Raising Lazarus from the dead was the greatest miracle Jesus performed in Bethany, but of no less significance was His being anointed in the House of Simon the Leper, Mark 14:1-9.
The very name Messiah comes from the Hebrew meaning the anointed one, thus it was an important act of confirmation. It also gave Jesus an opportunity to sharply remind the disciples that His earthly days were coming to an end.
These events made Bethany a magnet for the Early Christians, and by the 4th century a church stood over the Tomb of Lazarus and later another was erected nearby over the house of Mary and Martha.
The remains of these buildings have been incorporated into the structure of the present church, and the tomb is still accessible. A field further up the hill is called the House of Simon the Leper. Although no houses were found there, excavations have shown that the area was once occupied, being full of caves, and cisterns.
*Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not have died. But I know that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection of the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. John 11:21-26
This page is part of the book The Holy Land of Jesus
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