What was the name of the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume?

The Answer

Mary of Bethany poured a jar of expensive nard perfume on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair. When Judas criticized the extravagance, Jesus defended her, saying she had done a beautiful thing in preparation for His burial.

The perfume Mary poured was worth a year's wages. It was likely her most valuable possession — her security, her savings, her future. And she poured every drop on His feet without hesitation.

The room criticized her for wasting it. But Jesus called it beautiful. That is because worship that costs nothing means nothing. The gifts that move the heart of God are the ones that cost us something — our time, our comfort, our reputation, our carefully guarded resources.

What is your "jar of perfume"? The thing you hold tightly because it represents your security? Mary teaches us that nothing poured out for Jesus is ever wasted. The fragrance filled the entire house — and her act of devotion is still being told two thousand years later.