BLIND BARTIMUS. this The Evangelic record passes with significant silence over that Little need be said of the incident itself: it is so like the other Deeds of His Life. So to speak-it was left in Jericho as the practical commentary, and the seal on what Christ had said and done the previous evening in regard to Zacchæus. Once more the crowd was following Jesus, as in the morning He resumed the journey with His disciples. And there by the wayside, begging, sat the blind men -there, where Jesus was passing. As they heard the tramp of many feet and the sound of many voices, they learned that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. It is all deeply touching, and deeply symbolical. But what must their faith have been, when there, in Jericho, they not only owned Him as the true Messiah, but cried--in the deep significance of that special mode of address, when coming BOOK IV a St. Mark x. 49 St. Luke from Jewish lips: Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!' It was quite in accordance with what one might almost have expected --certainly with the temper of Jericho, as we learned it on the previous evening, when many,' the multitude,' they which went before,' would have bidden that cry for help be silent as an unwarrantable intrusion and interruption, if not a needless and meaningless application. But only all the louder and more earnest rose the cry, as the blind felt that they might for ever be robbed of the opportunity that was slipping past. And He, Who listens to every cry of distress, heard this. He stood still, and commanded the blind to be called. Then it was that the sympathy of sudden hope seized them-the wonder about to be wrought fell, so to speak, in its heavenly influences upon them, as they comforted the blind in the agony of rising despair with the words, 'He calleth thee.' As so often, we are indebted to St. Mark for the vivid sketch of what passed. We can almost see Bartimæus as, on receiving Christ's summons, he casts aside his upper garment and hastily comes. That question: what he would that Jesus should do unto him, must have been meant for those around more than for the blind. The cry to the Son of David had been only for mercy. It might have been for almsthough, as the address, so the gift bestowed in answer, would be right royal-after the order of David.' But our general cry for mercy must ever become detailed when we come into the Presence of the Christ. And the faith of the blind rose to the full height of the Divine possibilities opened before them. Their inward eyes had received capacity for The Light, before that of earth lit up their long darkness. In the language of St. Matthew, 'Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes.' This is one aspect of it. The other is that given by St. Mark and St. Luke, in recording the words with which He accompanied the healing: Thy faith hath saved thee.” And these two results came of it: all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God;' and, as for Bartimæus, though Jesus had bidden him go thy way,' yet, immediately he received his sight,' he followed Jesus in the way,' glorifying God. And this is Divine disobedience, or rather the obedience of the spirit as against the observance of the letter.3 The arrival of the Paschal band from Galilee and Peræa was not in advance of many others. In truth, most pilgrims from a distance 1 Comp. our remarks on this point in vol. ii. p. 49. 2 The expression is the same in St. Mark and St. Luke. 3 The Parable of the Ten Pieces of Money will be expounded in connection with the last series of Parables. CHRIST'S ARRIVAL AT BETHANY. 357 СНАР. XXIV xi. 55-57 would probably come to the Holy City some days before the Feast, for the sake of purification in the Temple, since those who for any reason needed such-and there would be few families that did not require it generally deferred it till the festive season brought them to Jerusalem. We owe this notice, and that which follows, to St. John,a and in this again recognise the Jewish writer of the St. John Fourth Gospel. It was only natural that these pilgrims should have sought for Jesus, and, when they did not find Him, discuss among themselves the probability of His coming to the Feast. His absence would, after the work which He had done these three years, the elaim which He made, and the defiant denial of it by the priesthood and Sanhedrin, have been regarded as a virtual surrender to the enemy. There was a time when He need not have appeared at the Feast--when, as we see it, it was better He should not come. But that time was past. The chief priests and the Pharisees also knew it, and they had given commandment that, if any one knew where He was, he would show it, that they might take Him.' It would be better to ascertain where He lodged, and to seize Him before He appeared in public, in the Temple. b xii. 1 But it was not as they had imagined. Without concealment Christ came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom He had raised from the dead. He came there six days before the Passover—and yet His coming was such that they could not take Him." They might St. John as well take Him in the Temple; nay, more easily. For, the moment His stay in Bethany became known, much people of the Jews' came out, not only for His sake, but to see that Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead. And, of those who so came, many went away believing. And how, indeed, could it be otherwise? Thus one of their plans was frustrated, and the evil seemed only to The Sanhedrin could perhaps not be moved to such flagrant outrage of all Jewish Law, but the chief priests,' who had no such scruples, consulted how they might put Lazarus also grow worse. to death.c Yet, not until His hour had come could man do aught against Him or His. And, in contrast to such scheming, haste, and search, we mark the majestic calm and quiet of Him Who knew what was before Him. Jesus had arrived at Bethany six days before the The day after was the Sabbath, Passover that is, on a Friday. Canon Westcott prefers the reading: 'the common people.' On the precise dates, see the Com mentaries. It has been impossible here e St. John xii. 10, 11 BOOK St. John xii. 1 b Hengstenberg • Ewald d Cherith. 6 a • Hist. Nat. xii. 12. 26 f xii. 12. 26 a and they made Him a supper.' It was the special festive meal of the Sabbath. The words of St. John seem to indicate that the meal was a public one, as if the people of Bethany had combined to do Him this honour, and so share the privilege of attending the feast. In point of fact, we know from St. Matthew and St. Mark that it took place in the house of Simon the Leper'-not, of course, an actual leper-but one who had been such. Perhaps his guestchamber was the largest in Bethany; perhaps the house was nearest to the Synagogue; or there may have been other reasons for it, unknown to us-least likely is the suggestion that Simon was the husband of Martha, or else her father. But all is in character. Among the guests is Lazarus; and, prominent in service, Martha; and Mary (the unnamed woman of the other two Gospels, which do not mention that household by name), is also true to her charac ter. She had an alabaster' of spikenard genuine,' which was very precious. It held a litra' (or A), which was a Roman pound,' and its value could not have been less than nearly 97. Remembering the price of Nard, as given by Pliny, and that the Syrian was only next in value to the Indian, which Pliny regarded as the best f ointment of 'genuine'3 Nard—unadulterated and unmixed with any other balsam (as the less expensive kinds were), such a price (300 dinars nearly 91.) would be by no means excessive; indeed, much lower than at Rome. But, viewed in another light, the sum spent was very large, remembering that 200 dinars (about 67.) nearly sufficed to provide bread for 5,000 men with their families, and that the ordinary wages of a labourer amounted to only one dinar a day. 4 We can here offer only conjectures. But it is, at least, not unreasonable to suppose-remembering the fondness of Jewish women for such perfumes 5-that Mary may have had that 'alabaster' of very costly ointment from olden days, before she had learned to the events, as we regard them as having Those, if any, who identify this Mary Unguenta optime servantur in alabastris (Plin. H. N. xiii. 2, 3). These 'alabasters' -for the flask itself obtained that name from the stone used-had at the top the form of a cylinder, and are likened by Pliny to a closed rose-bud. The expression TσTIK has given rise to much controversy. Of the various renderings, that by 'genuine' has most in its favour. For a full discussion see Nebe, u. s. pp. 33, 34, and Meyer on St. Mark xiv. 3-9. On the various mixtures of precions ointments, their adulteration, the cost of the various ingredients, and the use made of perfumes in Palestine, see Hersfeld, u. s. pp. 99, 100, 191, 192. 5 See Book III. chap. xxi. THE ANOINTING OF MARY. 359 Jesus XXIV xxvi. 13 serve Christ. Then, when she came to know Him, and must have CHAP. learned how constantly that Decease, of which He ever spoke, was before His Mind, she may have put it aside, 'kept it,' against the day of His burying.' And now the decisive hour had come. may have told her, as He had told the disciples, what was before Him in Jerusalem at the Feast, and she would be far more quick to understand, even as she must have known far better than they, how great was the danger from the Sanhedrin. And it is this believing apprehension of the mystery of His Death on her part, and this preparation of deepest love for it-this mixture of sorrow, faith, and devotion-which made her deed so precious, that, wherever in the future the Gospel would be preached, this also that she had done would be recorded for a memorial of her. And the more we think st. Matt. of it, the better can we understand, how, at that last feast of fellowship, when all the other guests realised not-no, not even His disciples-how near the end was, she would come aforehand to anoint His Body for the burying.'b1 Her faith made it a twofold St. Mark anointing that of the best Guest at the last feast, and that of preparation for that Burial which, of all others, she apprehended as so terribly near. And deepest humility now offered, what most earnest love had provided, and intense faith, in view of what was coming, applied. And so she poured the precious ointment over His Head, over His Feet 2-then, stooping over them, wiped them with her hair, as if, not only in evidence of service and love, but in fellowship of His Death. 'And the house was filled '-and to all time His House, St. John the Church, is filled with the odour of the ointment.' It is ever the light which throws the shadows of objects-and this deed of faith and love now cast the features of Judas in gigantic dark outlines against the scene. He knew the nearness of Christ's Betrayal, and hated the more; she knew of the nearness of His precious Death, and loved the more. It was not that he cared for the poor, when, taking the mask of charity, he simulated anger that such costly ointment had not been sold, and the price given to the poor. 1 St. Matthew and St. Mark. St. John. There is manifestly neither contradiction nor divergence here between the Evangelists. Mary first poured the nard over the Head, and then over His Feet (Godet sees this implied in the κατέχεεν αυτοῦ of St. Mark). St. John notices the anointing of the Feet, not only as the act of greatest humility and the mark of deepest veneration, but from its unusual character, while anointing of the head was not so uncommon. We recall the с xiv. 8 |