John 12:8 → Deuteronomy 15:11

Deuteronomy 15:11 grounds Israel's law of generosity in plain realism: "For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land." The poor would always be present, and that was the reason for an open hand. When Judas objects to Mary's perfume, Jesus answers, "The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me" (John 12:8). The tie is clear: Jesus echoes the substance of Moses' line, and His hearers would know the command that follows it. He is not cancelling care for the poor, which Judas only pretended to share (12:6). He is marking a moment that will not return: Mary has kept the perfume "in preparation for the day of My burial" (12:7). The One she anoints is about to give Himself for others. Love poured out on Him is not waste; it is the spring of the open hand, because those who have received Him have been given everything.