John 11:2 (GNV)

Passage

(And it was that Mary which anointed the Lord with oyntment, and wiped his feete with her heare, whose brother Lazarus was sicke.)

Nearby Context

John 11:1 And a certaine man was sicke, named Lazarus of Bethania, the towne of Marie, and her sister Martha.

John 11:2 (And it was that Mary which anointed the Lord with oyntment, and wiped his feete with her heare, whose brother Lazarus was sicke.)

John 11:3 Therefore his sisters sent vnto him, saying, Lord, beholde, he whome thou louest, is sicke.

John 11:4 When Iesus heard it, he saide, This sickenes is not vnto death, but for the glorie of God, that the Sonne of God might be glorified thereby.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mary", "anointed", "lord", "oyntment", "wiped", "feete", "heare", and "whose". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mary" and "anointed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "And a certaine man was sicke named..." into verse 3's "Therefore his sisters sent vnto him saying...", so "mary" and "anointed" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "mary" and "anointed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.