Beyond the fact that
the meal is taking place at the house of a leper (though one may be tempted to
imagine that the meal is taking place at Lazarus’ house because it is said
“they prepared a dinner for Jesus there” (Mark 12:2), the “there” must be a
reference to Bethany), when folding in the details from the Gospel of John, one
is now urged to look a second time at the fact that Martha was serving.
Martha is not only serving, but she, a wealthy woman like her sister (who can
afford to “waste” a valuable amount of perfume), is serving in the house of a
leper. This is unthinkable in that day.
Clearly, Simon is
somebody that is further down the social scale from Lazarus, Martha, and Mary,
so the fact that a more noble member of society is serving in the house of
somebody that is “beneath them,” is a radical shake-up in the normal social
order, though such things seem to be quite commonplace with Jesus. It is
the presence of Jesus, and that alone, that is bringing this unthinkable
occurrence to pass.
The social mobility
of modern times (for a large part of the world), along with the casual mixing
of classes that makes it impossible to positively and concretely identify one’s
socioeconomic status was unknown in the ancient world. Various aspects of
the culture, especially the setting of meals and banquets, revealed social
status in no uncertain terms. The fact that this is so foreign to most people
causes results in missing these aspects that would have stood out in the early
years of the church. One tends to read past these things, whereas a time
and a culture that is thoroughly accustomed to these things and ordered around
meals, would have had very strong reactions and opinions associated with what
was being seen in Jesus’ actions and what was being communicated by the church
about Jesus’ actions.
A prominent feature
of this story is that Mark makes it a point to mention that Jesus is dining at
the house of a leper named Simon. For some reason, Lazarus is absent from
Matthew and Mark’s story, and of course, is absent from any Gospel save that of
John. Though Lazarus’ lack of any presence at all in Matthew, Mark, and
Luke is bizarre (to say the least), it is Simon who is conspicuous by his
absence from the telling in John.
Though Simon is not
present in John, Lazarus, though he is famous and people are coming to see
Jesus on account of him, is not presented as the honored guest. He does
not take the place of Simon, but is presented merely as “among those present at
the table with Him” (John 12:2b). Lazarus is just another guest, Martha
is serving, and Mary is (according to John’s record, wiping Jesus’ feet with
her hair---which brings its own provocative considerations that are beyond the
pale of this study). There is a dynamic at work here with this particular
meal that should serve to provide structure for any thoughts and considerations
of Jesus’ kingdom message.
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