John chapter 12 follows the raising of Lazarus from the grave in a mighty display by the Lord Jesus. After this Lazarus returned to his home and his sisters where a dinner was made for Jesus. Lazarus was there as well. It was at this dinner that Mary, the one who sat at Jesus' feet and learned of him, anointed him. This is where the true personality of Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus, begins to show itself.
V1-2 "Six days before the feast of Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was which had been dead. There they made him a supper and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him."
To learn where Passover originated, please read Exodus 12. One cannot help but marvel that Lazarus who had been in the grave for four days was raised free of the illness from which he had died, his body restored. This time Martha is willingly serving, and does not complain to the Lord about Mary not helping her as she did on a previous occasion. (Luke 10:38-42)
V3 "Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment."
For an excellent explanation of what Spikenard is, please follow this link to Got Questions. It is speculated that this spikenard might have been Mary's dowry. She wanted only the best for Jesus. It is fitting that the one who sat at the feet of Jesus and learned of him would be the one to anoint his feet and dry them not with a towel but with her hair. In these times hair was the woman's glory and Mary did not hesitate to use her hair in this manner, showing her love and respect for Jesus. The odour of the ointment was so strong and beautiful that it filled the house, thus Mary's act of love for Jesus had an effect on the whole house.
V4-6 "Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot...which should betray him, 'why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?' This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein."
These two verses begin to show Judas for what he was, the one who would betray Jesus and a thief. It is true that Jesus chose Judas to be one of his apostles, but Jesus knew that it was Judas who would betray him so that Jesus would go to the cross and there take upon himself the penalty for sin. Judas was with Jesus for the 3 1/2 years of his ministry, being a witness of Jesus teaching, preaching and healing, yet he did not believe on Jesus to be the Son of God. He was greedy and thought of the money he might have been able to steal. It is amazing to me that he was given the responsibility to hold the bag in the first place.
V7-8 "Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always."
From these verses we know that it was not a spontaneous act for Mary to anoint Jesus, she had been saving this precious ointment for such an occasion. Jesus was foretelling his own death by saying "me ye have not always."
V9-11 "Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus sake only, but that might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus to death; because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus."
From these verses we know that there were other people at the dinner. They saw what Mary did, her love for Jesus, they smelled the sweet odour, and they heard the words of Jesus to Mary. To see Lazarus might have been their reason for coming, but they went away believing on Jesus. Because of this, the chief priests were committed to killing Lazarus so that the one who Jesus had raised would no longer be a living witness of the power of Jesus.
The next post will be Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
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vcg
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