What does Matthew 26:9 mean?

The disciples raise what seems like a practical objection to an extravagant act of devotion. She has poured enormously expensive oil over Jesus' head. If John 12:1–11 tells the same story, this woman is Mary, the sister of Lazarus (John 11:1) and she also poured the oil over Jesus' feet and wiped them off with her hair. The house is now thick with the heavy, perfumed smell of nard ointment.

The disciples are indignant (Matthew 26:8). John's version puts the words only in the mouth of Judas, who will soon betray Jesus. In either case, the objection is financial. That perfume could have been sold for lots of money, and the money could have been given to the poor.

The clear implication is that the resource had been wasted by the woman in pouring all that oil all over Jesus. How foolish, they thought. In John's version, Judas' motive is more clearly selfish. Judas was responsible for the group moneybag and regularly helped himself to the cash. He was thinking about how much he could have pocketed if they sold that perfume instead of using it up on Jesus (John 12:6).