The Passion of Christ


The Raising of Lazarus and the Anointing of Christ

Introduction

   This is one of those topics that seemed straightforward enough – until I started researching it.
   The raising of Lazarus appears only in St John’s gospel (Chapter11). It takes place when the Passover is 'nigh at hand',  which is why I include it in the events of the Passion. It has a number of links with the Passion events; the resurrection of Lazarus is both a prefiguring of Christ’s own, and the event that provoked the anger of Caiphas, the chief priest.
  The narrative begins, according to John, at the house of Martha and Mary in Bethany, a short distance from Jerusalem. Martha takes Christ to task for not coming earlier, for her brother Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, had died four days before. If he had come earlier he could have saved him.
  Jesus then asks to be taken to the tomb of Lazarus, where he raises him from the dead – more on this later. Jesus and the apostles are then invited to the House of Mary and Martha, where, along with the resurrected Lazarus, they dine. At this event the anointing of Jesus by Martha’s sister Mary occurs. This is where things become a little complicated.
  All four gospels describe an anointing, but there are significant differences. This table is an attempt to make sense of it all.

 
Gospel When it happened Where it happened Events
John chapter 12 6 Days before the Passover The House of Martha and Mary, Bethany

Mary anoints the feet of Jesus with ointment of spikenard , and wipes his feet with her hair. She is taken to task for 'wasting' the ointment on Jesus when it could have been sold to benefit the poor.  Judas Iscariot is offended.
Matthew chapter 26 2 Days before the Passover The House of Simon the Leper, Bethany

'A woman' pours precious ointment on to Jesus's head from an alabaster box. She is taken to task for 'wasting' the ointment on Jesus when it could have been sold to benefit the poor. Judas Iscariot heads off to betray him. 
Mark chapter 14 2 Days before the Passover The House of Simon the Leper, Bethany

'A woman' pours ointment of spikenard on Jesus's head from an alabaster box. She is taken to task for 'wasting' the ointment on Jesus when it could have been sold to benefit the poor. Judas Iscariot heads off to betray Jesus. 
Luke chapter 7 Unspecified, but early in Christ's ministry before the death of John the Baptist.  The House of Simon the Pharisee, Nain

A woman described as 'a sinner' washes Jesus's feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, and anoints them with ointment from an alabaster box. Simon the Pharisee asks Jesus how he can allow a sinner to do this. 

   The real problem is Luke. It is quite clearly the same narrative as John, so must have been derived from the same source, and yet chronologically it is not related to the passion events at all. What is more, in chapter 10 Luke describes a visit to the house of Martha and Mary, in which Mary is taken to task for sitting at Jesus's feet and listening to him, leaving Martha to do all the work. (This is a popular image, especially in Dutch art, offering an opportunity to paint a wide array of meat, vegetables, and so on. Jesus and Mary are usually hidden away in the back of the picture.) The identity of the two Simons I'll look at on the next page. 
  A further similarity with John's account is that the events are preceded by a resurrection from the dead. (Ch 7 v 12 - 17) . In this case, a young man being carried on a bier. Unlike Lazarus, true, but verses 16/17 are reminiscent of John:
    And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.  And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
 
 The events in art
  The raising of Lazarus has been a popular subject in art from the very beginnings of Christianity, as we'll see on the next page. The other events appear far less often. We can start the story, though, with a unique sculptural image from Chichester Cathedral, West Sussex, showing the arrival of Christ and the apostles at the house in Bethany. The adjacent sculpture shows the raising of Lazarus, which confirms the subject of this one.


Page 2 - The Raising of Lazarus


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