Deacon Leah Sandwell-Weiss

Dear friends,

Today’s Gospel readings in the Eucharistic and Office Lectionaries (John 12:1-11 and John 12:9-19) slightly overlap in their stories about Mary anointing Jesus’ feet and the procession into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

Interestingly, the overlap, verses 9-11, deals with neither of these stories, but rather with Lazarus whom Jesus had recently raised from the dead.

Why the emphasis on Lazarus?

Mary and Martha were important women followers of Jesus in both Luke and John, but we only hear of Lazarus in John, when we learn of his illness and that Jesus loved him.

Jesus arrived four days after Lazarus had died and been put in a tomb. With a crowd of witnesses around him, Jesus prayed that the crowd would hear and see what he was doing so they might believe that God sent him. Then he called Lazarus out of the tomb.

A few weeks after Lazarus was raised, Jesus headed to Jerusalem to observe the Passover; he stopped at Bethany at the home of the siblings, where they held a dinner for him.

Martha served, Lazarus sat at the table with him, and Mary poured perfume on Jesus’ feet. But Jesus was not the only person the crowd wanted to see.

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus. John 12:9-11

For Jewish leaders, this was the last straw. They were concerned that if Jesus continued performing signs like this, the Romans would consider it a declaration that Jesus claimed to be the king and would destroy the country.

Later, this opinion was reinforced when they saw and heard that more people were joining Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem because of the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

So, the story of Lazarus, a man who has no voice, became a catalyst in this Gospel for the plot to seize Jesus so he could be put to death. However, it also led many to believe Jesus was the Messiah and to join his followers.

In this way, Jesus’ prayer was successful: those who witnessed the miracle believed that God had sent him. May we who did not see this miracle, do the same.

—Deacon Leah