Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 26:12

"For in that she poured this ointment upon my body, she did it to prepare me for burial." — Matthew 26:12 (ASV)

She did it for my burial — The words must have fallen with a strange sadness on the ears of the disciples and the other guests. They were expecting that the kingdom of God should immediately appear (Luke 19:11) and were looking forward to the dawn of the next day as the hour of its victory and triumph.

The enthusiasm of the moment made them deaf to the real import of what they heard. Their Master, alone of all that company, knew that the fragrance of that perfume would not have died away when His body would be laid in the sepulchre.