El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-08
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON II, APRIL g. JOHN,
CHAP. IL: Ill.
PrIn cipaI Text-"She Hath Done What
She Could"-Mark. Chap. Il, Verse
The Amounting In Bethany-Ex-
planatOry Notes.

.. There they made him a supper"
In the little town of Bethany Jesus had
become popular, and since the raising OF
Lazarus ne was regarded with marked
venera tion."-Dods. Hence this token of
esteem and honor. The supper was on
Saturday evening, after the Jewish Sab
bath was ended at sunset, and at the
house of Simon the leper, probably one
who had been cured by Jesus. Accord
ing TO a tradition. he was the father of
Lazarus: according to others, he was the
husband of Martha, Martha was his
widow."-Lange.
Lazarus was one of them that sat at
the table, What had been done for him
by Jesus made him an honored guest. His
very presence was expression of
gard to him who had restored him. Note
the characteristic part each of this fam
lily took at this feast.
3. Then took Mary a pound of ONT
ment of Spikenard. A Roman pound of
twelve ounces by the ointment are
to understand rather liquid perfume
than what we commonly know ONT
ment.'-Schaff
The ointment was in an alabaster flask
tMatt), usually made of Oriental or onyx
alabaster with long, narrow necks.
ointment of Spikenard'' is literally
ointment of pistic nard." "pistic'' mean
ing either genuine liquid" 1t was
pure nard. like altar of roses, unadulter-
ated, in full strength Its costliness
made it peculiarly liable to adulteration.
Splkenard (spiked-nard was a plant
closely allied to valerian. and now found
III the Himalayan region. The odor is de-
Scrlbed as resembling that of mixture
OF Nalerian and patclDuli.-Century Die
nonary- Very costly" Horace offers
to give cask of wine for "a very small
box of it; 'Nardi parvus onyx eliciet
dum.'-Odes. ~, xii. 17.-Cambridge BIZ
BILE.
1t was worth 800 Roman pence, Senarii.
silver coins worth 10 to II cents each.
Hence the whole was worth about $50, or
S3O0 to $500 in our time, a penny of denar-
ius being then equal 60 a days wages
'Matt 70: y. Compare the altar Cor otto)
OF roses. made at GhaZipoor in Hindu
stan. and which requires 400. COO full
grown roses to produce one ounce, and
which sells when pure, in the English
warehouses. high as 800 an ounce,
500 for as much as Mary's pound of
Observation-Disclosures Cyclopedia. An
ointec the feet of Jesus She first
poured it over his head and wiped his
feet with her hair This. too was I'M
usual. She took ''woman's chief orna-
ment, and devoted it to wiping the
travei-stained feet of her teacher. She
devoted the best she had to even the
least honora BILE service for him. 1t was
the utmost possible expression of her love
and devotion. She gave her choicest
treasures in the most self-devoted man
ner. She was bashful and retiring, and
could not speak her feelings, and there
fore she expressed them in this way.
And the house was filed with the Cd
our. as indeed the church and the world
have been filled with the odor of this
loving deed.
Ill Boxes of money versus TASKS of
fragrance-Vs. 40 4. Then saith
Judas 1scarot." He looked upon this
as waste. and his mutterings convinced
some of the other disciples that they
Joined with him in his condemna ton of
the act <Matthew and Mark. So often
bad man. working from selfish motives
pS piansiole arguments gets good men to
unite with him in opposing things that
are really good The wolf puts on the
Sleeps clothing. Thus usually the oppo-
sltion TO good wears a mask of virtue:
religion is opposed in the name of liberty:
latin. nl the name e. free thought: pro-
hloitlon. in the name of temperance.
D. Sold and given to the poor
Jesus was a poor man. and his very ap-
pearance may have suggested that there
were other things he needed more urgent
~ than such a gift this. Had the
family provided home for him or given
him The price of this ointment no one
would have uttered a remark But this
was the kind of demonstration reserved
for princes or persons of great distinc-
ton; and when paid to one so con-
shcuoufsly humble in his dress and hab-
its, there seemed to the uninstructed eve
some thing homogeneous and bordering on
the ErotesQue 1t was a luxury.
Jeremy Taylor says. that even no en-
peror till Nero ever INDUCED in.
q. Not that he cared for the Door"
He vas acting under false pretenses.
rare what was put therein rather
took away. as r. V, stole. Or his bear
.g tae money bag gave him the onnor
-unit.- to steal
= Then said Jesus" If we combine F.,
he reports of the three evangelists. it
Will appear that Chrst's words were |
as follows: Let her alone. |
Why trouble We the woman? for she hath |
Wrought a good work upon me: she hath |
lone what she could: against the day of |
NY ourying hath she kept this. and is
ONE beforehand to anoint my body for
he burial Abbott. Let her alone
Spoken chiefly to Judas. 1t was the Ian
;uaSe of sharp rebuke. Jesus was indig- (
lant at the hypocrisy of Judas and the {
lull perceptions of the Others
S. For the poor always We have with
GU They would have plenty of oppor-
unlt1es to aid them; and the more they |
ld FOR their Master. the more they would
10 .or the poor. for the poor are left in
lis stead. and through them would he ex J
ressed the increased love of the Master.
t is the want of love. not of money that
LOWS any poor to suffer: that al
lifts to Christ which increase our love
viii increase the gifts to the Door
g. Much people, The r. V. uses a
ireek text which inserts the article so
hat it reads the common people in cor
rast with the rulers Great crowds
'ere gathering at Jerusalem for the |
east of the Passover. These melted nv /
uriosity, went to see the wonder worker.
nd the man on whom he had wrouoht |
MS marvellous work
III. But the chief priests consulted |
nat they might put Lazarus to death -
ii the rulers. including the Pharfsees
ould wish to destroy this rising sect
hich would take away their power and
ndermine their influence. This standing
ublic proof of Jesus as the Messiah !
ust be put away at any cost. But the i
1ief priests. who were mostly Saddu |
,es, would have an additional reason in |
lat Lazarus was living refutation csf
leir doctrine that there is no resurrec-
on
IL. went away, and believed" Rot .