As Jesus moves closer to His passion and death he goes to Bethany to visit His good friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus whom he raised from the dead. Was this a farewell visit to them or was Jesus seeking their companionship and encouragement at this time? We see their gestures of love towards Him. Martha prepares a meal. Lazarus sits with Him at the table and Mary anoints His feet with costly ointment, as a preparation for His burial. Against this backdrop of love and concern we see another person and another group who show different sentiments of hatred and jealousy cloaked under a seeming concern for the poor. Judas will betray Jesus and the chief Priests are plotting to kill Him and His friend Lazarus who is drawing more people to Him. Jesus knows the hearts of these people. He can read through their words and their actions. But he also recognizes the sentiments of love and concern shown by Mary, Martha and Lazarus and these He will remember as he faces a traitor's death.

In our world today we experience these same sentiments of love and hatred, light and darkness. Jesus, through His passion and death will bring light into the darkness of people's lives. He has come to bring true justice, to open the eyes of the blind, to set prisoners free. But each of us has a choice. Whose side do we stand on? Who can we identify with in this story?