welcome to Day 78 of our reading journey. 

Some love is quiet, yet deeply powerful. Some worship does not need many words, yet carries the weight of full surrender. A person who truly loves the Lord does not only say, “Lord, I love You,” but also shows through action that He is worthy of what is most precious.

In John Chapter 12, Jesus comes to Bethany. There we see His beloved friends: Martha serving, Lazarus sitting at the table with Him, and Mary taking a pound of very costly ointment of spikenard to anoint the feet of Jesus. Then she wipes His feet with her hair, and the house is filled with the fragrance of the ointment.

This scene is beautiful and deeply moving. Mary does not stand before the crowd to give a speech, nor does she explain many spiritual truths. She simply pours out what is costly upon the Lord. Her love is not what remains after careful calculation. It is wholehearted, unreserved, and fragrant before Jesus.

A Minute of Grace

John 12:1-8 takes place six days before the passover. Jesus comes to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom He had raised from the dead. A supper is made for Him there; Martha serves, and Lazarus is one of those who sit at the table with Him.

In the middle of this supper, Mary takes a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anoints the feet of Jesus. She then wipes His feet with her hair, and the house is filled with the fragrance of the ointment. This act is more than an emotional expression. It is deep worship. The ointment was extremely valuable and may have represented nearly a year’s wages. For Mary, this was not something small or casual. It was precious.

Judas criticizes her, asking why the ointment was not sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor. On the surface, his words sound reasonable. But Scripture reveals that he did not say this because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the bag. Sometimes human calculation can wear spiritual language, but the Lord sees the true motives of the heart.

Jesus speaks in Mary’s defense: “Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.” Mary may not have fully understood all that was about to happen in Jesus’ death, but her act of love was received by the Lord and given a deeper meaning by Him. Before His suffering, she anointed Him, almost as if preparing His body for burial.

From the perspective of “Women in the Bible,” Mary’s life is especially tender and beautiful. She had once sat at Jesus’ feet to hear His word. She had also come weeping to Him after the death of Lazarus. Now again, she is at His feet, offering costly ointment. Again and again, Mary appears near the feet of Jesus: listening, grieving, worshiping, and giving. She shows us that loving the Lord is not a passing emotion, but a heart that keeps drawing near to Him, knowing Him, treasuring Him, and offering itself to Him.

Today’s theme, “Mary: Anointing Jesus,” invites us to reflect: Are we willing to offer the Lord what is precious? That precious thing may not be ointment. It may be our time, gifts, money, dreams, comfort, security, praise from others, or something we have held tightly for a long time. True worship is not giving God what we no longer need. It is acknowledging that the Lord is worthy of our best.

Whispers for the Heart

1 Mary offered very costly ointment of spikenard to Jesus. What is most “costly” in your life? Is it your time, energy, money, gifts, dreams, relationships, sense of security, or approval from others? Are you willing to ask the Lord, “Is there anything I have been holding back that You are worthy to receive?”

2 Judas criticized Mary under the appearance of concern for the poor, but his heart was not sincere. Have you ever been afraid to love, worship, serve, or give wholeheartedly because of how others might judge you? When people do not understand your offering, are you still willing to keep your eyes on Jesus?

3 When Mary poured out the ointment, the house was filled with its fragrance. Does your love for the Lord also bring the fragrance of Christ into your home, church, workplace, and relationships? What is one concrete way you can let others experience more of the Lord’s love through your worship and obedience today?

As you read John 12:1-8 today, do not only notice a jar of ointment. Notice a heart that loves the Lord. Do not only notice the criticism of others. Notice how Jesus Himself defends Mary. May Mary’s story remind us that love offered to the Lord may seem too much in the eyes of people, but it is beautiful in His sight.

Take a quiet breath before you begin. Bring before the Lord what is most precious, most difficult to release, and most carefully guarded in your heart, and let His Word meet you there.

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John 12:1-8 (KJV) 

12 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

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.

4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,

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

6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.

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

💡 Closing Thought · Love for the Lord Is Not Wasted 

After reading John 12:1-8, we see Mary pouring very costly ointment at the feet of Jesus. Some considered it wasteful, but Jesus received her love and spoke in her defense. True offerings of love to the Lord may appear excessive, foolish, or impractical to the world; but in the Lord’s eyes, everything given out of love has eternal value.

As we close this page and return to real life, the Lord may not ask you to bring a jar of ointment today. But He may invite you to offer a portion of your time, a gift, a decision, an act of obedience, a softened heart, or something you have long been reluctant to surrender. Remember this: what is precious when offered to the Lord is never wasted, and the fragrance of love for Him does not disappear.

May today’s Scripture remind you that the Lord is worthy of your best. May you not be bound by people’s opinions or limited by your own calculations, but worship Him in ordinary days with sincere, willing, and costly love. May your life, like that house filled with fragrance, carry the sweet savour of Christ because you love Him.

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