1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.
Can you imagine how weird this situation would be?
Maybe weird isn't the right word. Surreal. Lazarus was dead and buried. His body had been decomposing.
His sisters had accepted him as dead! And now, here they are sitting at dinner with their recently dead brother. I can't imagine what that would feel like for them.
How do you even begin to say thank you to the guy that brought your brother back to life? I guess you have a dinner for him!
3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
It would have been normal to wash the feet of guests at a dinner.
It would have been normal to anoint the head of a special guest at dinner.
But for Mary to anoint the feet of Jesus, during dinner, and to wipe his feet with her hair is an extreme display of humility and honor.
She does not even consider this "expensive ointment" to be worthy of being used on Jesus' head.
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”
Three hundred denarii is about a year's wage for the working class.
You can almost understand Judas' point... A year's worth of wages in costly oil used on one man's feet. I don't think many of us would feel comfortable "spending" that much money at one dinner.
And yet, Jesus just gave Mary her brother back. No amount of money can even compare to what Jesus has just done for her.
Also, He's God. If he shows up to your house, you should lavish Him with whatever you've got to offer.
6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.
Now you get the full picture of why Judas is outraged. He feels that he is, somehow, being cheated.
In just a few chapters, he'll betray the Son of God for 30 pieces of silver.
7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
What does Jesus mean?
Note, first of all, that He is addressing Judas' remarks. Jesus knows that he would not have given it to the poor; that he only wanted it for himself.
So, in this very specific context, it means that it is good for Mary to treasure Jesus; her gift is not wasted on Him.
It was a sincere act of love and gratitude, that was inspired by true faith, which is something that Judas would never understand.
It is interesting to think about whether or not Mary even understands the significance of her actions. This anointing is a foreshadowing of the anointing that Jesus would receive when His body was buried in just a few days.
What does this mean for us? Well, it certainly does not mean that we should neglect the poor.
However, I think each of us have times in life when we are more like Mary, or more like Judas. What are saying is too valuable to give to God? In what area of your life are you acting like you've been cheated by God? What are you trying to keep for yourself? Why?
9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
You have to wonder... Did they actually believe that Lazarus had been raised?
Either way, they aren't going to marvel at the miracle. They are going to do their due diligence, so that they can figure out who all needs to be silenced.
Lazarus is hated for receiving the blessing that comes with knowing Jesus.
The chief priests' lust for power is so corruptive, that the truth is an afterthought. A man being raised from the dead has no significance to them, if it means they lose their standing.
It is sad to think that almost nothing has changed in ~2000 years.
If you want to read a study on the triumphal entry, please click here. It is a study from the Gospel of Luke.
God bless you all.
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