Six days before His final Passover, Jesus attends a dinner in his honor at the house of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus, which Jesus said was preparation for his burial. The betrayer (Judas) among the disciples criticized the gift, for he would have rather had the money for himself. Jesus praised Mary for her worship, for though care for the poor is important, the Incarnate God was reclining at table with them and was about to die for sins. After this, Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly. He rode on a young donkey in direct fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy that the King of Zion would do so. The crowd was incited by those who had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, again demonstrating the incredible impact of that miracle. The Pharisees felt their policy of containing the crowds and keeping them from following Jesus was a total failure as a result of this public adulation. Yet, within five days Jesus would be crucified.
