John 12

Theologian Insights on John 12

Augustine of Hippo: John 12 presents a turning point. Mary’s anointing reveals the extravagance of love for Christ; Judas embodies the corruption of false discipleship. Christ enters Jerusalem not on a warhorse, but on a donkey, showing the humility of divine kingship. The voice from heaven confirms that the Cross is the glory of God.

Thomas Aquinas: The anointing at Bethany exemplifies the virtue of devotion. Christ’s entry fulfills prophecy, revealing Him as the long-foretold King of peace. The Greeks’ request to see Jesus opens the way to the universality of salvation. Christ’s reference to the seed dying to bear fruit encapsulates the Paschal Mystery.

• Theme: The fragrance of sacrificial love and divine preparation for death.

• Message: "Mary’s anointing prefigures Christ’s burial. Her act teaches us to give what is most precious for the sake of what is most holy."

Martin Luther: Mary’s act is pure Gospel—generous, grateful, grounded in faith. Judas, concerned with money, shows the deceit of self-righteousness. The crowd’s fickleness is not surprising; faith must be rooted in Christ, not miracles or popularity.

• Theme: Justification not through merit, but through faith expressed in grateful worship.

• Message: "Mary acts in faith, not calculation. Her devotion, poured out without reserve, mirrors the Gospel—lavish, undeserved, pure."

John Calvin: The anointing distinguishes true worship from hypocrisy. Christ’s public entry fulfills God’s sovereign plan. The Greeks represent the coming inclusion of the Gentiles. The unbelief of the Jews fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy and displays God’s justice in hardening hearts.

• Theme: God’s providence in preparing His Son for the cross through the faith of His followers.

• Message: "Mary’s deed is not excessive but fitting. God uses human devotion to declare divine timing."

Karl Barth: Christ glorifies God by embracing death. The Cross is not a tragic detour but the divine plan. Mary’s perfume anticipates burial, but her act is resurrection-shaped love. Christ’s words about light and darkness call for decision in the shadow of the Cross.

• Theme: The scandal and glory of the Incarnation drawing near to the cross.

• Message: "In the pouring of perfume, we see the paradox of Christ: honored by love, rejected by the world."

C.S. Lewis: Love is never wasted—Mary’s act, misunderstood by Judas, becomes immortalized. The paradox of the King who rules by dying shatters worldly categories. To walk in the light means to surrender illusions of control and follow a Savior on a donkey.

• Theme: Beauty and longing meeting in the shadow of death.

• Message: "This is not practicality—it’s adoration. In Mary’s offering, heaven’s aroma breaks into the world’s decay."

John Wesley: Mary’s devotion shows the heart of holiness. Christ’s appeal to walk in the light is a call to sanctification. The hardening of hearts is not God’s arbitrary action but the result of long rejection. Yet grace is still offered until the very end.

• Theme: Holiness demonstrated through heartfelt worship and humble service.

• Message: "True love for Christ is not frugal—it is extravagant. This act is holiness scented with costly devotion."

Jonathan Edwards: Glory and judgment converge at the Cross. Christ’s soul is troubled not from weakness but because He fully grasps the cost of atonement. Yet He presses forward to glorify the Father and draw all people to Himself.

• Theme: The affections stirred by the glory of Christ’s person.

• Message: "Mary saw the loveliness of Christ and poured out her treasure. Where Christ is treasured, the heart cannot withhold."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Discipleship is costly. Mary gives what cannot be recovered. Jesus’ path to glory goes through suffering. To walk in the light is to walk toward the Cross, not away from it. God’s glory is revealed in surrender, not triumph.

• Theme: Costly grace on the eve of the cross.

• Message: "Mary’s act is discipleship without delay. She gives all before the world dares to take anything from Christ."

Timothy Keller: Mary’s sacrifice is the mark of someone who sees Jesus’ worth. The Greeks seeking Jesus shows the Gospel breaking borders. Christ says dying brings fruit—this is the Gospel economy. His agony is not avoidance but acceptance: glory comes through the Cross.

• Theme: Gospel-centered generosity that confounds religious moralism.

• Message: "Judas calls it waste; Jesus calls it beautiful. The Gospel always looks foolish to those clinging to control."

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John 12:1–8 — Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

• Verse 5  “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”

  • Judas frames Mary’s act as irresponsible stewardship.

  • He assigns a monetary value to a sacred offering.

  • His question disguises greed as social concern.

  • It reduces worship to economics—generosity without love.

    • Augustine: Judas calculates but does not adore—his words count cost without seeing worth.

    • Aquinas: Charity is not against worship—true love for Christ produces both.

    • Luther: The devil often speaks in the language of piety to resist grace.

    • Calvin: He sees waste where God sees honor—his priorities are earthly, not eternal.

    • Barth: Judas wants a utilitarian Messiah; Mary sees a crucified Lord worthy of love.

    • Lewis: Evil often borrows the voice of virtue to mask its intent.

    • Wesley: True holiness never pits care for Christ against care for others—they belong together.

    • Edwards: Judas’s affections were misaligned—he measured what love gladly gives.

    • Bonhoeffer: Judas is the theologian of cheap grace—wanting action without surrender.

    • Keller: He wants justice without Jesus—morality without mercy, activism without adoration.

“How much is too much for Jesus?” Judas would put a price on devotion, but Mary gives without reserve. This is the age-old tension: religion that manages and questions, versus love that pours and praises. Judas’s concern is not generosity—it’s control. The Gospel confronts every heart that values efficiency over intimacy.

• Verse 6  He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

• The Gospel unmasks Judas’s heart—his motives were not righteous but corrupt.

• He managed resources but manipulated trust.

• Judas hid behind noble words while serving himself.

• This verse warns that spiritual roles can mask spiritual rot.

  • Augustine: Sin often disguises itself with holy language; Judas feigned compassion to feed his greed.

  • Aquinas: Moral speech without moral intent is deception—God sees through the heart.

  • Luther: The devil wears the robes of discipleship—Judas is a mirror of hypocritical religion.

  • Calvin: The Church is not free from such figures—men entrusted with sacred things who betray the sacred trust.

  • Barth: Here, religion becomes a tool for theft—it is revelation turned inward, truth twisted for gain.

  • Lewis: Evil thrives not in outright rebellion, but in half-light where trust is betrayed in secret.

  • Wesley: The test of love is not eloquence, but fruit—Judas bore none.

  • Edwards: Corruption of affection leads to corruption of action—the idol of gold blinded him to the glory of Christ.

  • Bonhoeffer: Judas wanted Jesus’ mission without Jesus’ sacrifice—his thievery extended even to grace.

  • Keller: His heart wasn’t captured by Christ, so he used Christ—many still do the same today.

The line between devotion and deceit can grow dangerously thin when self-interest wears the mask of virtue. Judas managed the money but mishandled the trust. This verse exposes the danger of spiritual roles unmoored from spiritual transformation. It is not enough to speak for the poor—we must love Jesus more than ourselves.

• Verse 7  Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.”

• Jesus defends Mary and reinterprets her act as preparation for His death.

• Her worship becomes prophecy—she anoints the Lamb before the slaughter.

• Jesus silences Judas’s criticism and honors Mary’s intuition.

• This is a moment where heaven confirms human devotion.

  • Augustine: Christ receives the perfume as fitting for burial—He alone sees the cross in the fragrance.

  • Aquinas: Mary’s offering participates in sacred mystery—grace moves her without full knowledge.

  • Luther: Faith acts without full clarity—God gives meaning in the doing.

  • Calvin: This is providence—God ordains worship to echo heaven’s plan.

  • Barth: Revelation has occurred—her act becomes divine liturgy.

  • Lewis: Mary sees more than she knows—true love often acts before understanding.

  • Wesley: Holiness is spontaneous and responsive—it walks in tune with grace.

  • Edwards: The beauty of Christ’s impending sacrifice shines even before it is seen.

  • Bonhoeffer: Her sacrifice mirrors His—both acts of love that confound calculation.

  • Keller: Worship shapes history—what seems wasteful becomes eternally significant.

Jesus does not stop Mary—He affirms her. Her act, dismissed as excess, becomes sacred preparation. This is the mystery of worship: it does what words cannot, sees what minds miss, and speaks eternity into the moment. Mary honored the cross before it stood. Every act of love for Jesus echoes that same anointing.

• Verse 8  “For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

• Jesus is not dismissing the poor, but clarifying priorities.

• The moment is unique—He will soon be crucified.

• His presence demands devotion before duty.

• The verse affirms the importance of worship in the face of utilitarian arguments.

  • Augustine: The poor remain, but Christ’s hour is passing—devotion has its appointed time.

  • Aquinas: We are always to serve the poor, but moments of divine encounter are not to be missed.

  • Luther: Christ must come first—for without Him, even charity is hollow.

  • Calvin: Worship precedes service—it is the wellspring of all true compassion.

  • Barth: Mary seized the moment—Judas missed the Presence.

  • Lewis: There are moments in life when heaven draws near—don’t miss them counting coins.

  • Wesley: Duty must flow from love—never replace the Source with the work.

  • Edwards: The beauty of Christ is to be adored when He reveals Himself—this is the soul’s highest act.

  • Bonhoeffer: Discipleship means choosing presence over performance—Christ over cause.

  • Keller: The Gospel flips priorities—not either/or, but first Jesus, then justice.

Jesus does not pit the poor against worship—He reveals what matters most in the moment. Mary saw it. Judas did not. We must never lose sight of Christ in the name of doing His work. In the noise of doing good, there is still a place for breaking the jar, kneeling in worship, and filling the house with the fragrance of devotion.