John 12:5

John 12:5, in plain English

Judas asks, 'Why wasn't this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?'

Why it's here

Three hundred denarii was a full year's wages. On the surface, his objection sounds reasonable—even noble. But his true motives are about to be exposed.

Who's speaking

Judas objects to the extravagance, framing his complaint as concern for the poor.

Where it sits in the story

It sounds so reasonable, doesn't it? Think of all the good that money could have done. But sometimes the most reasonable-sounding objections come from the most corrupt hearts.

The scholarly reading

Judas calculates the perfume's value at 300 denarii—approximately a year's wages for a laborer—and suggests it should have been sold for the poor, cloaking self-interest in charitable language.

Language and setting

Three hundred denarii was an enormous sum (cf. Mark 6:37). Judas frames his objection in terms of social justice, but John will immediately expose his true motivation in the next verse.

Voice

Judas voices his objection to Mary's extravagance, framing it as concern for the poor.

Significance

Judas puts a price tag on devotion: he quantifies Mary's worship in market terms and proposes a 'better' use of the resources, masking greed with the language of charity.

3Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was going to betray Him, asked,

5“Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?”

6Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.

7“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “She has kept this perfume in preparation for the day of My burial.

Read all of John 12 — Mary anoints Jesus' feet with costly perfume, the crowds wave palm branches, and Jesus announces that his hour has finally arrived.