Chapter Twelve

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they prepared a supper for Him, and Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those who sat at table with Him. And Mary, taking a pound of spikenard, pure and precious ointment, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. and the house was filled with the fragrance of myrrh.

On the tenth day of the month, a lamb is chosen to be slaughtered on the feast of Passover (Exodus 12:3), and from the same time they begin to prepare everything necessary for the feast. Usually, six days before Easter, that is, on the ninth day of the month, they eat luxurious food and begin the feast on this day. For this reason Jesus also came to Bethany, sharing the supper. The Evangelist, wishing to show the truth of the resurrection of Lazarus, says: "And Lazarus was one of those who sat at table with Him." For when he appeared alive, he did not die immediately, but remained on earth for a long time, eating, drinking, and doing other usual things. By saying that "Martha served," he meant that the food was in her house. Take note, I beg you, of this woman's faith. She did not entrust the service to the maidservants, but performs it herself directly. And Paul speaks of a widow who washed the feet of the saints (1 Tim. 5:10). Thus, Martha herself serves everyone in general, and Mary gives honor only to Christ, because she hearkens to Him not as a man, but as God. For she shed myrrh and wiped her head with her hair, because she had a different conception of Him than others had, not as a mere man, but as Lord and Lord. Mary can also be understood in the highest sense – about the divinity of the Father and Lord of all; for Mary means "lady." Thus, the Father's Divinity, which dominates all things, anointed the feet of Jesus – the flesh of the Lord the Word, which had been taken on in recent times, – anointed the Spirit with peace, just as David says: "Therefore O God, Thy God has anointed Thee with the oil of joy" (Psalm 44:8); and the great Peter says: "Know all the house of Israel, that God has made this same Jesus, whom you have crucified, Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). For the flesh received by the Word, anointed by the divine Spirit who came into the womb of the Virgin, and made the same as the Word, that is, God, filled the world with blessing, just as the myrrh of Mary filled the whole house with fragrance. What is the "hair" with which the feet are wiped? These are, of course, the saints who adorn the head of God and His supreme authority. For they, being to the glory of God, may be called His adornment. They also became partakers of the anointing of the Lord's flesh, just as David calls them "partakers" (Psalm 44:8), and the Apostle Paul says to the Corinthians: "God who strengthens us with you in Christ and anointed us" (2 Corinthians 1:21). And everywhere we learn that those who live according to Christ are called Christs (anointed ones). Thus, by the hair with which Jesus' feet are wiped and which are partakers of the divine anointing, we can understand Christians. Hair is something dead. And Christians are dead, for they have crucified the flesh (Gal. 5:24) and have put to death the members that are on the earth (Col. 3:3), and have put to death for the world. Hair adorns the head and constitutes its glory. The glory of God is also made up of the saints, since their light shines before men, and the Father is glorified through them (Matt. 5:16), and they eat and drink for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), and in their members they glorify Him. And you, since Jesus has resurrected your mind, as if it were a certain Lazarus, receive Him into the house of your soul; let him who has risen recline with Him; anoint the feet of the Lord, six days before the Passover, before the Passover of the age to come as long as you live in this world made in six days. By the "feet" of Christ can be understood: the Apostle and the Gospel, and the commandments in general, for by them He walks in us. And so, to these commandments add myrrh – a disposition composed of various virtues, of which the highest is faith, fervent as spikenard. For if you do not show a fervent, zealous and virtuous disposition towards these commandments, and do not reject them with mortified limbs, as with hair, and do not receive them into yourself, you will not be able to perfume your house. By the "feet" of the Lord can also be understood the lesser brethren, in whose person Christ comes to the doors of each and asks for what is necessary: anoint them with the myrrh of almsgiving. Many give alms for show, and therefore they do not benefit themselves, for here they receive a reward (Matt. 6:1-2). And you wipe your head with your hair and receive the benefit for your soul, gather the fruit of alms in the dominant part. And if you have something dead and soulless, like hair, perfume it with this good anointing. For it is said: "Atone for thy sins with almsgiving" (Dan. 4:24).

Then one of His disciples, Judas Simon Iscariot, who wanted to betray Him, said, "Why not sell this ointment for three hundred denarii and distribute it to the poor?" He said this not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief. He had a money drawer with him and carried what was put into it. And Jesus said, Leave her; she has reserved it for the day of my burial. For you always have the poor with you, but not always Me.

Judas, being covetous, does not approve of such a way of care. Why, as he says, did you bring not money, from which I could steal, but myrrh? How then does the other Evangelist (Matt. 26:8-9) say that all the disciples said this? To this it must be said that although all said so, the others did not speak with the same thought as Judas. The Lord does not rebuke Judas, although He knows that he said this with the intention of Tatya. For he did not want to shame him, teaching us to tolerate such people for a long time. However, secretly, the Lord reproaches Judas for betrayal and for handing Him over to death out of covetousness. For this reason he also mentions burial, striking his foolish heart, so that he may be reformed, and the addition has the following meaning: "The poor," he says, "you always have with you, but not always Me; a little while, and I will depart, for you have prepared death for me. Therefore, if I am displeasing to you, and the honor that I do is burdensome to you, be patient a little, and you will be delivered from Me; and then it will be revealed whether you care about the sale of peace because of the poor.

If Judas was covetous and a thief, then why did the Lord entrust him with the management of money? For the very reason that he was a thief in order to deprive him of any apology. For he could not say that he had betrayed Him (Jesus) for the love of money. The money-box consoled him, but even when he carried the box, he was not faithful. For he carried away, that is, stole what was put there, and he was a sacrilege, arrogating to himself alms for a holy work. Let the sacrilegers hear what their fate is. The height of evil is that Judas subsequently betrayed Jesus and the Lord. Do you see what covetousness leads to? To betrayal. Thus, the Apostle Paul appropriately called the love of money the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10), because it betrayed the Lord and always does so. Some say that Judas was entrusted with the custody of money, as the least of the others. For to serve about money is less than to teach, just as in Acts (6:2) the apostles say: "It is not good for us to leave the word of God and take care of tables."

Many of the Jews knew that He was there, and they came not only to see Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. And the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus also. Because because of him, many of the Jews came and believed in Jesus.

Those who came to the Lord were more well-intentioned than others, unconscious and violent; for they came not only for Jesus, but also to see Lazarus. Since a truly great miracle had taken place, many wished to be spectators of the resurrected one, perhaps in the hope of learning something from Lazarus about those who were in hell. The Pharisees are so inhuman that they want to kill not only Jesus, but also Lazarus, because he served as a reason for salvation for many through a miracle performed on him, leading guileless people to faith. In the same way, the beneficence of Jesus became a crime for them. They were especially vexed that, on the occasion of the feast, everyone went to Bethany, learned about the miracle and saw with their own eyes the resurrected one.

On the morrow, a multitude of people who had come to the feast, hearing that Jesus was going to Jerusalem, took palm branches, went out to meet Him, and cried out, Hosanna! blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, King of Israel!

The Lord, having withdrawn for a short time into the wilderness in order to appease the fury of the bloodthirsty, again openly enters Judea and shows Himself before all. At last the time had come to suffer, and He should not have hid Himself, but given Himself up for the salvation of the world. See, then, what was the sequence of suffering. The Lord resurrected Lazarus, preserving by the end this miracle, the most important of all the others; because of this, many flocked to Him and believed. Because many believed, the envy of the enemies increased. This was followed by plots against Him and the cross.

The people, hearing that Jesus was coming, met Him with glory, no doubt for the sake of the miracle over Lazarus, giving Him more honor than befitted a common man. For they no longer took Him for a prophet, because to which of the prophets did their fathers give such honor? That is why they exclaimed: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" for "hosanna" means: "save." Thus this word was translated into Greek by the seventy interpreters in Psalm 117 (v. 25). For in the Hebrew language it reads: "Hosanna", but in the Greek: "O Lord, save!" To save belongs only to God, and to Him it is said: "Save us, Lord our God!" Thus, those who cried out to Christ with the words of David show, first, that He is God; then that He is God in the proper sense. For they say: "To come," and not to one who is led. The latter is something slavish, and to go is autocratic. The words, "in the name of the Lord," express the same thing, that He is the true God. For they do not say that He comes in the name of a servant, but in the name of the Lord. They also imagine that He is not an adversary of God, but has come in the name of the Father, as the Lord Himself says: "I have come in the name of My Father, and another shall come in his own name" (John 5:43). They also call Him the King of Israel, perhaps in dreams of a sensual kingdom; for they expected that some king of nature higher than human nature would arise and deliver them from the dominion of the Romans.

And Jesus, having found the colt, sat on it, as it is written, Fear not, O daughter of Zion. Behold, thy King cometh seated on a colt (Zech. 9:9). His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that it was written about Him, and they did it to Him.

The other Evangelists say that the Lord said to His disciples: "Loose them, and bring them unto me" (Matt. 1:21:2; Mk. 11:2; Lk. 19:30). And here John doesn't mention any of that, but just says, "Jesus found the colt." However, there is no disagreement between the evangelists. Others spoke at length, but John said more briefly, "Jesus, having found a colt." When the disciples had untied him and brought him in, Jesus found him and sat down on him. In this circumstance, He also fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah, who said: "Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion! behold, thy king cometh unto thee, sitting on a colt" (Zech. 9:9). Since the kings of Jerusalem, for the most part, were unjust and greedy, the prophet says: "Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion! The king of whom I predict to you is not like that, but meek and humble-minded, and not in the least proud. This is also evident from the fact that He came sitting on a donkey. For He did not enter accompanied by an army, but came on one donkey.

The Lord's sitting on a donkey was also a type of the future. This animal, unclean according to the law, was the image of the unclean people of the Gentiles, on whom Jesus, the Word of God, sits, subduing this rebellious and coarse, like an ass, new people, whom He leads up to the true Jerusalem after it has become tame and obedient to Him. For did not the Lord raise up to heaven those pagans who became His people and submitted to the preaching of the Gospel?