The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 128

hne juet poured some over my feet) for the rememhre.nce thereby." The frankinoenee cll\y of my emb11lmmeut." '£his certainly of the Wise Men, the ointment of MBry, the seems inconeietent wi'th the complaint of homage of the Greeks, were symbols, and the disciples or of Judas, 11t the apparently cBn never be repeBted. The greatest motive euportluous expenditure, and would compel for generous e.nd affectionate interest in the ue to restrict the mbT& to the unused portion. poor is that Ibey represent the Lord ; but 'l'he advaoo.lee of the T.R. readiog say that they a.re not to be rivals of the Lord him- it represents the origino.l text, which has self. Westcott reme.rka, "The promise of been altered by oritioiem arising from mis- the fntnre record of the act of love is omitted unclereto.nding of the ideo. of the day of by the one evangelist who gives the name burio.l haviug ideally arrived; but why did of the wome.n who showed this devutiun to they not 11lter on the ea.me principle the lan- her Mo.eter." Moulton, "'l'be very charity guage of the eynopti•te? The aclvoco.tes of the.t cares for the poor whom we see lrn~ Lnchmann's text e11y that it hns been nltered been kept alive by faith in and devotion to by copyists, to bring it into o.ccord with the the crucified Redeemer whom we ce.nnot text of the synoplists. Lange justifies the Re- see." vised Version, "Suffer her to keep it against Vere. 9-11.-2. The effecf,s of the great the clay of my burying," o.nd puts it thus: eign. "Permit her to keep it [i.e. to ho.ve kept Vere. 9.-(1) On much people of the Jew•. the ointment which ehe might ho.ve need at The article (~), which the beet texts intro- the burie.l of Le.ze.rus) for the de.y of my duce before 6x"'o• ,ro,\l,,, gives to these words burial," now ideally present in the outbreak e.n al.moat technical force. The huge multi- of Judas's devilish malignity. So virtue.Uy tude of the J'ews-the surging crowd of Luthe.rdt o.nd Baumgarten-Crueiue. Goclet ever-gathering pilgrims blended with the argues tho.t this is forced o.nd ungra.mmati- "common people," the bulk of the population cal. But there is this advantage in it, that of Jerusalem a.nd its neighbourhood (eh. xi. it brings the language into much closer re- 55, 56)--therefore-becawe, i.e., of the lation with the synoptiets. Westcott prefere rumours of the feast, the news of the royal the idea of Meyer. The older view is to coneecre.tion e.ncl eo.cred anointing, which mo for more satisfactory. Edersheim (ii. had ta.ken place in honour of Jesus a.nd hie 35) adds to this, " Mo.ry may have had that last great miracle--lee.rned that he was e.labe.ster box from eo.rly de.ye, before ehe there-that he he.d left his unknown place he.d learned to serve Christ. When she of retirement e.t Ephraim. We gather from understood that decease of which he con- the synoptic narrative that he had joined stantly spake, ehe may he.ve put it aside, the pilgrim-throng, e.dve.ncing first into "kept it," "age.inst the day of his burying." Jericho, o.nd then, after a night spent there, And now the decisive hour is come. had moved onwards to Bethany. The disper- Ver. 8.-Thie verse is omitted in D, but sion of hundreds of these excited followers abundantly attested here. It occurs almost into Jerusalem he.cl again bruited abroad verbatim in Matthew and Mink, and can- the fact of the resurrection of Lazarus, e.ncl, not be set a.aide on the authority of this one by reason of the Lord's return to Bethany, eccentric manuscript- l!'or the poor ye have the Jeruea.lem-pa.rty e.t length learned where a.lwe.ys with you (cf. Deut. xv_ 11). You he we.s. 'O 6x,\os e,c Twv 'IouBcifwv shows e.n will e.lwaye he.ve opportunity of doing to antithesis intended between the J uilma.n ancl them, a.e to representatives of me, what is in the Galilman crowds. These the synoptists your hl'Q?t of compe.esion (cf. Matt. xxv. describe as " those the.t went before, and 40-45). But me, e.s an object of persona.I, those that followed e.fter.n And they came, tangible regard e.nd visible attention, de- not for the sake of J'esus only, but that they serving thus and ever the o.ffluence e.nd ex- might see La..zarus also, whom he re.isetl. uberance of your love, ye have not a.lwe.ys; from the dead. Jesus we.a not the only a.t- e.nd, though I shall be with you always in tre.ction; the risen mo.n Lazarus WW! a rival my Divine power and Spirit, even unto the in popula.rity, e.nd by this ocular, taogible end of the world, and though I shall e.lwe.ys epeoimen of the supernatural resources of be with you in the person of the poor and Jesus. they would deepen their interest e.nd needy, yet in the sense in which this ex- strengthen their convictions. J[e.ny of this pression of love oou be ma.de, I ehe.11 be Jerusalem populace, on o.aoount of him absent. As though he hl\d said, "After this (Lazarus), o.nd the foot of his resUBCitation very night, the opportunity to otrer me (vrii'Yo,), went away, perhaps, thongll not affectionate attention or symbolio homage, nece88Uily so, "apoetntized," from the high- to give expression to feelings in 11coordo.nce prieetly pe.rty, fl'om the hostile party in the with just presentiments ns to my mission, oe.pital, and sepe.re.ted themselves from the will be over for ever, and belong to the open but despernte plot age.inst the Divine irrecoverablo pust-Now or ne-veT ! She he.s Master, and believed on J'eau-threw in done this thing, she will have everl11.Sling their po.rt nnd lot with the Lord e.nd his du- 134 TRE GOSPEL AOOO'RhtNG TO ST. JOllN. [olI. :rtt.1-'0.