The verb occurs in two parallel Passion-week scenes—Matthew 26:7 and Mark 14:3—where a woman breaks open an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and pours it on Jesus. Both Evangelists present the action as deliberate, lavish, and prophetic. It takes place in Bethany, a village already associated with devotion to Christ (John 11:1-2; 12:1-3), thereby reinforcing a thematic contrast between treachery and worship that runs through the Passion narratives.

Symbolism of pouring

1. Royal and Messianic anointing
• Old Testament precedent: Kings and priests were installed by oil poured on the head (1 Samuel 10:1; Exodus 29:7).
• By receiving the costly perfume, Jesus is affirmed as the Anointed One (Messiah), not by official hierarchy but by a humble believer who recognizes His true identity.

2. Preparation for burial
• Jesus interprets the act: “When she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial” (Matthew 26:12). The verb underscores complete saturation, anticipating the spices used in first-century Jewish interment (John 19:39-40).
• The disciples’ failure to grasp the immediacy of the cross is offset by the woman’s prophetic insight demonstrated through the lavish outpouring.

3. Extravagant worship
• The reaction of some present—“Why this waste?” (Mark 14:4)—reveals how true devotion often appears imprudent to utilitarian thinking.
• Jesus answers, “She has done a beautiful deed to Me” (Mark 14:6), validating heartfelt generosity over calculating stewardship when directed toward His honor.

Cultural backdrop of first-century anointing

• Hospitality: Greco-Roman and Jewish hosts commonly provided inexpensive olive oil for guests’ heads and feet (Luke 7:44-46). The narrative magnifies the gesture by substituting precious nard, worth a laborer’s yearly wage (Mark 14:5).
• Funerary customs: Bodies were washed and drenched with aromatic oils to mask decay and express esteem (2 Chronicles 16:14). The timing—just days before Passover—links the pouring to the sacrificial death of the true Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Theology and ministry application

• Christ-centered valuation: Material resources find their highest purpose when used for the glory of Christ. The woman’s act confronts disciples in every era with the question of comparative worth.
• Foreshadowing the gospel: The totality implied by the verb parallels the total self-giving of Jesus, “who loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
• Memorial of devotion: “Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her” (Matthew 26:13). The permanence of her account models how acts of worship, though fleeting, gain eternal significance.

Reception in early church tradition

• Liturgical anointing: From the second century, believers employed scented oils in baptismal and chrism rites, drawing implicit connection to the Bethany anointing as a sign of consecration.
• Homiletic use: Church Fathers such as Origen and Augustine cited the episode to illustrate inner disposition over external cost, reinforcing the moral that love for Christ is measured not by the gift’s monetary value but by the heart that pours it out.

Practical exhortations for contemporary believers

• Offer unreserved devotion—time, abilities, finances—trusting that nothing invested in Christ is wasted.
• Discern the Spirit’s prompting to honor Jesus even when others misunderstand.
• Remember that the gospel narrative elevates unnoticed acts of faithfulness to perpetual testimony, inviting every disciple into God’s unfolding story.