John 12:1

1 Then Jesus, six days before the passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

John 12:1 Meaning and Commentary

John 12:1

Then Jesus, six days before the passover
Or "before the six days of the passover"; not as designing the days of that feast, for they were seven; but as reckoning so many days back from it, that is, before the sixth day from the ensuing passover: if there were six complete days between this and the passover, as this way of speaking seems to imply; then this must be the day before the Jewish sabbath, and this is more likely, than that Christ should travel on the sabbath day: but if this was the sixth day before it, it was their sabbath day, and so at the going out of it in the evening, a supper was made for him, which with the Jews on that night, was a plentiful one; for they remembered the sabbath in its going out, as well as in its coming in ^F5, and this was to prevent grief at the going out of it: so some days before the passover, the lamb was separated from the flock, and kept up till the fourteenth day, ( Exodus 12:3 Exodus 12:6 ) particularly it may be observed, that seven days before the day of atonement, the high priest was separated from his own house, and had to the chamber Palhedrin ^F6; and much such a space of time there was, between the day of the great atonement by Christ, and his unction by Mary; which is said to be against the day of his burial, which being the same day with his sufferings, was the great day of atonement: at this time Jesus

came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead;
the last clause is left out in the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions:

whom he raised from the dead;
that is, "Jesus", as the Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions express; and the Ethiopic version adds, "in Bethany". This was the town of Lazarus; here he lived, and here he died, and here he was raised from the dead; and here he continued and dwelt, after his resurrection; and hither Christ came to see him, and the rest of the family, though he knew he exposed himself to danger in so doing.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 Maimon. Hilchot Sabbat. c. 29. sect. 1. 11, 12, 29.
F6 Misn. Yoma, c. 1. sect. 1.

John 12:1 In-Context

1 Then Jesus, six days before the passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

3 Then Mary took a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.

4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's [son], who was to betray him,

5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?