Psalm 14

A Portrait of Sinners

For the choir director. Of David.

Rejection at Nazareth

⁵³ When Jesus had finished these parables, he left there. ⁵⁴ He went to his hometown^(A) and began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?^{(B) 55} Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?^(C) Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers James,^(D) Joseph,^[a] Simon, and Judas?^{(E) 56} And his sisters, aren’t they all with us? So where does he get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And they were offended by him.

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his household.”^{(F) 58} And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

The Anointing at Bethany

12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany^(A) where Lazarus^[a] was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead.^{(B) 2} So^(C) they gave a dinner for him there; Martha^(D) was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. ³ Then Mary took a pound of perfume, pure and expensive nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped his feet with her hair.^(E) So the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

⁴ Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot^(F) (who was about to betray him), said, ⁵ “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii^[b](G) and given to the poor?” ⁶ He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief.^(H) He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.

⁷ Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of my burial.^{(I) 8} For you always have the poor with you,^(J) but you do not always have me.”