“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”
“a year’s wages” (NIV) = 300 denarion. A denarius was the principal silver coin of the Roman empire and was worth about a day’s wage (Mt 20:2), so, allowing for the Sabbaths, this would be worth about a year’s wages. Three hundred denarion was not an excessive price for such a valuable perfume which would have been worth much more in Rome. In contrast, note that it would have taken less to feed 5,000 men and their families (Mark 6:37). The point is that this alabaster of nard was extremely valuable.
Matthew 20:2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
Mark 6:37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take eight months of a man’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”
Jewish women were very fond of perfumes and Mary probably had this nard from the time before she started following Christ.