John 12:1. Then Jesus—came to Bethany,— This was in his way to Jerusalem; and he might choose to stop here, in order to renew the idea of the resurrection upon the minds of his disciples, by carrying them once more to the house of one who had been raised from the dead by him; and this was the more necessary, as the time was very near, when he should put their faith to the proof with respect tothis article, by his own death.

John 12:2. There they made him a supper,— It was customary for the Jews to entertain their friends in a more noble manner than usual, about six or seven days before the passover; and it was in compliance with this custom, as well as out of a particular respect to Jesus, whom they most highly reverenced and loved, and who had conferred so great a blessing on them, that Lazarus and his sisters made this entertainment. It was no derogation to Martha that she served at table; for it was not usual with the women to sit at table with the men at entertainments of this kind. Besides, it was incumbent upon her—a peculiar mark of esteem and reverence, on account of the miracle that he had wrought in favour of her family. The sitting of Lazarus at the table, served to shew the reality of the miracle wrought at his tomb; that it was not a spectre or illusion which then presented itself to their sight; and that Lazarus was not only restored to life, but likewise to perfect health.

John 12:3. Then took Mary a pound of ointment— This supper is supposed by many to have been the same with that mentioned Mat 26:6 and Mar 14:3 but upon examination, they will appear to have been different. This happened in the house of Lazarus, that in the house of Simon the leper: at this, Mary the sister of Lazarus anointed our Lord's feet, and wiped them with her hair; at that, a woman, not named, poured the ointment on his head. Here Judas only found fault with the action; there he was seconded by some of the rest. It seems, all the disciples but Judas suffered this first anointing to pass without censure; but when theysaw so expensive a compliment repeated, and that within a few days the one of the other, they joined with him in blaming the woman, and might think themselves warranted to do so, as they knew that their Master was not delighted with luxuries ofany kind. After the anointing mentioned by St. Matthew, Judas went and bargained with the priests to deliver his Master into their hands; yet two days before the passover they consulted among themselves how theymight take him by subtlety. This deliberation was absolutelyunnecessary, if the anointing mentioned by St. Matthew had been the same with that in St. John; for the anointing being expressly fixed by St. John to the sixth day before the passover, the bargain which Judas struck with the priests to betray his Master, is of course fixed to the same day, having happened immediately after the anointing: if so, the priests, six days before the passover, knew of a method to take Jesus by subtlety, and therefore had no occasion formally to consult about it two days before the passover. In fine, the place in the history which St. Matthew has assigned to his anointing, implies that it happened two days before the passover; whereas the anointing mentioned by St. John is expressly said to have been six days before that feast. Compare Matthew 26 l-4 and 14. Thus it evidently appears, that our Lord was anointed with spikenard three different times during the course of his ministry; once in the house of Simon the Pharisee, once in the house of Lazarus, and once in the house of Simon the leper. That this mark of respect should have been shewn him so often, need not be thought strange; for in those countries it was common, at entertainments, to pour fragrant oils on the heads of such guests as they designed to distinguish with marks of extraordinary respect. The custom is alluded to Psalms 45:7. God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Where this piece of civility was shewn, it was an expression of the highest complacency, and generally produced great gladness in the person who was the object of it. Hence, besides the emblematical reason of the ceremony, it was fitly made use of at the instalment of persons into high offices: and therefore, because the only-begotten Son of God was to sustain greater dignities, and execute more important offices than ever were sustained or executed among men, and was fitted for them by more extraordinary endowments than men possessed, having the Spirit given him without measure; he had the name of the Messiah, or the anointed one, appropriated to him by way of eminence; he was anointed with the oil of gladness, infinitely above his fellows,—the other kings, and priests, and prophets, whom God from time to time had raised up and honoured with the title of his anointed ones.

John 12:5. Sold for three hundred pence,— The Roman penny, which is here spoken of, was equal to seven-pence half-penny of our money; three hundred of these pence therefore amounted to about nine pounds, seven shillings, and six-pence sterling. From the value of the ointment it would appear, that Lazarus and his sisters were persons of a better station than ordinary, (see on Ch. John 11:1.) otherwise they could not have afforded so costly a present, nor would Jesus probably have accepted it at their hands.Besides,this conjecture is confirmed by the kind of company which came from the city to comfort the two sisters on the death of their brother. The evangelist calls them the Jews, a word which he commonly makes use of to denote the principal inhabitants of Jerusalem. The action of Mary, and the office which Martha sustained at this feast, are by no means inconsistent with their supposed station; for they must think that they could not put sufficient honour on one whom they esteemed so highly, and to whom they were so much indebted. If the station of Lazarus was, as we suppose, better than common, the miracle of his resurrection must for that reason have been the more illustrious.

John 12:6. And bare what was put therein.— And carried off what was put into it. Elsner; who refers to John 20:15.Matthew 3:11; Matthew 3:11; Mat 8:17 for instances of such an use of the word; εβασταζεν : but it by no means appears that the word is ever used in a bad sense. The meaning here seems to be, not only that Judas had the keeping of the bag at that time, but that it was his stated office to take care of it, and manage its stock. Dr. Heylin renders the clause very well thus: And bearing the purse, had in his keeping what was put into it.

John 12:7. Against the day of my burying, &c.— The Jews first washed the corpse all over with water, after it was laid out, Act 9:37 and then anointed it with liquid spices, or odours, as appears from this apology which our Lord makes for Mary; for the full import whereof, see the note on Matthew 26:10.

John 12:12. Much people that were come to the feast, &c.— The news of our Lord's approach having reached the city, great numbers of the people who were come from the country to attend the feast, and who had a favourable opinion of his character, went forth with palm-branches in their hands, the usual emblems of victory and triumph, to welcome him as the Messiah to the capital. See the notes on the parallel places.

John 12:14. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon, &c.— 'Ευρων δε . Now Jesus having found a young ass, sat, &c. For the evangelist does not mean that Jesus was saluted by the multitude from Jerusalem before he mounted; but his meaning is, that Jesus was riding when they saluted him: or, because Jesus sent for the ass, the word 'Ευρων may be translated having procured; in which sense the verb ευρισκειν is sometimes used.

John 12:16. These things understood not his disciples— Though the disciples believed him to be the Messiah, yet there were many occurrences of his life, which they understood not at the time when they happened, to be foretold of the Messiah; but which, after his ascension, they found exactly to quadrate with, and to be accomplishments of those predictions.

John 12:20. And there were certain Greeks— After the conquest of Darius by Alexander, all his successors of different nations were called Greeks, whence came the name of "the Grecian monarchy," otherwise called "the Syro-Macedonian." Thus Antiochus Epiphanes is said to have reigned in the hundred and thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks, Malachi 1:10; Malachi 1:10. St. Paul likewise often distinguishes all other nations from the Jews by the name of Greeks, Romans 1:16; Romans 2:9; Rom 10:12 and the greater part of Syria was, in our Saviour's time, called Greece by the Jews. Hence, when he was in the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and a woman besought him to cast the evil spirit out of her daughter, she is called a Greek, a Syro-phoenicean by nation, Mar 7:26 and these Greeks who were desirous to see Jesus, were probably of the same nation, and known to Philip, who is here said to have been a native of Bethsaida in Galilee, a neighbouring country, for which reason they might particularlyapply themselves to him. As all the Gentiles were thus named by the Jews Ελληνες, it denoted their religion, rather than their country; but in the present instance, the persons called Greeks were not idolatrous Gentiles; for their business at the feast, which was to worship, shews that they were proselytes to the Jewish religion, and that they cherished expectations of the Messiah. See Acts 2:5; Acts 8:27; Acts 13:43.

John 12:21. We would see Jesus.— This transaction appears to have been in the passover-week, when Christ taught daily in the temple, but retired to Bethany in the evening with his disciples. So that by seeing him, ιδειν, cannot barely be meant seeing his person, which they might have done with the rest of the multitude while he was teaching them; and consequently there could be no reason for them to apply to Philip on that account, or for him to inform Andrew, and for them again to acquaint Jesus with such a request. However, it is not improbable, from the circumstances of the narrative, that thisrequest was made in the temple, upon their meeting with Philip there; and that what they desired, was an admission to Jesus in such a manner, as to hear him perfectly, and be fully informed of his doctrine. It is not indeed expressly said whether this request was granted or not; but it is very reasonable to suppose that it was: for as it was not the effect of mere curiosity, whenever our Saviour met with a disposition in any persons to receive his instructions, he was always ready to encourage it.

John 12:22. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew, &c.— From Philip's not venturing to introduce the men himself, it seems probable that there was some difficulty in the case. Perhaps they were only "proselytes of the gate," who, according to custom, could not be admitted into the company of Jews. See Acts 10:28.

John 12:29. The people therefore—said that it thundered:— The sound of this voice was evidently supernatural, being strong and loud as thunder; but at the same time so articulate that all who heard Jesus address the Father, heard also the words. The word rendered voice, and that rendered thunder, are used promiscuously by the inspired writers, according to the Hebrew idiom, wherein the word koloth, voices, usually signifies thunder. Thunder frequently attended a voice from heaven: in allusion to which, perhaps, the voice itself was called by the ancient Jews bath-kol, or "the daughter of the voice," being ushered in with thunder, and as it were produced from it. This will serve to explain the different sentiments of the people concerning this circumstance. Some of them said, It thunders; and others, that an angel spake; each of them declaring the truth so far as there was thunder joined with the voice from heaven; though that voice was of one much greater than an angel. See Revelation 4:5; Rev 8:5 and Matthew 3:17. Dr. Lightfoot has well observed, that our Saviour had thrice the testimony of a voice from heaven;first, when he entered on his public ministry, as the high priest of our profession at his baptism; Mat 3:17 the second time, when a command was given to hear him, as the great Prophet of the church, at his transfiguration; Matthew 17:5. And now again when he had made his public entry into Jerusalem as a king.

John 12:30. This voice came not because of me, &c.— Dr. Heylin renders this better, This voice came not for my sake, but for yours. It is literally, This voice came not for me, but for you—"not to assure me of the love of my Father, but to confirm you in the belief of my mission; that you may not be offended at the treatment I shall meet with, or quit your hope in me, on account of the sufferings which are coming upon me."

John 12:38. That the saying of Esaias the prophet, &c.— So that the saying—was fulfilled, &c. Heylin, Jeffryes, &c. See the note on Isaiah 53:1. The phrase Hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? is thought by some to allude to the habit generally worn by the Eastern people, and especially by persons of rank; which was a long robe without sleeves; so that when the arm was stretched out to perform any action which required strength, it would appear uncovered, Isaiah 52:10. In this connection, it implies, that whenever true faith is produced in the mind, it is always accompanied by a divine energy.

John 12:41. These things said Esaias, when, &c.— He uttered these remarkable words, when in vision he saw the glory of the Son of God, and the manifestations which he was to make of the divine counsels; and described the effect which these manifestations were to have upon his hearers; for which reason they are a prophetical description of the men of the age in which Jesus lived. We have observed, in the note on Isa 6:1 that from this passage Christ is evidently proved to be the Jehovah: but the reader who may be desirous to see this argument in its full force, is referred, not only to the authors there quoted, but particularly to the excellent Bishop Pearson on the Creed, p. 125.

John 12:44. Jesus cried, &c.— To strengthen the faith of those who believed on him, and to inspire them with courage to confess him, (see John 12:42.) our Lord cried and said in the temple, "Be it known unto you all, that in these extraordinary steps which I take for the reformation of abuses and the vindication of my Father's house, I act by his immediateauthority; and he that cordially believes in me, believeth not in me alone, but in him that sent me, and thereby honours the Father himself. And he that sees me, and regards me with a lively faith, does also in effect see him that sent me, as the perfections of the Father are displayed in me; whereas, he that shuts his eyes against me, excludes the only means of being brought to the true knowledge of him." See the account given by St. Mark, Mar 11:15-17 of which the present discourse of our Lord was the consequence.