and the narrator makes use of this fact: she has annointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. Since that is first related in detail in 12:1–8*, some exegetes have taken verse 2* as a later redactional remark.11 It is a peculiarity of the narrator, however, to introduce participants who are known by some special deed in the community, by referring to that deed when they first appear in the story. Mary is thus introduced in this way here, so that the reader will be informed