82 John 12:1-9 THE ANOINTING OF JESUS AT BETHANY Introduction: In our text last Sunday Jesus left Bethany and went to Ephraim to seek refuge from the Jews who sought to put Him to death. There was a lot of speculation among the general public whether or not Jesus would return to Jerusalem to attend the Jewish Passover, which was at hand. They knew that the Jewish leaders were seeking to kill Him and a lot of people doubted that Jesus would show up. However, our text today answers that question. Our text says that He came to Bethany, which was right on the outskirts of Jerusalem. He came to observe the Passover and He came to give Himself into the hands of the Jewish leaders that He might be crucified. He came to give Himself as a sacrifice that lost sinners might be saved. I. The return of Jesus to Bethany V. 1, "Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany..." John does not go into detail. He just says that Jesus came to Bethany and that it was six days prior to the Passover. The Passover was the day on which He would be crucified. We can easily fit what John has told us into what Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us. Jesus and His disciples had left Capernaum of Galilee, which served as His headquarters during His ministry. They had left Capernaum and started down toward Jerusalem to attend the Passover celebration. They actually started south through Samaria, but soon crossed over into Perea, which is on the eastern side of the River Jordan. It was while Jesus was in Perea that Jesus received the message from Martha and Mary saying that Lazarus was sick. You know that by the time Jesus arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had been dead four days. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and then shortly thereafter went to Ephraim to take refuge for a short space of time from the Jewish leaders who sought to kill Him. He was willing to be crucified, but not before the time which God the Father had appointed. According to our text Jesus then left Ephraim and returned to Bethany six days prior to the Passover. However, the other gospel writers fill in some information which John does not mention. They tell us that on His way from Ephraim, which was just northwest of Jericho, Jesus stopped at Jericho and gave sight to two blind men who sat at the gate of the city begging. One of those men was Blind Bartimaeus. The healing of the blind men at Jericho attracted a huge crowd of admirers who were also on their way toward Jerusalem. They were very much excited about the miraculous healing of the blind. John reminds us that when Jesus and His disciples arrived at Bethany, they were arriving at the village where Lazarus lived. (V. 1), "...where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead." So this crowd of admirers who were still excited about the healing of Blind Bartimaeus and the other blind man now arrived at Bethany where the talk of the town was the resurrection of Lazarus from the grave. So now that they arrive in Bethany they could talk with the town folk who had been at the burial of Lazarus and those who had been at the grave when he was resurrected. They might even get a glimpse of Lazarus, himself, or talk with him. II. A supper given in honor of Jesus The arrival of Jesus back at Bethany caused no small stir in the village. It created a lot of excitement. Pretty soon a great supper was given in the honor of Jesus. V. 2, "There they made him a supper..." You will note that John does not tell us when the supper took place. He does tell us when Jesus arrived. He arrived back at Bethany six days prior to the Passover. But according to Mark, this supper that John speaks about did not take place until two days prior to the Passover. Both Matthew and Mark tell us that the supper was held in the home of a man named Simon and who is also in Scripture called "Simon the Leper." The fact that Simon is present This implies that Simon was no in a public gathering shows that he is no longer a leper. If he were, he would not be at this feast where he might make physical contact with other people. So we may safely surmise that Jesus had healed Simon from his leprosy and that Simon was so filled with gratitude to Jesus for healing his leprosy that he gladly hosted the supper. (V. 2), "...and Martha served..." Martha, who was sister to Lazarus, apparently helped to provide the food and helped to prepare and serve it. She, at least, was in charge of serving the meal to what must have been a large crowd of people. I am sure she enjoyed doing so. This was right down the ally of Martha. (V. 2), "...but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him." I am sure that Jesus was seated at the head table and they seated Lazarus there with Him. Simon, as the host, would also be at the head table. So there was Simon, whom Jesus had healed from leprosy and there was Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Then there was Jesus who had performed both miracles and there was Martha, the sister of Lazarus, serving them and serving the whole crowd. It must have been a joyous occasion for all who attended and for all the village of Bethany. It was in the grandeur of that occasion that Mary, who was also a sister of Lazarus came to Jesus. The way I picture it, she allowed Jesus time to finish His meal and then she approached Him with a small container. III. Mary, anointing Jesus with an ointment V. 3, "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." Mary brought in her hands a small container. Other gospel writers call it an alabaster box. That would be something like porcelain. In order to open it, she had to break the small mouth of the box through which it had been filled and was now sealed. She just broke the neck off so that she could pour from the box. Matthew and Mark both say that Mary poured the ointment on the head of Jesus, but said nothing about her anointing His feet. John said that she poured the ointment on His feet but said nothing about her pouring it on His head. Thus we learn that she actually poured the ointment on both His feet and His head. She probably poured it on His head first and then on His feet. John was more interested in her pouring it on His feet than His head. I think that what impressed John was when Mary took the hair of her head and wiped the excessive oil off His feet. The sweet odor filled the room. John also took special notice that this was an expensive ointment. It had cost Mary a pretty penny. It was no doubt a very prized possession. But her heart was so filled with love and gratitude toward Jesus for raising her brother, Lazarus, that she gladly gave up her own personal use of the ointment and used it for Jesus. That touched John. John was favorably impressed with the sacrifice which Mary had made for Jesus. IV. The criticism which Mary received for her action But not all of our Lord's disciples were favorably impressed. V. 4-5, "Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?" Judas Iscariot, one of the Lord's apostles who was also the son of a man named Simon. I take it that this was a different Simon than Simon the Leper. Anyway Judas was greatly disturbed that Mary had broken this expensive box of perfume and poured it on Jesus. He was not at all concerned about the generosity that she had bestowed on Jesus nor was he concerned about the well being of the poor. What he was concerned about was his own pocketbook. V. 6, "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." Judas was the church treasurer and John tells us that he was a thief. Judas could envision getting for himself a sizable portion from the sale of such an expensive item. V. The real significance of the anointing by Mary V. 7-8, "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." Jesus defended Mary. He told Judas and all of His disciples to leave Mary alone. He said that she had done a good deed. Both Matthew and Mark record Him him as saying that wherever the gospel is told, the story of her love and generosity to her Lord would also be told. Then Jesus explained that actuallly what Mary had done was to anoint His body for burial. Ordinarily a body would not be anointed for burial until after it is dead. However, Mary had anointed the body of Jesus for burial two days before the Passover and, therefore, two days before His death. Mary probably anointed Him simply out of love and gratitude for the raising of her brother, Lazarus, from the grave. But Jesus knew the real significance of the anointing and used it to tell His disciples again that He is about to be put to death. VI. The failure of some to see what was really important V. 9, "Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead." Some were more interested in seeing Lazarus, the man who was raised from the dead, than in seeing Jesus, the One who had raised him from the dead. This shows that they were more interested in Jesus as a miracle worker than as the Savior. They were more interested in the miraculous than they were in getting saved and having their sins forgiven. Many today make the same terrible mistake. Many people are more interested in Christianity only as it provides excitement and entertainment for them and not as it provides salvation for the soul. VII. Three things I would emphasize to this congregation Jesus loved us enough that He was willing to be crucified for us that we might be saved. He willingly left Ephraim and returned to Bethany. He came to be the real Lamb of God and to be sadcrificed on the Passover day for the sins of men. He was willing to go to the cross that we might go to heaven. More than anything else in this world men, women, boys and girls need to be saved. Often they are more interested in other things. But they need to get more interested in salvation than in any other thing in this world. Those who get saved should love the Lord more than anything else in this world. As Simon the leper was grateful for being healed from leprosy, as Lazarus was grateful for being raised from the dead, as Martha and Mary were grateful for the resurrection of their brother, even so we ought to be grateful for the salvation of our soul. Conclusion: I call upon all here who are unsaved to turn to Jesus and place your faith in Him for the salvation of your soul. I call upon all who are saved to dedicate your all to Jesus.