The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 145

Na.ry's act wae an ext"'ord1na.ry mark of honour, for she anointed hie feet as well as his head. 2. Her ad toaB a ,,i,-tltuJl consecration, of J1!$W to a Divine work, involving d«rth. 3. 1!o apo«tl,e had ever, ,:,erha,ps, sacrijked so much t1,pon the Lord aa Mary, for ~er offering WM "very costly. A loving heart judges no offering too precious for Chr1~t. IV. Tm: HYl'OOBITIOAL REMONBTBANCB OP' JUDAS IBOARIOT. "Why was not this perfume sold for two hundred pence, and the price given to the poor?" 1. It was ,mdoubtdly a large sum t<J ea:pendfor s,ich a pu7.°._se. Says Mark (xiv. 6)1 "It might ha H been sold for more than three hundred pence, ' a sum equal to the support of a work- ini; ma.n during a whole yea.r. 2. The rnmplaint of Judas was t-ehoed by the other apostles. " And they were angry at her " (Ma.rk). How ready even good men are at times to respond to the suggestions of Belfish but plausible men I 3. The objection of Judas to M~ry's_profusi,on was dictn,ted m no de!J",e by a gmuine regard/or the poor. "Now he l'a1d this, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and kept the bag, :md took what was put in it." (1) Judas thought it would have been a wiser act for Mary to entrust the value of this costly offering to his keeping. (2) It would have g:iven him a fresh opportunity of purloining from the common stock. (3) Mark bow a covetous heart grudges everything to Christ. (4-) Mark the false motive that prompted the remonstrance. How common is the tendency to undervalue a generous act through envy or selfishness I (a) He had no compassion for the poor. (b) The poor always had their share of the common fond provided for the apostles (eh. xiii. 29). V. OUR Lono's VINDIOATION OP' MARY'S DEVOTEDNESS. "Let her alone: against the day of my burial bath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always." 1. Mary utters not a 'IDOTd in her own vindication. 2. Jesu, vindicates her act, as having relation to his approaching burial. (1) It was usual to make such preparations for the grave. (2) Her act showed that she believed in his approaching death. In this respect :Mary saw further than the apostles themselves. 3. Faith honours a crocified as well as an ascended Lord. 4. The act of. Mary now begun was oomp'leted by Nicodemus and Joseph of .Arimathllla. (Ch. xix. 40.) 6. There i8 a paper sea.son for the hoftour or l,ove to be shown to those dear t<J us. (1) There will never be wanting the poor to receive the tokens of a kindly heart. "For the poor shall never cease out of the land" (Deut. xv. 11). (2) JesUB in hie human life was soon to disappear from the world. VL THE OUBIOBITY OF THE JEWS OONOEBNING JESUS. "Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom be had raised from the dead." 1. The miracles he had 10rov,ght profOtJ,~ interestd the people in the Person of our Lord. 2. It was curiosity -rather than conseience that led t<J the desire t<J see Lazarus as well as Jesus. Curiosity, however, is lawful and right when it leads to a serious inquiry into the facts. VIL Tim FRESH ACT OF VIOLENCE OONTEHPLATED BY TBE OBIEF PRIESTS. "Now the chief priests consulted that they might put LazarUB to death also." 1. The sacrifice of one life often leads to the sacrifice of 'TTW/'e. Yet what injury had Lazarus done? 2. The idea of the authorities was to destroy the living evidence of a most remarkable miracle. 3. The cause of the bloody desi.gn was the ejfects of the mirade in adding to the number of Christ's converts. "Because many of the Jews went away, and believed on JesUB." (1) They not only with.drew from the communion of Judaism and the juris- diction of the chief priests, (2) but became true disciples of JesUB. Nothing so enrages the enemies of Christ as the enlargement of his kingdom. Vers. 12-19.-17ie triumphal, entry into Jerwialem. On the day after the feast at Bethany, Jesus entered the city under circumstances of unusual public enthusiasm. L CoNIIIDEB THE PERSONS WHO AOOOBDED TO HIM THIS PUBLIC MANIFESTATION OF FA vouB. "On the next day a great crowd of people that were come to the feast, when they hear.I that JesUB was come to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in_ the Name of the Lord." 1. TMg fJJN'e not Jews of JerUBOkm, who were almost entirely hostile to Jes118, but Gaillieans who had come up to observe the Passover. These people were far more receptive of truth than the people directly under the guidance of the religioua chiefs of the nation, 2. The pulm branchl!$ were emblematic of triumph; on. xu. 1-60.] 'fllE GOSPEL ACCORDING 'fO ST. JOHN. 15 L