Dinner at the House of Lazarus

(Gospel of John 12:1 - 12:11)

Six days before the beginning of Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where lived Lazarus, the man Jesus had risen from the dead.  A dinner was given in Jesus' honor.  Martha served, and Lazarus was among the guests who reclined at the table with Jesus.  Mary took a litron of very expensive aromatic oil made from pure nard, and with it she anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them dry with her own hair.  The fragrance of perfume filled the house!

Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples -- the one who would betray him -- protested, “Such oil could have been sold for 300 denarii and the money given to the poor."  He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief.  (He had custody of the disciples’ common purse and frequently stole from it.)

"Let her be!” Jesus responded.  "She was saving it to use preparing my body for burial on the day of my funeral.  You'll always have the poor among you, but you won't always have me!"

Finding out that Jesus was there, a large crowd of Judeans gathered outside of Lazarus' house, not only to see Jesus, but to get a glimpse of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.  Consequently, the chief priests were convinced that they must seek the death of Lazarus as well, for it was on his account that so many Judeans were deserting them to believe in Jesus.

Notes      
1.  A litron, a Greek measurement, was equal to 11 ounces, almost a pound.  The oil would have probably been about a pint in volume. 

2.  A denarius was a silver coin, minted by Rome since the 3rd century BC.  Three hundred denarii would be a great deal of money.  A laborer might make only a denarius for a day's work. 

3.  Nard, or spikenard, is a plant of the Valerian family that produces an amber-colored oil used in perfumes, incenses, and medicines.

4.  Although not all translations use the word, the guests at the dinner are described as reclining before the table.  While we often think of people sitting in chairs before the dinner table, the ancient Greeks and Romans always ate reclining on couches before low tables.  Perhaps the Judeans, at least wealthy ones like Lazarus, did so as well.  Indeed, many Hebrews, especially those in the upper classes, had become quite Romanized.  (In light of this, Leonardo's Last Supper is a totally inaccurate depiction.)

5.  It's gratifying to learn that Jesus was rewarded for bringing Lazarus back to life: a dinner was the least that could be done for him, one would think.  As a signal honor to their guest, Mary anoints Jesus' feet with a large amount of very expensive aromatic oil -- not perfume per se as many translations misleadingly render it.  (Nobody splashes a whole pint of costly perfume on someone’s, even a Messiah’s feet!)  Jesus' attitude is one of "if they want to do this thing for me, well, let them do it."  He would have been an inconsiderate and ungrateful guest if he objected and a ruder one if he had shown up his hosts, as Judas had done, for being uncharitable to the poor.  Still, Judas had a point.  Why squander wealth on personal vanity when it can be used to help the poor?  It seems that the Jesus depicted in other Gospels would have asked that question and been less willing to honor the indulgences of the wealthy than he does in this incident.  Here, Jesus' statement of explanation, "You'll always have the poor among you, but you won't always have me!"  suggests conceit and contempt for the poor.  One wonders why he felt the need to say such a thing, save that, like many of his pronouncements, it foreshadows his imminent death.

6.  Judas Iscariot is portrayed here, flat out, as a thief.  He wants to have money to dispense to the poor so that he can take some of it himself.  He takes care of the finances of Jesus and the disciples, but habitually dips into the till.  Did the other disciples know this at the time?  Certainly Jesus must have known it.  Therefore, why did he select a thief to be his group's treasurer?  It seems an inexcusable oversight, an insult as well as an injury to the disciples who followed him.  Why does Jesus let someone steal their money?  And why, in the first place, does he allow such a disreputable character to be one of his disciples?  While there is a rotten apple in every barrel, Jesus had the unique ability to recognize a rotten apple when he saw one.  One explanation is that Judas has been unjustly demonized by history and the Gospel writers; because he betrayed Jesus, his previous conduct and character was retrospectively viewed in a jaundiced light, that, once perceived as a villain, he must be guilty of other sins.

7.  Since Lazarus has been raised from the dead, people want to see him and crowds of curiosity seekers gather outside his house.  He has become a celebrity.  How modern!