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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And Jesus having been in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came to him a woman having an alabaster box of ointment, very precious, and she poured on his head as he is reclining (at meat). read more. And having seen it, his disciples were much displeased, saying, 'To what purpose is this waste? for this ointment could have been sold for much, and given to the poor.' And Jesus having known, said to them, 'Why do ye give trouble to the woman? for a good work she wrought for me; for the poor always ye have with you, and me ye have not always; for she having put this ointment on my body -- for my burial she did it. Verily I say to you, Wherever this good news may be proclaimed in the whole world, what this one did shall also be spoken of -- for a memorial of her.'
And he, being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, at his reclining (at meat), there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment, of spikenard, very precious, and having broken the alabaster box, did pour on his head; and there were certain much displeased within themselves, and saying, 'For what hath this waste of the ointment been made? read more. for this could have been sold for more than three hundred denaries, and given to the poor;' and they were murmuring at her. And Jesus said, 'Let her alone; why are ye giving her trouble? a good work she wrought on me; for the poor always ye have with you, and whenever ye may will ye are able to do them good, but me ye have not always; what she could she did, she anticipated to anoint my body for the embalming. Verily I say to you, wherever this good news may be proclaimed in the whole world, what also this woman did shall be spoken of -- for a memorial of her.'
And a certain one of the Pharisees was asking him that he might eat with him, and having gone into the house of the Pharisee he reclined (at meat), and lo, a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having known that he reclineth (at meat) in the house of the Pharisee, having provided an alabaster box of ointment, read more. and having stood behind, beside his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with the tears, and with the hairs of her head she was wiping, and was kissing his feet, and was anointing with the ointment. And the Pharisee who did call him, having seen, spake within himself, saying, 'This one, if he were a prophet, would have known who and of what kind is the woman who doth touch him, that she is a sinner.' And Jesus answering said unto him, 'Simon, I have something to say to thee;' and he saith, 'Teacher, say on.' 'Two debtors were to a certain creditor; the one was owing five hundred denaries, and the other fifty; and they not having wherewith to give back, he forgave both; which then of them, say thou, will love him more?' And Simon answering said, 'I suppose that to whom he forgave the more;' and he said to him, 'Rightly thou didst judge.' And having turned unto the woman, he said to Simon, 'Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house; water for my feet thou didst not give, but this woman with tears did wet my feet, and with the hairs of her head did wipe; a kiss to me thou didst not give, but this woman, from what time I came in, did not cease kissing my feet; with oil my head thou didst not anoint, but this woman with ointment did anoint my feet; therefore I say to thee, her many sins have been forgiven, because she did love much; but to whom little is forgiven, little he doth love.' And he said to her, 'Thy sins have been forgiven;' and those reclining with him (at meat) began to say within themselves, 'Who is this, who also doth forgive sins?' and he said unto the woman, 'Thy faith have saved thee, be going on to peace.'
And it came to pass, in their going on, that he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman, by name Martha, did receive him into her house, and she had also a sister, called Mary, who also, having seated herself beside the feet of Jesus, was hearing the word, read more. and Martha was distracted about much serving, and having stood by him, she said, 'Sir, dost thou not care that my sister left me alone to serve? say then to her, that she may partake along with me.' And Jesus answering said to her, 'Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and disquieted about many things, but of one thing there is need, and Mary the good part did choose, that shall not be taken away from her.'
And there was a certain one ailing, Lazarus, from Bethany, of the village of Mary and Martha her sister -- and it was Mary who did anoint the Lord with ointment, and did wipe his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ailing -- read more. therefore sent the sisters unto him, saying, 'Sir, lo, he whom thou dost love is ailing;' and Jesus having heard, said, 'This ailment is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.' And Jesus was loving Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus, when, therefore, he heard that he is ailing, then indeed he remained in the place in which he was two days, then after this, he saith to the disciples, 'We may go to Judea again;' the disciples say to him, 'Rabbi, now were the Jews seeking to stone thee, and again thou dost go thither!' Jesus answered, 'Are there not twelve hours in the day? if any one may walk in the day, he doth not stumble, because the light of this world he doth see; and if any one may walk in the night, he stumbleth, because the light is not in him.' These things he said, and after this he saith to them, 'Lazarus our friend hath fallen asleep, but I go on that I may awake him;' therefore said his disciples, 'Sir, if he hath fallen asleep, he will be saved;' but Jesus had spoken about his death, but they thought that about the repose of sleep he speaketh. Then, therefore, Jesus said to them freely, 'Lazarus hath died; and I rejoice, for your sake, (that ye may believe,) that I was not there; but we may go to him;' therefore said Thomas, who is called Didymus, to the fellow-disciples, 'We may go -- we also, that we may die with him,' Jesus, therefore, having come, found him having been four days already in the tomb. And Bethany was nigh to Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off, and many of the Jews had come unto Martha and Mary, that they might comfort them concerning their brother; Martha, therefore, when she heard that Jesus doth come, met him, and Mary kept sitting in the house. Martha, therefore, said unto Jesus, 'Sir, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died; but even now, I have known that whatever thou mayest ask of God, God will give to thee;' Jesus saith to her, 'Thy brother shall rise again.' Martha saith to him, 'I have known that he will rise again, in the rising again in the last day;' Jesus said to her, 'I am the rising again, and the life; he who is believing in me, even if he may die, shall live; and every one who is living and believing in me shall not die -- to the age; believest thou this?' she saith to him, 'Yes, sir, I have believed that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming to the world.' And these things having said, she went away, and called Mary her sister privately, saying, 'The Teacher is present, and doth call thee;' she, when she heard, riseth up quickly, and doth come to him; and Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was in the place where Martha met him; the Jews, therefore, who were with her in the house, and were comforting her, having seen Mary that she rose up quickly and went forth, followed her, saying -- 'She doth go away to the tomb, that she may weep there.' Mary, therefore, when she came where Jesus was, having seen him, fell at his feet, saying to him, 'Sir, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died;' Jesus, therefore, when he saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, did groan in the spirit, and troubled himself, and he said, 'Where have ye laid him?' they say to him, 'Sir, come and see;' Jesus wept. The Jews, therefore, said, 'Lo, how he was loving him!' and certain of them said, 'Was not this one, who did open the eyes of the blind man, able to cause that also this one might not have died?' Jesus, therefore, again groaning in himself, cometh to the tomb, and it was a cave, and a stone was lying upon it, Jesus saith, 'Take ye away the stone;' the sister of him who hath died -- Martha -- saith to him, 'Sir, already he stinketh, for he is four days dead;' Jesus saith to her, 'Said I not to thee, that if thou mayest believe, thou shalt see the glory of God?' They took away, therefore, the stone where the dead was laid, and Jesus lifted his eyes upwards, and said, 'Father, I thank Thee, that Thou didst hear me; and I knew that Thou always dost hear me, but, because of the multitude that is standing by, I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send me.' And these things saying, with a loud voice he cried out, 'Lazarus, come forth;' and he who died came forth, being bound feet and hands with grave-clothes, and his visage with a napkin was bound about; Jesus saith to them, 'Loose him, and suffer to go.'
Jesus, therefore, six days before the passover, came to Bethany, where was Lazarus, who had died, whom he raised out of the dead; they made, therefore, to him a supper there, and Martha was ministering, and Lazarus was one of those reclining together (at meat) with him; read more. Mary, therefore, having taken a pound of ointment of spikenard, of great price, anointed the feet of Jesus and did wipe with her hair his feet, and the house was filled from the fragrance of the ointment. Therefore saith one of his disciples -- Judas Iscariot, of Simon, who is about to deliver him up -- 'Wherefore was not this ointment sold for three hundred denaries, and given to the poor?' and he said this, not because he was caring for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and what things were put in he was carrying. Jesus, therefore, said, 'Suffer her; for the day of my embalming she hath kept it, for the poor ye have always with yourselves, and me ye have not always.'