All Saints Lutheran Church
Pastor Raita Neely
Lent 5C - John 12: 1-8
March 28, 2004

Last week as the Mexico Mission Team returned and shared their stories, I was caught by the ah-ha moments God had granted them. I was also reminded once more of how reticent we are to both give and to love extravagantly. Betsy Hedding shared with us the wonderful story of Mama Lupita at the orphanage receiving a gift of 600 loaves of bread, and instead of thinking how she could keep it and use it only for the children, immediately turning around and sharing it with the many needy people in the communities around the orphanage. Not practical, but so like Jesus-"give us this day our daily bread"; "Love your neighbor as yourself".

Our Scripture story for today is also full of extravagant giving and extravagant loving. It is the week of the Passover celebration. Jesus knows it is his last week on earth. On his way to Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus arrives at the little town of Bethany. Here he has a meal with old friends: Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead, and Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. Martha was the homemaker. She could whip up a gourmet meal in no time. So I imagine, she pulled out her Lenox china, and made an extravagant and delicious meal for Jesus and his disciples. That was Martha's way of loving. Mary, who usually sat at the feet of Jesus to hear his teaching, did something unexpected, some would say inappropriate- she took a pound of very costly ointment and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The writer of John comments: "the house was filled with the fragrance."

Judas, the one who later betrays Jesus pours cold water on Mary's action. We need to say some things about Judas, before we return to Mary and her love for Jesus. Judas was the treasurer of the small band of disciples. I wonder if Jesus tried to touch Judas' heart by giving him that responsibility. Maybe it was Jesus' way of telling Judas that he needed him and wanted him. But as we know, that appeal failed. Still the fact remains that often the best way to reclaim someone who is on the wrong path is to treat him not with suspicion but with trust; not as if we expected the worst, but as if we expected the best.

Jesus would not have put Judas in charge of the money unless Judas had some capabilities in that direction. But temptation commonly comes through that for which we are naturally fitted. Maybe Judas became so fond of the money that he was handling that it became the most important thing to him. And so he became first a thief and then a traitor for the sake of more money. Judas may also have been a bit jealous of Mary, for she was allowed to be at table with the disciples, all men. This simply would not have been seen as proper in that society at that time. Judas must have also been a very embittered man, to see Mary's act of love as something undesirable. Often, it we start seeing others in a bad light, it is wise to stop for a moment and stop examining them and start looking at our own motives. Judas said that the money should have been given to the poor, but it was not because he loved the poor. Jesus quotes scripture in saying, "The poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you saying, You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and the poor in the land" ( Deuteronomy 15:11) I believe that his point was - helping the poor was something that could be done at any time, but to show great love for Jesus had to be done before the Cross on Calvary took his life.

There is here a truth about all of life. Some things we can do almost any time, but some things we will never do, unless we take the chance when it comes. When you are seized with the desire to do something fine and generous and big-hearted, don't wait until tomorrow, do it now. Don't put off saying that word of thanks or praise or love. Don't put off doing the deed that will bring unexpected joy and life to another.

Jesus affirms both Mary's presence and her gesture. In his eyes Mary is where she should be and she is doing exactly what needs to be done. First of all, He has made it clear from the beginning of His public ministry that women, children and other powerless folk are welcome in His company. The coming reign of God would be a time and place where all were welcome, all were valued. Mary, in fact, demonstrates that new way of being together, in community, in mutuality. Jesus defends her saying, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial."

Part of the story's importance is that Mary's action calls attention to the coming death and burial of Jesus. Remember - this anointing happened during the Passover celebration-a festival with called to mind and heart of those present that time in their history when God intervened and death was passed over for the people of Israel. Somehow we know that Jesus' death is not just an ordinary execution, but is pointing us to a new deliverance for all the people of God.

Mary, who goes where she is not supposed to go is important for another reason. Her brother Lazarus was dead, and now he is alive. This dinner is to celebrate that barrier-shattering event. He was dead, and the stench coming from his tomb was testimony to that reality. But Jesus was the life-bringer, the voice that called Lazarus from the stench; and now she perfumes his feet and fills their home with the sweet smell of life. No dime store aroma, but the costliest of perfumes worth much.

Our story brings out into the open the tension between action based on common-sense predicted results and those that seem to be done for no reason but love-foolish love we might even say. There is no consideration of the bottom line. Mary is simply "loving God with all her heart, soul and mind."

Love gives its all and its only regret is that it doesn't have more to give. O. Henry, the master of the short story, has a moving story called "The Gift of the Magi". I'm sure some of you know it. A young couple, Della and Jim, are very poor but very much in love. Each has one unique possession. Della's hair is her glory. When she lets it down it is like a cascading waterfall. Jim has a gold watch which is his inheritance from his father and is his pride. It is the day before Christmas, and Della has exactly one dollar eighty-seven cents to buy Jim a present. She goes out and sells her hair for twenty dollars; with the money she buys a beautiful platinum chain, so that Jim can attach his watch and wear it in his vest pocket. When Jim comes home and sees Della's cropped hair, he stares at her, he can't believe what he sees. He is stunned. It is not that he does not like her new hair cut, or love her any less, for she is as beautiful to him as ever. Slowly he hands her his gift; a set of expensive tortoiseshell combs with jeweled edges for her lovely hair - he had sold his gold watch to buy them. Each gave the other all there was to give. Extravagant love knows no other way to give.

Mary models not only extravagant love, but also the discipleship that is required of all who would follow Jesus. She shows an abundance of heart without which nothing new can happen. Mary gave to Jesus because of what she knew and had experienced in his presence. Mary ministers to Jesus in a way that mirrors the ways Jesus has ministered to her and to her loved ones. Mary reminds us that a faith that is always considering what is reasonable is a mutilated faith, and calculating love is no love at all.

As Mary has washed Jesus feet, so Jesus, later in the same week will wash the feet of his disciples. Mary's extravagant act becomes the explicit teaching of Jesus in his final hours. He calls his followers to radical servant hood. He instructs his followers to do for each other what he has done for them. There is a connection between honoring Jesus and serving Jesus. Between loving God and loving neighbor. God's reign calls the disciples and us to extravagant giving of ourselves. In the process of following Jesus, we are likely to find ourselves in places we are not supposed to be, saying things we are not supposed to say, doing things we are not supposed to do. Why? Because we are so grateful to Jesus for what he has done in our lives.

Our honoring and serving of Jesus will fill our lives with a wonderful fragrance. It is the fragrance of love, devotion and gratitude for one who has loved us so lavishly and in such a costly, costly way. For how do you begin to honor and say thanks to someone who has given His life for you?

Jesus in his extravagant, self-giving death and resurrection wastes himself in order to become the Christ for us. Today, we hear of Mary and her extravagant love for Jesus, and we rejoice in the even more extravagant, self-giving love of Jesus for each of us.

That is what the journey of Lent is all about; it is a journey of hard decisions, a time when we are reminded of the cost of following Jesus. Mary walks this journey with us, reminding us that life can come out of death, and that God is always ready to do a new, sometimes unexpected thing in us. Today is a day to expect God to do the unexpected. Amen.