John 11:2

11:2 (Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil ¹  and wiped his feet dry with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) ² 

John 11:28

11:28 And when she had said this, Martha ³  went and called her sister Mary, saying privately, ⁴  “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.” ⁵ 

John 11:32

11:32 Now when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

[11:2]  ¹ tn Or “perfume,” “ointment.”

[11:2]  ² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. It is a bit surprising that the author here identifies Mary as the one who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair, since this event is not mentioned until later, in 12:3. Many see this “proleptic” reference as an indication that the author expected his readers to be familiar with the story already, and go on to assume that in general the author in writing the Fourth Gospel assumed his readers were familiar with the other three gospels. Whether the author assumed actual familiarity with the synoptic gospels or not, it is probable that he did assume some familiarity with Mary’s anointing activity.

[11:28]  ³ tn Grk “she”; the referent (Martha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:28]  ⁴ tn Or “in secret” (as opposed to publicly, so that the other mourners did not hear).

[11:28]  ⁵ tn Grk “is calling you.”