Now being that Nisan 9 was the regular ‘Saturday Sabbath Day’ (Shabbat) from sundown on Friday, Nisan 8 until sundown Saturday, Nisan 9, Jewish ‘oral law’ required no work, or traveling over two miles (a Sabbath day’s journey).
During this period of time, Jesus arrived in Bethany from Jericho.
In John 12:1-8 we read…
“Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. THERE [Bethany] THEY MADE HIM A SUPPER [“dinner” in ESV) ; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.” .
In Mark 14:3 we read…
“And being in Bethany in the house of SIMON THE LEPER, as he sat at meat [a dinner meal] …”
In Matthew 26:6 we read…
“Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of SIMON THE LEPER…”
While in Bethany, Jesus was invited to “Simon the Leper’s house” for a meal that was prepared in His honor. Several of the Jews from Jerusalem (which is less than a two mile Sabbath walk to Bethany) came to visit Jesus while He was there. -- It is supposed that Simon the Leper (a Jew healed from leprosy) was Judas Iscariot’s father because of what Apostle John wrote in John 12:4 …
“Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son..”
According to Jewish tradition, the ‘Sabbath meal’ [dinner] began at the 6th hour Jewish time, or 12 noon in our time (Josephus, Life 54). – It is also known that the food items for “Shabbat” were always prepared on the Friday daytime hours before the Sabbath began at Friday sundown.
Now while Jesus was sitting at the dinner meal, the following occurred according to John 12:3-8…
“Then took Mary [of Bethany…the sister of Lazarus] a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, JUDAS ISCARIOT, SIMON’S SON, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag [of money], and bare [carried about] what was put therein.
Then said Jesus, Let her alone: AGAINST THE DAY OF MY BURYING HATH SHE KEPT THIS. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.”
Jesus was clearly predicting His coming death and burial in John 12:7-8 when he said to Judas:
“Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this”. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.”
After Mary anointed the feet of Jesus, many of the Jews who knew Jesus was now at the home of Lazarus came to visit Him and Lazarus. -- In John 12:9, we read:
"Much people of the Jews therefore knew 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."
We know from Scripture that Jesus stayed in Bethany during the Saturday daytime hours and Sunday night time hours which began after Saturday sunset. This was the beginning of Nisan 10, the first Palm Sunday.
