Jesus and his disciples were invited into a home for a meal. Lazarus was also there, and Martha served the guests.

While they were eating, Mary took a bottle of very expensive perfume, poured it on the feet of Jesus, and wiped them with her hair. The fragrance filled the whole house.

One of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, objected. “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?” He said this not because he cared for the poor, but because he was in charge of the money bag and often took from it.

Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She has done a beautiful thing for me. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. She has prepared me for my burial. Truly, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be remembered.”