“A JOURNEY THROUGH THE GOSPEL OF JOHN” ST. JOHN 12:1-11

A Devoted Act – Christ Anointed at Bethany

In this most blessed chapter 12, we are introduced to the wonderful dinner given in honor of Jesus Christ after the triumphant raising of Lazarus.  The Bethany family (Lazarus, Martha, Mary) was most appreciative to Jesus Christ, and they displayed their gratitude by having a wonderful dinner for Christ.  Lazarus who was once dead (St. John 11:14), is now seated with Christ and the two sisters were there!  According to Mark 14:1-11, this joyous dinner took place at Simon the Leper’s home six days before the Passover (St. John 12:1-2).  Just before Jesus would offer Himself as the Paschal Lamb for mankind’s sin (St. John 1:29), He found this resting place of fellowship with the family that was in gratitude to Him for the way in which He had blessed them.

Jesus had restored their family member to life and this family expressed their love by honoring their Saviour with a dinner.  In reading about this occasion, a most pertinent point arrested my mind:  “How thankful and appreciative are we for God’s intervention of grace demonstrated in our lives?  Are we thankful to Him for saving and emancipating our souls from the destiny of hell?  Are we thankful now that we are heavenly bound, and that we are now ‘seated in the heavenlies’?  Personally, I thank God for saving my soul and for the awesome privilege of granting me the opportunity to preach the whole council of God, without any fear or intimidation.

In verse 3, Mary, the one who is always seen in scripture as one who sat at Jesus’ feet (Luke 10:39), offers in gratitude an expensive ointment, anointing Jesus’ feet and wiping His feet with her hair.  Through her expression of love and gratitude, Mary showed her comprehension of the infinite value and preciousness of the death of Christ.

Mary, indeed knew that Christ would offer Himself as the substitute for mankind (St. Mark 10:4-5; Luke 19:10), for she displayed her admiration for the person and work of Jesus by extravagantly pouring the expensive ointment on Jesus; thus, she was preparing His body for burial.  Note, Mary displayed her act of love before His burial – six days before the Passover.   The gracious act of Mary demonstrated that she really comprehended by faith the main reason for His incarnation!  Yes, there were those women who came to anoint Jesus after His burial (Mark 16:1), but Mary does so before His burial (St. John 12:3).

Although Mary’s deed was highly commendable, it was severely objected to by Judas Iscariot, who felt that the money from the sale of the expensive perfume should be given to aid the poor (vs. 4-6).  Was Judas really concerned for the poor?  Judas was basically guilty of concealing his covetous heart under the guise of being a benevolent champion for the welfare of the poor.  He did not really have a love for the poor; he was petty and critical and had no range of vision.  Although Mary was criticized by Judas for being extravagant, Christ knew her motive and praised her for a wonderful deed (vs. 7-8).  According to Mark 14:4-5, Mary was also criticized by some of the other disciples who were influenced by the carping Judas.

The impact of a Judas among the group can have a contagious adverse influence on others, for I Corinthians 15:33 says – “evil communications corrupt good manners.”  Again, I ask – “Why was Judas so critical?”  Judas was the treasurer (St. John 13:29) of the apostolic group, and his aim was to pocket some of the money for himself.  Even being criticized, Mary seized the opportunity to display her love and affection for the Saviour by anointing His body before His death.  She understood Christ’s teachings regarding His limited or brief stay on earth (St. John 12:35; 13:33; 14:3-4).  In verses 9-11, our lesson closes with the crowd being curious about seeing both Jesus and Lazarus at the Passover; and because Lazarus had been restored, many Jews believed in Jesus.  As curious as crowd was in seeing both Jesus and Lazarus, the chief priests were plotting to kill both Jesus and Lazarus.  May God bless!