"The perfume filled the house" - Mary anoints Jesus' feet
Introduction to reading Today’s reading is the story of Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus’ feet – it’s John chapter 12 verses 1-8. In Chapter 11 of John’s gospel – just before the reading we’re about to hear, the story is told of the raising of Lazarus. Surprisingly, perhaps, the earlier chapter introduces Lazarus, & his sisters Mary & Martha, and then says: (11.2) This Mary, whose brother Lazarus had fallen ill, was the woman who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. But the story of the anointing of Jesus is not told in Luke’s gospel until after the story of the raising of Lazarus. If someone was reading chapter 11 for the first time, they would find that the astonishing story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead is told using a reference to today’s amazing story – so amazing that the writer of the gospel could assume that people might know the story already. This is a famous story – there are v...