John 12: 1-11, Messiah Anointed

After the winter festival, Lazarus became ill and Jesus was contacted.  Waiting a few days, he eventually visited Mary and Martha in Bethany, after Lazarus has died, and there raised Lazarus from the dead.  At a later dinner (weeks later? months later?), Just before the spring festival of Passover, he is invited to a dinner in his honor. 

The Hebrew word "Messiah" and the Greek word "Christ" mean the same thing, "Chosen One" or "Anointed One".  The Messiah should be anointed....

John 12: 1-8, Anointment by Mary
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 
2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 
3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 
5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 
6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 
8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

It is, of course, very natural for Lazarus's family to hold a meal in his honor!  Mary and Martha show up in the other gospels but in John's gospel, they do not appear until chapter 11, where they are introduced as a backdrop to Lazarus.

Mary anoints Jesus with expensive perfume.  Judas protests.  The statement by Judas is purest hypocrisy; John records the true motives of Judas.

Verse 8 is often taken out of context, as if Jesus were dismissing the poor, or were supporting the continuation of poverty. If one puts the passage in context of the general messages about Jesus and the gospel, this is surely not true. It is a statement about Mary's worship and the preparation for  the upcoming crucifixion and burial.

The word translated "pint" was a quantity of about half of a liter, say the NIV footnotes. The amount translated "a year's wages" is literally 300 denarii.  The quote about the poor is from Deuteronomy 15:11.

John 12: 9-11, Angry priests
Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 
10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 
11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

So the priests want to kill a resurrected man??

According to John's gospel, the raising of Lazarus accelerates the scheming of the religious leaders and the end of Jesus' ministry.