Quote:
Originally Posted by MissBrattified
Hmmm...I don't know. The first was at Capernaum, and the second at Bethany. They appear to be two different events. (To me)
The only confusing point is that John refers to Mary, sister of Lazarus as "that Mary" which anointed Jesus' feet BEFORE he accounts Lazarus' death, and the subsequent account of Mary anointing Jesus' feet at the house in Bethany.
I wonder if Mary anointed His feet twice? At the Pharisee's house in Capernaum, and again after Lazarus was raised from the dead?
I'm going to have to do some more reading now. This is starting to get interesting!
I don't think any of the scriptures ever say that Mary, sister of Lazarus was "Mary called Magdalene", or that "Mary called Magdalene" anointed Jesus' feet. Maybe that's just a common assumption?
|
A few points I ran across:
Mary of Magdala, one of the most prominent of the Galilean women who followed Jesus.
Magdala, was an important agricultural, fishing, fish-curing, shipbuilding and trading center, a city of considerable wealth.
We do not know when or where Jesus met Mary of Magdala. It is not said that he visited the city, though its environs are mentioned (
Mark 6:53; Matt. 13:34)
Neither do we understand Mary's condition when she first met Jesus. It is said that seven demons had gone out of her. Since demon possession was at that time associated with both physical and moral-spiritual sickness, Luke's statement does not offer us much help. The reference to "seven demons" probably emphasizes either the seriousness of her condition (
Luke 8:30) or the recurrent nature of it (
Luke 11:26).
The is no solid reason for assuming that Mary had been a harlot and therefore is to be identified with the sinful women of
Luke 7:36-50. Luke surely did not intend this identification, as he introduces Mary Magdelene in a formal way in 8:2, with no suggestion that she has been presented in 7:36-50. It is furthermore, doubtful whether Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward, would have traveled around Galilee (
Luke 8:1-3) with a notorious courtesan.
Neither is Mary Magdalene to be identified with Mary of Bethany (
John 11:1-12:8;
Luke 10:38-42). The former was a Galilean (
Mark 15:40-41;
Luke 8:1-3); the latter, with Mary and Lazarus, lived in Judea, in the village of Bethany, just east of Jerusalem (
John 11:1; on Luke's location of their residence).
There is no suggestion in the narratives about Mary of Bethany that she had been delivered from a serious physical or moral illness. The aggressive role of Mary Magdelene in the distaff side of the gospel story contrasts sharply with the contemplative bent of Mary of Bethany (
John 11;
Luke 10:38-42).
The identification of Mary Magdalene, the sinner of
Luke 7:36-50, and Mary of Bethany, widely accepted in the Western church from about the sixth century (but rejected in the Eastern), probably arose because of the similarities in the stories of the anointing of Jesus by women contained in
Luke 7:36-50;
John 12:1-8, and the unfounded supposition that Mary Magdalene's "seven demons" were demons of unchastity. The unsavory reputation of Magdala may have helped blacken her character.
Mary Magdalene's devotion to Jesus and his cause is clearly underscored by her practical service. She participated in his itinerating mission in Galilee and contributed financially to the venture (
Luke 8:1-3;
Mark 15:40-41). She was present at the Crucifixion (
Mark 16:1;
Luke 23:55-24:1), reported the fact of the empty tomb and the message of the angels to the Eleven (
Luke 24:1-11), and was the recipient of a personal appearance by Jesus after the resurrection (
John 20:11-18).
The Interpreters Dictionary of The Bible, (pages 288-289).
Linear Mode
