LEST men should think it was but in a phantom show
that a dead man rose to life again, he was one of them which reclined at the
board: there was he living, talking, partaking of the meal: It so the truth was
shown, the unbelief of the Jews confounded. The Lord then sat at meat, together
with Lazarus and the rest, and waiting on them was Martha, one of the sisters
of Lazarus.
O THOU, whosoever wouldest be a faithful soul,
with Mary anoint thou the Lord's feet with precious ointment! that ointment was
righteousness, therefore was it a pound: moreover, it was ointment of costly
spikenard. That he calls it pisticum,
we ought to take it to mean some place from which this costly ointment came:
yet neither is this expression idle, but chimes in excellently with the inward
and spiritual meaning. Pistis is
Greek for Faith. Thou wast seeking to work righteousness: the righteous lived
by faith. Anoint the feet of Jesus: by good living follow the Lord's footsteps.
Wipe his feet with thine hair: if thou hast superfluities, give to the poor,
and thou has wiped the feet of the Lord: for the hair seems to be the
superfluity of the body. Thou hast what thou mayest do with thy superfluity: to
thee it is superfluous, but to the Lord's feet necessary. Perchance on earth
the Lord's feet suffer need.
FOR of whom but his members will he say in the end
of the world, While ye did it to one of the least of mine, ye did it unto me?
Your superfluities ye bestowed, but it was to my feet that ye showed the kindness.
But, the house was filled with the odor; the world was filled with the good
fame: for good odor is good fame. They that live ill, and are called
Christians, do wrong to Christ: such are they of whom it is said, that through
them the name of the Lord is blasphemed. If through such the Name of God is
blasphemed through the good the Name of the Lord is praised. Hear the Apostle:
We are a good odor of Christ, saith he, in every place.
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