John 12:5 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Sold for three hundred pence,— The Roman penny, which is here spoken of, was equal to seven-pence half-penny of our money; three hundred of these pence therefore amounted to about nine pounds, seven shillings, and six-pence sterling. From the value of the ointment it would appear, that Lazarus and his sisters were persons of a better station than ordinary, (see on Ch. John 11:1.) otherwise they could not have afforded so costly a present, nor would Jesus probably have accepted it at their hands.Besides,this conjecture is confirmed by the kind of company which came from the city to comfort the two sisters on the death of their brother. The evangelist calls them the Jews, a word which he commonly makes use of to denote the principal inhabitants of Jerusalem. The action of Mary, and the office which Martha sustained at this feast, are by no means inconsistent with their supposed station; for they must think that they could not put sufficient honour on one whom they esteemed so highly, and to whom they were so much indebted. If the station of Lazarus was, as we suppose, better than common, the miracle of his resurrection must for that reason have been the more illustrious.