While Martha of Bethany made sure that Jesus had a warm and gracious home to visit, Mary of Bethany, her sister, ministered to him on a soul level. She listened intently. She understood, when no one else but Thomas did, that Jesus was on his way to the cross. And she anointed him, recognizing his kingship and also preparing him for the brutal journey that lay ahead. She smoothed the feet that had walked so many miles. She wiped them with her hair, leaving them clean and giving him a brief but blessed respite before he would walk the last miles of his life.