[2026. 5. 24.] Mary Who Poured Out the Perfume | John 12:1–11

[2026. 5. 24.] Mary Who Poured Out the Perfume | John 12:1–11

Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn (Hope of Heaven Baptist Chuch) 

 

2026. 5. 24. 주일예배 설교- 요한복음 강해 33
본문: 요한복음 12:1-11
제목: 향유를 부은 마리아

설교자: 손진국 목사 (하늘소망교회)

 

Jesus was in the village of Bethany where Lazarus lived, and a banquet was held in a house there. In Matthew and Mark, this banquet is described as taking place in “the house of Simon the leper.” Could people enter the house of a leper? A leper could not remain in such a place, and if anyone approached a place where a leper was present, the leper had to cry out, “Unclean, unclean, unclean,” to warn others not to come near because he was afflicted with leprosy. But the fact that Jesus and His disciples were invited and entered that place means that Simon, who had been a leper, must have been healed by Jesus, and out of gratitude he invited Jesus and His group.

Something astonishing happened there. Mary brought a pound of very expensive pure nard perfume, poured it on Jesus’ feet, and wiped His feet with her hair. People did not understand her action and thought it was wasteful. But Jesus praised Mary’s action.

The people who appear in today’s passage are Jesus, Mary, the disciples, and others. As we look at the people in today’s passage, I hope this becomes a time for us to reflect on ourselves and understand the heart and will of the Lord.

 

1. True devotion arises when we discover the worth of Jesus.

[Verse 3] Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

In the house of Simon the leper, where they had been invited, Mary brought very expensive perfume—pure nard—and poured it on Jesus’ feet, wiping His feet with her hair, and the fragrance filled the house.

The perfume Mary used was nard, extracted from the root of the “nard” plant that grows in the high mountains of the Himalayas at elevations above 3,000 meters. It was an extremely precious ancient perfume imported from India, and at the time of Jesus, one pound (about 300g) cost about 300 denarii—the equivalent of a laborer’s annual wage.

Especially unmarried women would prepare an alabaster jar to hold perfume. Whenever they had money, they would buy a little nard and seal the jar, then buy more later and seal it again, filling it over several years. When it was completely full, they would permanently seal the opening and use it as part of their dowry at marriage. In other words, it represented their entire wealth and symbolized their future—a precious asset.

Mary broke this extremely valuable and precious alabaster jar and poured it on Jesus’ feet. What does this show? Mary’s love for Jesus. Love is “all in.” When someone is in love, they see nothing else. They look only at the one they love. Although many people were in Simon’s house, whom did Mary see? Only Jesus. She thought only of Jesus.

How expensive the perfume was, how long she had saved it, what would happen to her life after using it, how others might judge her—none of these mattered to her. Her highest priority was Jesus.

Why was she able to love Jesus, prioritize Him, and look to Him in this way? Because she knew who Jesus was. She recognized His worth. When someone understands great worth, they can sacrifice lesser things to obtain it.

[Matthew 13:44] The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field; when a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

If someone realizes that the treasure hidden in the field is worth more than everything they own, they can sell everything to buy the field. What is the worth of Jesus? He is the Creator God who made the entire universe. His worth is infinitely greater than everything in this world combined. Anyone who realizes this will give up everything to receive Him.

Did Mary pour out her most valuable possession simply because she was close to Jesus? Even though she was close to Him, when her brother was dying and Jesus did not come in time, she had felt disappointment and resentment. But when Jesus said her brother—who had been dead and in the tomb for four days—would live, and then actually raised him, Mary came to know that Jesus is God, the Lord of life. And when He spoke of His own death and resurrection, she realized that He is the Messiah, the Christ who came into the world.

When someone knows Jesus’ identity and worth, Jesus becomes their highest priority, and giving everything to Him no longer feels costly. Was this only true for Mary? Isn’t this true for all of us here, including myself?

Before I believed in Jesus, when I was an atheist, Jesus never entered my thoughts. I focused only on making a lot of money and living however I wanted. After graduating from university, I began my first job in a small pharmaceutical company behind Gangnam Station. While working there, I constantly looked for opportunities to move to a higher-paying company. Within a year, I was hired by Dong-A Pharmaceutical, a major company, but I quit during new employee training and moved to Yukong of the Sunkyong Group—today’s SK. At that time, Yukong paid the highest salaries, even more than Samsung Electronics does today. Later, I even worked at a trading company to prepare for starting a business and earning more money.

Even after coming to New Zealand, I pursued various businesses until I met Jesus. Did my life completely change after meeting Jesus? Did Jesus become my top priority? No. My heart was still focused on making money and enjoying life. While living in Wellington, I studied programming to become a web developer, which was becoming popular at the time. I even received an interview request from DACOM, the largest IT company then. But at that very moment, God called me. It was extremely difficult to let go, but remembering Gideon’s prayer, I prayed an impossible prayer—and as I testified before, God answered miraculously and revealed Himself even more.

After that, Jesus continued to challenge me through His Word, and each time I obeyed, I experienced His work and came to know Him more. The more I came to know Jesus, the more my priorities changed, and the more I looked to Him. Now I can boldly confess: “My highest priority is Jesus.”

I hope this confession becomes the confession of all of us. Shall we read it together in faith? “My highest priority is Jesus.” “I look only to Jesus.” Amen. I bless every believer here to know the worth of Jesus, love Him, and live looking only to Him.

[Application] Is there anything in my life that I consider more valuable than Jesus?

 

2. True devotion clashes with the values of the world.

[Verse 4–5] But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”

Among the disciples watching Mary’s action, Judas Iscariot rebuked her, saying that the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor. At first glance, it seems like he cared for the poor. But Scripture reveals his true heart in verse 6:

[Verse 6] Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.

What was Judas’ heart? The heart of a thief. He wanted something that was not his. Though he did not say it aloud, he must have thought: “Do you know how much this is worth? Why waste it? You should have given it to me… Why throw it away like this?” Was this only Judas’ heart? Wouldn’t the other disciples or people there have thought the same? If I had been there, wouldn’t I have thought the same? Thinking about this makes me repent of how easily my heart is drawn to the good things of the world.

Even we who believe in Jesus still have desires for what we see. Chasing visible, desirable things is the value system of the world. It is worldly desire—the lust of the flesh. Does this disappear completely when we believe in Jesus? No. Until the end of our lives, these desires remain and tempt us. This is what we call the sinful nature or old nature.

In last week’s Abundant Life Bible Study, we shared that the devil uses two tools to tempt believers: the old nature within us and the attractive things in our environment.

Scripture warns us not to love or pursue the things of the world. [1 John 2:15–16] Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father, but is from the world.

The desires and cravings for the attractive things of the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—are not from God but entered us through disobedience. Therefore, resisting these desires by faith whenever they arise is spiritual warfare and the path of sanctification toward holiness.

An old chief of a Native American tribe kept two wolves at home—one good and one evil. When they were young, they did not fight, but as they grew, they fought every day. One day, the chief’s grandson asked, “Grandfather, which one will win?” The chief replied, “The one you feed will won.”

As long as we live on this earth, the values of heaven and the values of the world will clash daily. The desires of the Spirit and the desires of the flesh will collide. Victory in this spiritual battle depends on which value we choose to feed. If you know the values of heaven and devote yourself to them, you will win. But if you consider the values of the world more important, the world will overtake your life. When worldly values win, it is not victory—it is becoming enslaved to the world.

Beloved saints, if desires for visible things, worldly cravings, or the desire to elevate yourself arise within you, look to the Lord, recognize His worth, and declare in faith: “My greatest value in life is Jesus. The values of the world that tempt me are nothing. Every evil spirit that tries to deceive me must leave.”

If you look at the attractive things of the world even once and desire them, that desire grows within you. And the more worldly desire grows, the more something closes—your spiritual eyes. The eyes of faith close. You stop looking to the Lord, your love for Him grows cold, and your priorities shift. This is exactly what the devil wants. This is wasting your life, and it leads to deep regret later.

[Application] When what pleases Jesus and what people praise are different, which do I choose?

 

3. True devotion is remembered by God.

What we must deeply meditate on in today’s passage is how Jesus viewed Mary’s act of pouring out the perfume, and how He responded to Judas Iscariot’s rebuke.

[Verse 7] Therefore Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial.”

Jesus’ words mean that Mary’s action carried the meaning of preparing for His burial. At a time when no one was thinking about Jesus’ death, Mary’s act of pouring perfume on Him was astonishing. Mary must have done this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Jesus acknowledged her action and told them not to hinder her so that she could preserve its meaning and fulfill it completely.

And regarding Judas Iscariot’s rebuke—that the perfume should have been sold and given to the poor—Jesus said in verse 8:

[Verse 8] For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.

Here Jesus compares the poor, who will always be with them, with Himself, who will not always remain with them.

This statement contains two meanings. First, it speaks of the mission God has given to the church—the community of Jesus’ disciples—to care for the poor. Second, despite that mission, at this moment—six days before Passover—when Jesus is preparing for His death on the cross to accomplish the salvation of humanity, the spiritual meaning and priority of this moment surpass every other concern or mission.

God saw Mary’s special devotion for this special moment and regarded it as precious. In Mark’s Gospel, the same event is recorded with these words:

[Mark 14:9] Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.

Through these two responses of Jesus, we must consider: “What truly deserves to be our highest priority?” The highest priority of our lives must be our relationship with the Lord. No matter how important saving souls or practicing love may be, if love for the Lord does not come first, all those actions become expressions of self-righteousness rather than demonstrations of Christ’s love. I hope that we will worship Him with genuine love for Christ. When we give Him what is most important to us, sacrificing and devoting ourselves like Mary, God receives it and remembers it.

C. T. Studd, the heir of a wealthy family, gave up everything and devoted himself as a missionary. In his booklet Only One Life, he wrote:

Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.

Let us remember that every devotion we offer to Jesus as our highest priority will remain forever. And let us confess together:

“Lord, I love You. I devote myself to You. Nothing I give to You is too precious.”

May all believers worship the Lord with true love and devotion, holding nothing back because of the love and grace we have received from Him.

[Application] Is my love for Jesus being revealed through my actions? Is my devotion to Jesus becoming a testimony that leads others to Him?

 

 

하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.

Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.