Thomas Aquinas Commentary John 12:7-11

"Jesus therefore said, Suffer her to keep it against the day of my burying. For the poor ye have always with you; but me ye have not always. The common people therefore of the Jews learned that he was there: and they came, not for Jesus` sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests took counsel that they might put Lazarus also to death; because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus." — John 12:7-11 (ASV)

1. After narrating the traitor’s indignation at the kindness shown by the woman, the Evangelist now shows how our Lord put a stop to it.

   1. First, our Lord answers the unjust criticism Judas spoke against the woman.

   2. Second, He rejects the spiritual reason Judas pretended to have: for the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me with you.

2. He says, let her alone, that is, do not stop her.

   It is well known that many good works are performed that we would not have advised if our counsel had been sought beforehand, perhaps because something better could have been done. However, once they have begun, they should not be stopped as long as they are good. Thus, as Chrysostom says, before the woman had poured out the ointment, Jesus might have preferred that it be given to the poor. But now that it was done, He held back those who were trying to stop her, saying, let her alone. The Scripture also says, Do not prevent one who is able from doing good. If you are able, you also do good (Proverbs 3:27).

   He adds, that she may keep it for the day of my burial, foretelling both His approaching death and the kindness this woman was ready to show Him at His tomb, if He had not prevented it by rising so soon. For as we read in Mark’s Gospel, Mary Magdalene, along with other women, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him (Mark 16:1). This is why He said, that she may keep it for the day of my burial. This did not refer to the exact same ointment she had just used, but to ointment of the same kind—either in general or in particular—or even to a similar act of service.

   It is as if He were saying: do not stop her from doing for me while I am alive what she will be unable to do for me when I am dead. For, as was said, she was prevented by Christ’s resurrection, which occurred so quickly. This is expressed more clearly in Mark: she has anointed my body beforehand for burying (Mark 14:8).

3. But did she have foreknowledge of Christ’s death?

   Not at all, for she did not understand what she was doing. Instead, she was moved to do it by a certain inner urge. It often happens that people are moved to do things they do not understand, as in the case of Caiaphas, the high priest, who said, you do not know anything (John 11:49). Such things are called foreshadowings, because they take place before the event.

4. Then, when He says, the poor you always have with you, He rejects the pious reason Judas feigned when he said, why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? Our Lord answered, the poor you always have with you.

   Here it should be noted that sometimes one ought to do what is less necessary if the opportunity to do what is more necessary remains. Thus, although it was more necessary for this ointment to be given to the poor than to be used to anoint the Lord’s feet, our Lord still allowed the less necessary act. He did this because the opportunity for the former would remain, since we always have the poor with us.

   The statement, the poor you always have with you, leads us to understand the fellowship the rich should have with the poor: make yourself companionable to the poor .

5. But you do not always have me with you.

   Yet, I am with you always, to the close of the age (Matthew 28:20).

   Augustine offers this reply. When our Lord said, but you do not always have me with you, He was speaking of His bodily presence—that is, as He appeared and in the form in which He would ascend into heaven: again, I leave the world (John 16:28). But He is always with us, present in His divinity, and He is also present sacramentally in the Church.

   Another explanation would be this. When our Lord said this, He was thinking of the presence of His divinity. Now, some seem to possess Christ spiritually, either in the sacrament or by professing the faith. Yet they will not always possess Him, because they belong to the Church in name only, not by merit. These are the servants. The children, however, will always possess Him because the Son abides forever (John 8:35). Thus, He said to Judas, but you do not always have me with you, because you have made yourself unworthy of this.

   As Chrysostom says, our Lord was rebuking Judas when He said this. For by being annoyed that this respect was shown to Christ, Judas seemed to consider Christ’s presence a burden. So Christ said, you do not always have me with you. This was like saying: I am a burden to you; but wait awhile, and I will leave.

6. Next, the Evangelist shows how Jesus was honored by many of the Jews: a great multitude of the Jews knew that he was there, and they came, not for Jesus’s sake only.

   This happened in two ways:

   1. First, by the crowd that went to see Him there.

   2. Second, by the crowd that met Him on His way to Jerusalem: and on the next day, a great multitude came to the festival day (John 12:12).

   Regarding the first point, the Evangelist does two things:

   1. First, he shows the eagerness of those who came to see Him.

   2. Second, he shows the vehemence of the Pharisees, which was aroused by their envy: but the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus also.

7. The first part is divided into two sections: first, the Evangelist writes of the visit of the crowds; second, he adds the reason for the visit.

   Regarding the first, he says, a great multitude of the Jews knew that he was there, at Bethany, and they came. This was in keeping with our Lord’s invitation: come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). And so, when we know where Jesus is, we should go to Him quickly.

   Now, there were two reasons why they came:

   1. The first was to enjoy the sight and teaching of Christ.

   2. The second was to see Lazarus. And they came to see Lazarus for two reasons:

      1. First, because of the extraordinary miracle performed on him—that is, his being raised back to life after four days in the tomb. The people desired to see this: your works are wonderful, and my soul knows them well (Psalms 139:14), meaning, it attempts to understand them.

      2. Second, they came because they hoped to learn something about the afterlife from Lazarus. For humanity has an inborn desire for this kind of knowledge, despite what the foolish say: short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a man comes to his end, and no one has been known to return from Hades . But here he is! Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead, has returned from the lower world.

8. Then the Evangelist describes the vehemence of the Pharisees in their envy when he says, but the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus also. In this, they were opposing God, for God had raised him to life, and they wanted to kill him: running with his neck raised against him, and armed with a fat neck (Job 15:26). Then the reason for their vehemence is stated: because many of the Jews, on account of him, went away, and believed in Jesus.

9. But since Christ had cured many people, such as the paralytic and the man born blind, why did they want to kill only Lazarus?

   Chrysostom gives four reasons:

   1. First, this miracle was more evident, as it was performed before many people, and it was absolutely astounding to see a man who had been dead for four days walking and speaking.

   2. Second, Lazarus was a well-known person, while the blind man was unimportant—so much so that they even expelled him from the temple.

   3. Third, this miracle was performed near the time of a great feast, and all the Jewish people who had come for the festival disregarded the solemnities and went to Bethany.

   4. Fourth, in the other miracles, they could accuse Christ of breaking the Sabbath and in this way alienate the people from Him. But this time, that path was closed to them.

   And so, because they could find no reason to attack Jesus, they attacked Lazarus as the best way to conceal the miracle: their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed blood (Proverbs 1:16).