Bethany means “House of Misery” or “House of Affliction.” Not exactly the kind of thing a town would post on the front of its Visitors Bureau brochure: Misery and Affliction live here!
In the first centrury, Bethany was a tumble-down town, little more than a pass-through for those on their way to bigger and better places. Yet it was—without much explanation at all—a favorite place of Jesus of Nazareth. Almost more than any other place in the Gospels, Bethany is a frequent stop, and the location of a number of significant events:
It was outside of Bethany that John the Baptist preached and baptized—where Jesus himself was baptized.
Jesus’ good friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived in Bethany. It was later the place where Lazarus would die, be buried, and then be raised to life again by Jesus.
In Bethany Jesus was extravagantly honored by a woman (possibly the same Mary as above) who poured out an expensive jar of perfume on Jesus’ feet.
Bethany was at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where Jesus (in a moment of deepest misery and affliction) prayed before being arrested, tortured, and killed.
On more than one occassion, Bethany was where Jesus chose to bunk up for the night, rather than in Jerusalem a couple of miles away.
And more. All in Misery.
No one really wants to live in a place called Misery. No one wants to stay in Affliction for long. But the good news is that a lot of amazing things happen there—perhaps even more so than in a town called Comfort or Advantage—if for no other reason than it’s a place that Jesus likes to frequent.
If you’re living in Misery or Afflcition, take heart: Jesus likes to pass through there quite often, and some of the brightest glories of heaven shine through in that kind of darkness.
(Side note: Yes, some suggest that Bethany might mean “House of Figs,” but my gut says they’re just trying to sell something.)
