What is the meaning of Matthew 26:12?

By pouring this perfume

• The event recalls John 12:3, where “Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume… and anointed Jesus’ feet.” The lavish cost (worth a laborer’s annual wage, Mark 14:5) underscores wholehearted devotion.

• Similar anointings in Luke 7:37-38 and Psalm 133:2 show oil or perfume as a sign of honor and blessing.

• The act is worship, not waste; Scripture affirms that nothing offered in faith to the Lord is ever squandered (Philippians 4:18).

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on Me

• Jesus is the exclusive object: “When they saw Him, they worshiped Him” (Matthew 28:17).

• Accepting the anointing, He quietly affirms His divine worth, unlike angels who refuse worship (Revelation 22:8-9).

• The personal focus anticipates the cross, where every eye will ultimately look “on Him whom they have pierced” (John 19:37).

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she has prepared

• The verb points to purposeful, God-ordained timing. What seems spontaneous fulfills divine planning (Proverbs 16:9).

• In Exodus 29:7 priests were consecrated with oil; here, a humble disciple performs a similarly sacred task.

• Her obedience contrasts with the leaders’ plotting (Matthew 26:4), showing that simple faith often advances God’s plan more than official religion.

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My body

• Jesus stresses His real, physical humanity: “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity” (Hebrews 2:14).

• The anointing touches the same body that will bear stripes for our healing (1 Peter 2:24).

• Incarnation is purposeful: “a body You prepared for Me” (Hebrews 10:5) so that atonement could be accomplished in space and time.

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for burial

• The fragrance foreshadows the spices Nicodemus and Joseph will use (John 19:39-40).

• Jesus once more predicts His death (Matthew 20:18-19), showing sovereignty over the timetable (John 10:18).

• Isaiah 53:9 had foretold that He would be “assigned a grave,” and 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 roots the gospel in this burial and resurrection reality.

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summary

The costly perfume, poured deliberately on Jesus Himself, becomes a prophetic sign. In a single gracious act, a devoted believer honors Christ, consecrates His physical body, and points ahead to His imminent death and burial. Scripture links worship, sacrifice, and redemption into one seamless tapestry, assuring us that every detail—including this fragrant offering—unfolds exactly as God’s Word declares.