HE DIED ON 2ED PASSOVER!

The scripture does not record any of the conversations between Jesus and Lazarus’ family in the days following the raising of Lazarus from the dead, but one can only imagine the joy that was felt by Mary and Martha as the grief of their brother’s death and the hopelessness of their future instantly vanished at his resurrection.  As Mary and Martha saw their future restored and were thinking about the things that they would do, Lazarus had the unusual opportunity to do the same.  As each is sharing about their future, Jesus knew clearly what the nature of His future on earth would be:  He would be captured by the religious leadership that sought Him, and he would suffer a tortuous death.  The range of emotions present at this time would be extreme.

Mary’s gesture of love is curious.  The imported oil that Mary used would have cost about 300 denarii, about a year’s wages for an average workman.  Because of its value and small size, many kept such oils as an investment that could be sold quickly when cash is needed.  As Jesus was reclined at the table, in the manner of first-century custom, His feet would be quite accessible.  Mary wanted to show her love and gratitude to Jesus for His part in the restoration of the life of her brother, so she took her vial of oil, opened it, and anointed Jesus’ feet with it.  Foot washing was a common practice in their culture, as people wore sandals as they traveled in the dusty streets.  The lowest servant would draw the task of washing the feet of guests.  Mary’s gesture goes far beyond even this ritual in its humility and expression of love.  Jesus’ feet would have already have been washed as He entered the home.  Now, Mary uses this every expensive oil to cleanse His feet.  The aroma of the oil would fill the entire room, and all who were present would witness this act of love and humility.

The oil that Mary applied to Jesus’ feet is also used to anoint the body of one who had died as they prepare it for burial.  It is unclear if Mary yet knew that Jesus was about to die, and within the context of her witness of the raising of her brother, it is quite doubtful that the idea entered her mind.  Mary would not have known the significance of her anointing of Jesus in the context of His coming death on the cross of Calvary.  Still, her expression of love was profoundly generous, and would have been noticed by all who were in the house.

Not everyone in the room was appreciative of Mary’s gesture.  Jesus knew Judas’ nature, and his upcoming act of betrayal (John 6:70).  What Judas lacked in an appreciation for human need he gained in his desire for financial success.  His interest in things financial gained him the task of holding and managing the treasury of Jesus and the apostles.  This close proximity to their money was a temptation that Judas was not wanton to overcome:  he helped himself to the contents of the bag at his own pleasure.  This act characterized Judas as a thief.  Judas’ concern for the expenditure of the oil was not related to its application to help the poor.  If the spikenard were to be sold, it would have added a year’s wages to his moneybag, providing him with more funds from which to pilfer.

Jesus’ statement clearly delineates the contrast between Mary’s devotion to Jesus and that of Judas.  Jesus’ statement may have even surprised Mary as He stated that what Mary had just done served a specific purpose:  to prepare Him for His upcoming death.  There is little question that with the cross of Calvary looming so near, Jesus’ mind was focused on it.  As Mary anointed Jesus’ feet He would have immediately recognized the appropriateness of her act, and at this first opportunity to speak, Jesus shared this with others.  Jesus’ was not making a disparaging statement about the poor, but rather than pointing out to Judas that if he really wanted to help the poor he could have been doing so at any time before, and will be able to continue doing so for as long as he walks the earth.  Judas’ lack of concern for the poor is clearly exposed.  Jesus then reveals the brevity of His own presence.  Though the poor will always be around, He will not.  Jesus told the people in the room that He would be dying sooner than they.  Little did they understand at this point, that Jesus was speaking of the events that would take place within a week, and little did Judas know that he would survive little longer when the consequences of his greed would devour him.

The crowd that gathered at this time at this home in Bethany had come, not only to see Jesus, but to see Lazarus.  People had heard and witnessed Jesus’ power to heal, and many came to meet and speak to Lazarus.  Even today, if one were to return from the dead as some claim to have done, people will seek to learn through that experience and the survivor will be afforded a lot of attention.  This further inflamed the crisis that was brewing in the Jewish leadership.  They were witnessing more and more people coming to Jesus and his ‘blasphemous” doctrine.  Before Jesus came they were the proud carriers of the faith and were in total control of Jewish religion, culture, and teaching.  they were the center of their religious universe.  Jesus had severely eroded that position of power, and this event in Bethany only served to turn more people away from them.  At the rate that they saw their influence eroding and it was only a matter of time before they felt they would be completely overthrown.  Now they were faced with this man, Lazarus, who was giving a powerful testimony in support of Jesus, and he was bringing as many followers to Jesus this day, as Jesus was attaining Himself!  The religious leaders realized that the only way to quiet Lazarus would be to kill him, so they conspired amongst themselves as to how they would go about it.  One can only imagine the conversation among these religious leaders as they tried to figure out how to kill someone who had already died once before!  Surely, Jesus would just raise him from the dead again.  Certainly, they faced a most unusual dilemma, one for which they would shortly find a solution.

As Jesus entered Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, he was accompanied by a large crowd that was made up of two groups.  When we observe the record made by the writers of the other three gospels (Matt 21, Mark 11, Luke 19), we find that one group were those Jews who had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to observe the Passover.  Travel was difficult in the first century, so typically, most of the people who came would have originated from the nearby region, including Capernaum where Jesus spent the large part of his three-year ministry.  These would have previously heard of Jesus, and many would respond positively to the knowledge of his presence among them.  The larger group that honored Jesus at the gate, however, was that which came with him from Bethany, the group that had either witnessed the raising of Lazarus, or those who joined shortly thereafter.  Consequently, the praise that was afforded to Jesus did not start at the gates of Jerusalem, but rather at the grave of Lazarus.  One can envision the town of Bethany emptying out to accompany Jesus and Lazarus to the City of Jerusalem.  Nothing like this had ever occurred before, and the leaders of the City were well-aware of this dangerous situation.

Jesus’ previous entrances to Jerusalem were wither quiet or almost secretive because, as we find in previous chapters, Jesus’ time had not yet come.  However, in Bethany Jesus stated that it was now His time, so there was no such need for secrecy.  However, the riotous nature of the crowd’s response at this point adds a new factor to the equation:  the power of the Roman leadership.  Rome was successful in holding many lands far from Rome due to the governmental structure that was in place.  Local communities were allowed to rule themselves under Roman supervision as long as the taxes were paid to Rome and the people were kept under control.   The presence of so many Jews in Jerusalem during the Passover had been considered dangerous without this new controversy.  Because of this, all of the local Roman leadership was in the city during the Passover, and the Roman guards were on alert for any problems.  Therefore, when this crowd entered Jerusalem with a controversial message, the the King of Israel (Psalm 118:25-26), or the “King of the Jews” is entering, the leadership that was responsible to Rome saw their future to be bleak indeed.  The chant made by the people was clearly a call for the Messiah.  They were shouting, “Hosanna”, which means literally, “Save us!”  In order to keep their positions, the Jerusalem leadership, both Jew and Roman, had to keep the peace, and now a crowd was advocating a new King over Herod.  This situation was exceedingly dangerous.

The synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke provide more details concerning the procurement and use of the donkey upon which Jesus rode into Jerusalem.  First, this form of entry fulfilled the prophesy of  Zechariah 9:9.  A king who would come to power would enter the gates on a horse, a “mighty steed,” and would be surrounded by his army.  Though we can see parallels in this entry, the steed was a simple donkey, and because of its youth, a small one at that.  The donkey was used by the poorest people, and a horse by the richest.  Jesus’ entrance on a donkey is an illustration of his humble roots, and also serves to dissuade any thought that His entrance is one that is militant in nature.  Jesus’ army is not bent on overtaking Jerusalem, it is simply focused on the person of Jesus as their Lord, and their King.  Jesus attained that position with the people, not from military junta, but by winning their hearts with his love and caring nature.  This was not the type of King that was expected by the Jews.  Still, however, this did not lessen the danger that the crowd presented to the religious leaders.  For three years they had observed the growth of Jesus’ following, and their inability to thwart it.  Verse 19 shows how they felt that in spite of all of their desires to stop this movement, and against all of their efforts to take action against it, they had gained nothing.  In their view they can see that the entire community, the “world,” is going to follow Jesus, and their future is about to radically change, and in their opinion, it is certainly not for the better.

Even as all of these events were transpiring, the disciples were so caught up in them that they did not quite realize the significance of them at the time.  Those who were most focused on the details of this event were those who witnessed the raising of Lazarus, and they kept a detailed record of these events.  It would be from this record that the disciples and others would later realize that they had witness the fulfillment of prophesy.  At the time, the disciples lacked the spiritual discernment that they would attain after Pentecost when the record of all of these events would come together in their memory to validate even more the nature, calling, and purpose of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah.  Through that record, their confidence and faith would be affirmed all the more.