Reference: Mary, Sister Of Lazarus And Martha
Morish
The three are spoken of as those whom Jesus loved. They resided at Bethany, where they were privileged to welcome the Lord Jesus as a guest. On one of these visits Mary took her place at the feet of the Lord, feasting upon the words that fell from His lips. Martha wanted her help, but the Lord declared that one thing was needful, and Mary had chosen that good part, which should not be taken away from her. Lu 10:38-42. The heart of Mary was riven at the death of Lazarus. Word had been sent to the Lord that he was sick, and yet He had not come. When Jesus arrived Mary exclaimed, as Martha had done previously, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died:" but Mary said it at the feet of the Lord. Jesus wept, and Mary thus learned His sympathy, and had a fresh taste of the good part which death could not take from her. To Martha Jesus said that she should have her brother back, and should see the power of death broken by the One who was "the resurrection and the life;" but Mary had Himself. Joh 11:1-44.
Afterwards, when they made the Lord a supper, a few days before He suffered, Mary, in full appreciation of her Lord, anointed His head and His feet with costly ointment. Judas and others were indignant at what they called 'waste,' but the Lord defended Mary's action, and said He was being anointed for His burial: this act should be told of her in the whole world. Nothing was too costly to be spent upon such a Lord. Joh 12:1-8: cf. Mt 26:6-13; Mr 14:3-9. It should be noted that this is not the same event as that recorded in Lu 7:36-50.
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After Jesus had reached Bethany, and while he was in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of very costly perfume, and poured the perfume upon his head as he was at table. read more. The disciples were indignant at seeing this. "What is this waste for?" they exclaimed. "It could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to poor people." "Why are you troubling the woman?" Jesus said, when he noticed it. "For this is a beautiful deed that she has done to me. You always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this perfume on my body, she has done it for my burying. I tell you, wherever, in the whole world, this Good News is proclaimed, what this woman has done will be told in memory of her."
When Jesus was still at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, while he was at table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of choice spikenard perfume of great value. She broke the jar, and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those who were present said to one another indignantly: "Why has the perfume been wasted like this? read more. This perfume could have been sold for more than thirty pounds, and the money given to the poor." "Let her alone," said Jesus, as they began to find fault with her, "why are you troubling her? This is a beautiful deed that she has done for me. You always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has perfumed my body beforehand for my burial. And I tell you, wherever, in the whole world, the Good News is proclaimed, what this woman has done will be told in memory of her."
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to dine with him, so Jesus went to his house and took his place at table. Just then a woman, who was an outcast in the town, having ascertained that Jesus was at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of perfume, read more. And placed herself behind Jesus, near his feet, weeping. Then she began to make his feet wet with her tears, and she dried them with the hair of her head, repeatedly kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume. When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself: "Had this man been 'The Prophet,' he would have known who, and what sort of woman, this is who is touching him, and that she is an outcast." But, addressing him, Jesus said: "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Pray do so, Teacher," Simon answered; and Jesus began: "There were two people who were in debt to a money-lender; one owed fifty pounds, and the other five. As they were unable to pay, he forgave them both. Which of them, do you think, will love him the more?" "I suppose," answered Simon, "it will be the man to whom he forgave the greater debt." "You are right," said Jesus, And then, turning to the woman, he said to Simon: "Do you see this woman? I came into your house--you gave me no water for my feet, but she has made my feet wet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You did not give me one kiss, but she, from the moment I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint even my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. And for this, I tell you, her sins, many as they are, have been pardoned, because she has loved greatly; but one who has little pardoned him, loves but little." Then he said to the woman: "Your sins have been pardoned." On this, those at table began to say to one another: "Who is this man who even pardons sins?" But Jesus said to the woman: "Your faith has delivered you; go, and peace be with you."
As they continued their journey, Jesus came to a village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him to her house. She had a sister called Mary, who seated herself at the Master's feet, and listened to his teaching; read more. But Martha was distracted by the many preparations that she was making. So she went up to Jesus and said: "Master, do you approve of my sister's leaving me to make preparations alone? Tell her to help me." "Martha, Martha," replied the Master, "you are anxious and trouble yourself about many things; But only a few are necessary, or rather one. Mary has chosen the good part, and it shall not be taken away from her."
Now a man named Lazarus, of Bethany, was lying ill; he belonged to the same village as Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus was ill, was the Mary who anointed the Master with perfume, and wiped his feet with her hair. read more. The sisters, therefore, sent this message to Jesus--'Master, your friend is ill'; And, when Jesus heard it, he said: "This illness is not to end in death, but is to redound to the honor of God, in order that the Son of God may be honored through it." Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus. Yet, when he heard of the illness of Lazarus, he still stayed two days in the place where he was. Then, after that, he said to his disciples: "Let us go to Judea again." "Rabbi," they replied, "the Jews were but just now seeking to stone you; and are you going there again?" "Are not there twelve hours in the day?" answered Jesus. "If a man walks about in the day-time, he does not stumble, because he can see the light of the sun; But, if he walks about at night, he stumbles, because he has not the light." And, when he had said this, he added: "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going that I may wake him." "If he has fallen asleep, Master, he will get well," said the disciples. But Jesus meant that he was dead; they, however, supposed that he was speaking of natural sleep. Then he said to them plainly: "Lazarus is dead; And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may learn to believe in me. But let us go to him." At this, Thomas, who was called 'The Twin,' said to his fellow-disciples: "Let us go too, so that we may die with him." When Jesus reached the place, he found that Lazarus had been four days in the tomb already. Bethany being only about two miles from Jerusalem, A number of the Jews had come there to condole with Martha and Mary on their brother's death. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat quietly at home. "Master," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now, I know that God will grant you whatever you ask him." "Your brother shall rise to life," said Jesus. "I know that he will," replied Martha, "in the resurrection at the Last Day." "I am the Resurrection and the Life," said Jesus. "He that believes in me shall live, though he die; And he who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" "Yes Master," she answered; "I have learned to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, 'who was to come' into the world." After saying this, Martha went and called her sister Mary, and whispered: "The Teacher is here, and is asking for you." As soon as Mary heard that, she got up quickly, and went to meet him. Jesus had not then come into the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. So the Jews, who were in the house with Mary, condoling with her, when they saw her get up quickly and go out, followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she threw herself at his feet. "Master," she exclaimed, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died!" When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her weeping also, he groaned deeply, and was greatly distressed. "Where have you buried him?" he asked. "Come and see, Master," they answered. Jesus burst into tears. "How he must have loved him!" the Jews exclaimed; But some of them said: "Could not this man, who gave sight to the blind man, have also prevented Lazarus from dying?" Again groaning inwardly, Jesus came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against the mouth of it. "Move the stone away," said Jesus. "Master," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time the smell must be offensive, for this is the fourth day since his death." "Did not I tell you," replied Jesus, "that, if you would believe in me, you should see the glory of God?" So they moved the stone away; and Jesus, with uplifted eyes, said: "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard my prayer; I know that thou always headrest me; but I say this for the sake of the people standing near, so that they may believe that thou has sent me as thy Messenger." Then, after saying this, Jesus called in a loud voice: "Lazarus! come out!" The dead man came out, wrapped hand and foot in a winding- sheet; his face, too, had been wrapped in a cloth. "Set him free," said Jesus, "and let him go."
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead, was living. There a supper was given in honor at which Martha waited, while Lazarus was one of those present at the table. read more. So Mary took a pound of choice spikenard perfume of great value, and anointed the feet of Jesus with it, and then wiped them with her hair. The whole house was filled with the scent of the perfume. One of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was about to betray Jesus, asked: "Why was not this perfume sold for thirty pounds, and the money given to poor people?" He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and, being in charge of the purse, used to take what was put in it. "Let her alone," said Jesus, "that she may keep it till the day when my body is being prepared for burial. The poor you always have with you, but you will not always have me."