GOD'S EXTRAVAGENT LOVE

A sermon for March 21, 2010

Scripture: Isaiah 43:16-21; John 12:1-8

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and death on the cross. Perhaps to say goodbye; perhaps to fortify himself with their love, he stops off in Bethany to visit his good friends Lazarus, Mary and Martha.

The scene is very homey, and filled with emotion, or at least that's how I picture it. Jesus is probably weary from travel, and from contemplating what lies ahead of him. As is her custom, Martha, the older sister, bustles around, cooking and serving and making things happen. Lazarus, the brother, exempted from kitchen duty, sits at table with Jesus and the other men folk who simply receive the ministrations of the women. The disciples are scattered around, some at Jesus' table, others chatting together. Mary, no doubt the spoiled baby sister, usually sits at Jesus' feet listening to him raptly.

Tonight, however, she takes a pound of costly perfume, and anoints Jesus' tired feet, and wipes them with her hair. The fragrance of the perfume fills the room.

Mary's intimate, scandalous act must have electrified the room. Her gift was not only scandalously extravagant in cost, but the use of her hair to wipe off Jesus' feet was shocking. In the ancient world, the act of washing a guest's feet was done by servants, and only prostitutes let down their hair in mixed company. That is why, when the other gospel writer Luke tells the story, he refers to her as “a sinner” instead of Mary.

The books of Mark and Matthew, interestingly, tell only about an anonymous woman who breaks into a dinner party and anoints Jesus on the head, not the feet, with expensive scent.

Old-time commentators often refer to the first twelve chapters of the gospel of John as the Book of Signs, carefully selected stories that revealed Jesus' true nature as the Christ, the Messiah, and the remaining chapters as the Book of Glory—the story of Jesus' betrayal, death, resurrection, and gift of the Holy Spirit.

Looking at the gospel of John this way, Jesus' earlier raising of Lazarus from the dead is the last sign to a suffering world that Jesus is a pretty special person who should be listened to. So the anointing of Jesus by Mary is a pivotal event that helps make the transition in John's narrative from teaching about Jesus' divinity, to enacting his glorification. Jesus says that she bought the nard, the perfume, for the day of his burial. Nard is in fact an essential oil that was used as a pain reliever and sleeping aid, a form of palliative care used like we use morphine, to ease the transition from life to death.

The raising of Lazarus is the last straw for the Jewish religious leaders, the priests and the Pharisees. Once they see that Jesus is capable of raising the dead, they are afraid and begin to plot against him.

Jesus is now regarded as a rival and a traitor by the Jewish hierarchy, and a revolutionary by the Romans; death is the only option for such a one.

In this atmosphere of political tension and fear of death comes Mary, sweet gentle Mary, adoring Jesus and giving him an over-the-top, wildly inappropriate, personal gift.

Judas' sour, grasping personality is quite a contrast for adoring Mary, isn't it. You can almost see his pursed lips and hear his carping tone of voice: “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” In an aside, John tells us that Judas does not care about the poor, but is a thief, stealing from the common purse.

NT Wright, an Anglican priest and writer, notes that we watch in horror at the disintegration of Judas. First his devotion has evaporated, then his loyalty, then his honesty towards others, then his honesty towards himself, when he says that he cares about the poor while only really caring for his cash flow. Then, not long afterwards, Judas loses his ability to choose good over evil. He slides over the slippery slope, totally out of control!

Wright says, “Judas goes on choosing a world which revolves around himself, which then itself deconstructs. Judas symbolizes the way of self-destruction, just as Mary stands for the way of self-giving. Both are costly, but in utterly different ways: ‘consumed by either fire or fire.'” [1]

Judas is quite the foil for John, and it's interesting that the other gospels don't use Judas here—instead, his complaining words are put in the mouths of the disciples. Hmm. We may or may not be like Judas, whose name is synonymous with betrayal, but we are surely like the rest of the disciples. Whenever they appear in the gospel narrative, we can be sure that there is a message for us here today.

Is Judas' concern about spending a year's income on perfume really a false one? Shouldn't Mary in fact have given the money to the poor? I figured out that a year's wages at today's minimum wage would be $15,080. Who among us would spend $15,000 for anointing oil, when that money could buy a car for a nurse to visit families at risk, or purchase groceries to feed many homeless people, or give a scholarship to an impoverished student? The Charlottesville nonprofits that are so happy to get $500 from us—think what they could do with $15,000!

Have you ever visited the Washington Cathedral? It is a holy place—the Spirit is clearly present in all the beautiful carvings and stained glass, in the sweet-smelling flowers and the glowing candles. It is truly a house of prayer for all people, and you can sense God's presence there. Yet would God be better served if the Episcopal church had built low-income housing instead?

I don't know! I do know that if we were Greek Orthodox, there would be no question. In their worship they try to bring the divine to humanity through all of the senses, with the maximum possible exposure to beauty; they strive to recreate heaven as much as they can in their worship and in their church buildings.

Which is better, the creation of beauty or service to the poor?

Justice work, or Contemplation?

Giving money to nonprofits or spending it on the church building?

Every time the church plans its budget it is confronted with these questions. There is no simple answer, no once and for all choice. As Jesus pointed out, the poor we have always with us. But you have to be careful with that quote. It was used by former President Ronald Reagan to justify cuts in social services during his administration.

Jesus was thankful for Mary's gift.  At other times, perhaps he would have sided with Judas in the spending of funds. The key, I think, is generosity.  Whatever you decide to do, says Jesus, do it with abandon and a sense of freedom. Give generously, whether to the poor or in worshiping God. Because God gives us good gifts with profligate grace;God not only quenches our thirst but provides so much water that there are rivers in the desert. God makes a path through mighty waters for God's people. God loves us so extravagantly, that he suffered death on a cross, to show us that death does not have the last word.  Share with abandon as our savior does.  Share your heart and tears and devotion as Mary of Bethany did so long ago.

As a minister in Connecticut wrote:

MARY'S HAIR

Her sister,
Laying plates in their places
And straightening the napkins once more
Did not notice at first--
Nor did her brother,
Still wide-eyed, fresh from the tomb,
Sipping wine
That had never tasted so sweet.
They did not notice
As Mary
Stepped through the door
Letting down her long, black hair,
Shaking it free
For her a tender, holy oblation.
She had seen the road-weary feet,
Noticed the scars, the scratches,
And knelt, lifting the heel in her palm,
Spilling precious oil,
Spilling her heart,
Spilling love itself
Until its fragrance filled the room.
Her eyes filled with tears.
As somewhere outside,
A dog barked,
And a hammer rang against wood. [2]

[1] NT Wright, Twelve Months of Sundays, Year C., SPCK 1994, p. 49.

[2] Rev. Timothy Haupt, March 2007, re-published in Midrash online discussion group March 18, 2010.

Rev. Patricia Barth

March 21, 2010

Back to Sermons