EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN. CHAPTER XI. 1, 2. 'Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, out of the village of Mary, and of Martha, her sister. It was the Mary that anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.' We are now introduced to a family of whom the other Gospels have had to speak. It would seem that Lazarus and his sisters were born in Galilee, but had a house in Bethany, near Jerusalem. This is gathered from the different prepositions used in this passage in relation to the two places; a point not noticed by the translators. Now we are come to a question which has often been raised, and on which many are divided. Is the Mary here spoken of--the sister of Lazarus-the notorious sinner of Luke vii., and the Mary Magdalene of the Gospels ? whom nevertheless the Lord forgave, and declared that he preferred to Simon the Pharisee ? Then Simon the Pharisee' would be also Simon the leper.' If it be so, then Martha was the husband of Simon the leper, and Lazarus was sojourning at the house. Then there were two anointings. One, early in our Lord's ministry, after His freeing Mary from evil spirits, and her conversion from her evil way; and the final one at Bethany, just before our Lord's death. |