Bible Word of the Day
Bethany (Small Village on Outskirts of Jerusalem)
Meaning
Bethany was a small village located approximately two miles east of Jerusalem on the way to the city of Jericho. The village of Bethany is mentioned several times in the New Testament and it was a village Jesus often visited. This was the “hometown” of three siblings Mary, Martha and Lazarus all of whom were dear friends and followers of Christ. And it was in Bethany, where Lazarus became ill and died. His sisters placed him in a tomb in Bethany. Jesus arrived there three to four days after the death of Lazarus. It was in Bethany at the tomb of Lazarus, where Jesus resurrected Lazarus from the dead by His spoken word. Jesus did this as a demonstration of His divine powers. In addition, Simon the Leper, whom Jesus healed was from Bethany. The name “Bethany” means town of misery or poverty. We can read the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from death in chapter eleven of John’s Gospel.
“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, ‘Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.’ So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. These things He said, and after that He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’ Then His disciples said, ‘Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.’ However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’ Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’ And He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.’ Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth’ And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go.’ Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.” (Gospel of John 11:1-41)
“Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.” (Gospel of John 12:1-3)