A Beautiful Gift: Mary Anoints Jesus
John 12:1-8; Mark 14:3-9 New Testament PrincipleGenerosity
Six days before the Passover, Jesus' friends in Bethany gave a dinner for Him. Martha served, and Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead, sat at the table. Then Mary brought a jar of very expensive perfume worth about a year's pay. She poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair, and the whole house was filled with the fragrance. Judas complained that it was a waste. But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She has done a beautiful deed to Me." Jesus is worth our very best.
Generosity is giving freely and gladly. Jesus gave everything for us, so He is worth our very best – our time, our treasures and our hearts.
- CreationGod made it
- FallWe broke it
- RedemptionJesus fixes it (this lesson)
- RestorationJesus makes it new
Memory verse
“Leave her alone; why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful deed to Me.”
Mark 14:6 BSB
The Big Story · Redemption
Mary poured out her treasure for Jesus. Days later, Jesus poured out His life for us on the cross, the greatest gift ever given, and rose again so that everyone who trusts Him can live forever.
Teacher Guide
This version includes:
- Background and context for the passage
- Hidden in Plain Sight: the detail most people miss
- The Christ Connection: how this story points to Jesus
- A 45-minute class plan and prep checklist
- A map of where it happened
- Object lesson: Follow your nose
- Bible Kitchen (taste the story): Martha's dinner
- A skit to act out the story
- Review game: Pass the jar
- Pronunciation help, tips for every age, song ideas and a note for parents
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Preschool (ages 3–5)
Jesus is worth my very best!
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 4-minute Bible story written for this age
- 3 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Sniff and give, Color Mary's jar
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at home, at church
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
Free preview · Kindergarten – 2nd grade
Jesus' friends in Bethany gave a dinner for Him. Martha served, and Lazarus ate with Jesus. Then Mary brought a jar of perfume that cost about a year's pay. She poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair. The whole house smelled sweet! Judas grumbled that it was a waste. But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She has done a beautiful thing for Me." Jesus gave everything for us. He is worth our very best, so we give to Him gladly.
Memory verse
“Leave her alone … She has done a beautiful deed to Me.”
Adapted from Mark 14:6
Start here
Ask, "What is the most special thing you own?" Let a few kids share. Say, "Today Mary gave Jesus the most special thing she had."
Bible story 6 min
Jesus came to the town of Bethany. His friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived there. Not long before, Lazarus had died. But Jesus raised him back to life!
Now the friends gave a big dinner for Jesus. Martha served the food. Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus. It was a happy night.
Then Mary came in. She had a jar of perfume. It was called nard. It was very special. It cost as much as a whole year of work!
The rest of the story, discussion questions, songs, Live It and prayer are for members.
Try an activity
Act it out 10 min
You’ll need: A small jar or vase, A towel
- Choose Jesus, Mary, Martha, Lazarus and Judas. Everyone else is a disciple at the table.
- Act out the skit. Everyone sniffs and says, "Mmm!" when Mary pours.
- Switch so more kids get a turn.
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3rd – 4th grade
Six days before the Passover, Jesus' friends in Bethany gave a dinner in His honor. Martha served, and Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead, reclined with Him. Mary poured a pint of pure nard, worth about a year's wages, on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance. Judas complained it should have been sold for the poor. Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She has done a beautiful deed to Me." Jesus gave everything for us. He is worth our most generous gifts.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 8-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 5 discussion questions
- 2 activities: The dinner in Bethany, Pass the jar
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at home, at school, at church
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
5th – 6th grade
Days before the cross, at a dinner in Bethany, Mary broke open a pint of pure nard worth a year's wages and poured it over Jesus, wiping His feet with her hair until the whole house was filled with the fragrance. Judas, a thief posing as a friend of the poor, called it waste. Jesus called it beautiful, a gift that anointed His body for burial, and promised it would be told wherever the gospel goes. Mary gave lavishly because she knew Jesus' worth. Generosity flows from seeing that Jesus is worth everything.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 10-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 6 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Worth it, My alabaster jar
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at school, at home, at church
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
More lessons on Generosity
The same principle in other Bible stories.
Jesus the KingJesus Feeds 5,000John 6:1-14; 2 Kings 4:42-44When a huge, hungry crowd followed Jesus, a boy shared five small loaves and two fish, and Jesus gave thanks and fed everyone, with twelve baskets left over.New TestamentGenerosity
The Widow’s OfferingMark 12:38-44; Luke 21:1-4At the temple, Jesus watched people put money into the offering box. Rich people gave lots of money. Then a poor widow gave two tiny coins. Jesus said she gave more than all of them, because she gave everything she had. God sees our hearts, and He loves when we give with love.New TestamentGenerosity
The Church BeginsThe Church SharesActs 2:42-47; Acts 4:32-37The first Christians loved each other so much that they shared everything they had. They ate together, prayed together and made sure no one was in need. Barnabas even sold a field and gave the money to help.New TestamentGenerosity