It was worth a year's wages. John Sandquist talkes about his sister Lois. She was born in January, so she was too young to remember her first couple of winters in Chicago. This was the first time she had seen snow. The word gracious comes from grace.
Grace means gift.
Gifts are ordinarily unexpected and undeserved. Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. There are children in other parts of the world who are starving.