A Woman Pours Perfume on Jesus

⁶ Jesus was in Bethany. He was in the home of Simon, who had a skin disease. ⁷ A woman came to Jesus with a special sealed jar of very expensive perfume. She poured the perfume on his head while he was at the table.

⁸ When the disciples saw this, they became angry. “Why this waste?” they asked. ⁹ “The perfume could have been sold at a high price. The money could have been given to poor people.”

¹⁰ Jesus was aware of this. So he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ You will always have poor people with you. But you will not always have me. ¹² She poured the perfume on my body to prepare me to be buried. ¹³ What I’m about to tell you is true. What she has done will be told anywhere this good news is preached all over the world. It will be told in memory of her.”

A Sinful Woman Pours Perfume on Jesus

³⁶ One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So he went to the Pharisee’s house. He took his place at the table. ³⁷ There was a woman in that town who had lived a sinful life. She learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she came there with a special jar of perfume. ³⁸ She stood behind Jesus and cried at his feet. And she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair. She kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹ The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this. He said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him. He would know what kind of woman she is. She is a sinner!”

⁴⁴ Then he turned toward the woman. He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water to wash my feet. But she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss. But this woman has not stopped kissing my feet since I came in. ⁴⁶ You did not put any olive oil on my head. But she has poured this perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ So I tell you this. Her many sins have been forgiven. She has shown that she understands this by her great acts of love. But whoever has been forgiven only a little loves only a little.”

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ The other guests began to talk about this among themselves. They said, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”