John 11:2 identifies Lazarus’s sister Mary as the woman who had anointed Jesus with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair, and it does so before the story of Lazarus’s death even begins. The verse is a short parenthetical note from the Gospel writer, John, who wants his readers to know exactly which Mary is meant. It is spoken by the narrator, not by a character in the scene, and it is addressed to the readers of the Gospel.
It was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother, Lazarus, was sick.
John 11:2 (WEB)
What John 11:2 Means
The verse begins by pointing back to an event the reader has not yet seen. “It was that Mary” tells us John is identifying someone already known in his community, a woman whose act of devotion had become memorable. She had “anointed the Lord with ointment,” pouring costly perfume on Jesus, and she had “wiped his feet with her hair,” an act of humble, intimate service that a respected woman of the time would rarely perform in public. The verse does not explain why she did it; it simply establishes her as someone whose love for Jesus was known.
Then the verse turns to Lazarus, “whose brother” he was, and notes that he “was sick.” This is the first sign of trouble in the passage. The verse does not promise that the sickness will end well, and it does not explain the purpose behind it. What it does tell us is that a family close to Jesus is facing suffering, and that the Gospel is about to take that suffering seriously.
The Context of John 11:2
John’s Gospel was written late in the first century and is traditionally attributed to the apostle John. It was likely addressed to a community of believers who already knew the story of Jesus and needed their faith strengthened. That is why John can refer to Mary’s anointing in passing: he assumes his audience knows about it from the other Gospels, where a similar act of devotion is recorded. By naming her here, John links Lazarus’s illness to a household already marked by loving devotion to Jesus.
The verses just before and after set the tone for what follows. In verse 1 we are introduced to Lazarus from Bethany, and in verses 3 to 5 the sisters send word to Jesus, and Jesus declares that the sickness is “for the glory of God.” Read in that setting, John 11:2 is the quiet hinge between a family’s need and Jesus’s response. The verse shows us people who loved Jesus and who were now in pain, which makes the coming events sharper and more personal.
Key Phrases in John 11:2
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
(WEB)
This psalm speaks of God’s nearness to the brokenhearted, which fits the grief and anxiety hidden in the report that Lazarus was sick. It helps readers see that God is attentive to human suffering even before the story reaches its resolution.
John 11:3
The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick.”
(WEB)
The very next verse shows the sisters sending word to Jesus about their brother. Reading it alongside John 11:2 reveals how a family in need turns to Jesus directly, which is a helpful pattern for prayer today.
A Short Prayer From John 11:2
Lord, you know the households we love and the illnesses that come into them. Help us to notice the people around us who are suffering, and give us the willingness to serve them as Mary served you, with generosity and without hesitation. When fear or sickness enters our homes, remind us that you see us and that our waiting is not wasted. Give us honest hearts that bring our worries to you, and steady us with the assurance that you are near. Amen.
