John 11:2
“It was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother, Lazarus, was sick.”
What does John 11:2 mean?
This brief mention tells us something important about who Mary was before her brother's crisis. She's the same woman who showed extravagant love and devotion to Jesus by pouring expensive perfume on his feet and drying them with her hair, a gesture of humility and worship. When John introduces her this way, he's reminding us that Mary had already experienced Jesus' presence and grace in a deeply personal way. Now, facing Lazarus's illness, she comes to Jesus as someone who already knows his character and loves him, which shapes how we understand her grief and faith in the scenes that follow.