In John 12:1–11, Jesus arrives in Bethany just days before the Passover and the shadow of the cross. At the table, Mary of Bethany takes an extraordinary step of devotion—anointing Jesus with costly perfume and wiping His feet with her hair. What looks like waste in the eyes of the room is revealed by Jesus as true preparation for His burial.

But not everyone sees it that way. Judas Iscariot objects, masking greed with concern for the poor, revealing a heart already turning away from Christ. In contrast, Mary’s act exposes a love that is willing to give everything for Jesus, even when misunderstood.

This passage draws a sharp line between two hearts in the presence of Christ—one shaped by worship, the other by self-interest. And in the middle of it all stands Lazarus, living proo ...