"12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the money bag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus."
John 12:1-11
It will not be out of place to consider 9-11 before we take the story of the anointing in 1-8, since there is a connection with the events of the previous chapter. We are told that the crowds congregated at Bethany not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom He had raised from the dead. There is something very important for us to learn here. A man raised from the dead is an enormous attraction, and this is just as true in the spiritual realm as in the physical. It is the evidence of new life where no life has hitherto existed that makes a telling impact on society. It was so in the early Church, and it is so in our materialistic and bankrupt society also. And if Christian people are 'different' enough, and not hiding their light under a bushel, it stands to reason that some impact must be made on the lives of those with whom they come in contact. That is one point to be noted from these verses: if we have been raised from the dead, people will hear of it and want to see us for themselves. The second point is that, through his association with Jesus, Lazarus incurred the hatred and opposition of the Pharisees also. This is something that is paralleled in spiritual life: knowing Christ in the power of His resurrection means sharing in His sufferings also (cf Philippians 3:10). This is precisely what Lazarus entered into. But there is one great reality that offsets all the hazards that this could ever involve, and it is expressed in 2: 'Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with Him'. Fellowship with the Son of God, with all the warmth and intimacy that this implies! If this be our portion, it will not matter what danger there may be outside, for it more than compensates for everything.