1 Six days before Passover Jesus went back to Bethany, where he had raised Lazarus from death.
2 A meal had been prepared for Jesus. Martha was doing the serving, and Lazarus himself was there.
3 Mary took a very expensive bottle of perfume and poured it on Jesus' feet. She wiped them with her hair, and the sweet smell of the perfume filled the house.
4 A disciple named Judas Iscariot was there. He was the one who was going to betray Jesus, and he asked,
5 “Why wasn't this perfume sold for three hundred silver coins and the money given to the poor?”
6 Judas did not really care about the poor. He asked this because he carried the money bag and sometimes would steal from it.
7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone! She has kept this perfume for the day of my burial.