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Mary Anoints Jesus
This chapter is based on Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-11; Luke
7:36-50; John 11:55-57; 12:1-11.
Simon of Bethany was one of the few Pharisees who had openly
joined Christ’s followers. He hoped that Jesus might be the Mes-
siah, but had not accepted Him as a Savior. His character was not
transformed. His principles were unchanged.
Jesus had healed Simon of leprosy, and Simon wanted to show
his gratitude. At the time of Christ’s last visit to Bethany, he made a
feast for the Savior and His disciples. This feast brought together
many of the Jews, who watched His movements closely, some with
unfriendly eyes.
As He usually did, the Savior had sought rest at the home of
Lazarus. Many of the people flocked to Bethany, some out of sym-
pathy with Jesus, and others from curiosity to see Lazarus, who
had been raised from the dead. With assurance and power, Lazarus
declared that Jesus was the Son of God.
The people were eager to see whether Lazarus would go with
Jesus to Jerusalem and whether the Prophet would be crowned king
at the Passover. The priests and rulers could hardly wait for the op-
portunity to remove Him forever from their way. They remembered
how often He had evaded their murderous plots, and they were afraid
that He would remain away. They questioned among themselves,
“What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?”
They called a council. Since the raising of Lazarus the people
were so favorable to Christ that it would be dangerous to arrest Him
openly. So the authorities decided to take Him secretly and carry out
the trial as quietly as possible. They hoped that when people heard
about His condemnation, the fickle tide of public opinion would turn
in their favor.
But as long as Lazarus lived, the priests and rabbis knew they
were not secure. The existence of a man who had been in the grave
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