Sabbath Celebrated at Bethany

Some commentors try to make this the same event as the meal in the house of Simon the Leper because of the same perfume and the same response from Judas. That seems a mistake for several reasons.

Here the woman is named (Mary, the sister of Lazarus), and at Simon's, she is not. Mary anoints Jesus' head; the unnamed women, his feet. Furthermore, anyone familiar with Jewish customs would have a hard time seeing Martha serving a Sabbath meal anywhere except in her home—specially to a celebrity that was a guest. The idea of them all going to another home is a bit farfetched. It’s far easier to accept that there were two times Jesus was anointed and leave the passage where John placed it.

John also tells us that a large crowd gathered there, not only to see Jesus, but Lazarus as well. Later, he says, “the crowd that was with him” spread the word about Jesus raising Lazarus. There is a good chance that many of the pilgrim band did not know that before and were the ones that caused the Pharisees to worry about Jesus’s growing influence.

Again, John ends this festive time with the sad comment that this increased the fury of the chief priests so much that they added Lazarus to their death list.