The scent of nard

John 12:12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, the man whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner in his honor; Martha was serving, and Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3Mary took a pound of very costly pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet with it, and wiped his feet with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 One of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, [son of Simon,] the one who was going to betray him, said: 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred silver coins to give to the poor?” 6 He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; and since he was in charge of the money, he used to help himself to what was put into the treasury. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone! She has kept this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.”

- Jesus interprets this act as a foreshadowing of his death and burial: “Let her keep this perfume for the day of my burial” (John 12:7) . The perfume, traditionally used to anoint the dead, symbolizes here Jesus’ preparation for his Passion and resurrection.

By pouring perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her hair, Mary adopts a posture of humility and repentance. The feet are a humble part of the body, and this act also recalls the biblical tradition in which washing feet is a gesture of service and humility (as Jesus would later do for his disciples).

In biblical tradition, anointing with oil or perfume is a ritual associated with the consecration of kings and priests. By anointing Jesus, Mary implicitly acknowledges his messianic kingship, even though this act takes place in private rather than in public.