Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 12:3

"Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment." — John 12:3 (ASV)

The anointing of Jesus’ feet by Mary was not difficult because of the custom of reclining to eat instead of sitting at a table. Guests usually reclined on divans with their heads near the table. They leaned on cushions with one arm and ate with the other. Mary could easily have slipped from her couch, walked around the other couches, and poured the ointment on Jesus’ feet.

Spices and ointments were quite costly because they had to be imported.

Mary’s offering was valued at approximately a year’s wages for an ordinary working person. She presented it as an offering of love and gratitude, prompted by Jesus’ restoration of her brother to the family circle. Wiping his feet with her hair was a gesture of utmost devotion and reverence. The penetrating fragrance of the ointment that filled the house told all present of her sacrificial gift.