Judy Skaggs, Presenter

Isaiah 43:16-20; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8

"My Soul, My Life, My All"

At the UPC Women’s Retreat a month ago, our speaker used the story of Mary and Martha from Luke’s gospel as her theme. That particular story is when Jesus was visiting in their home, and Martha was busy in the kitchen. She got angry that Mary was not helping her, but instead was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to him. So she asked Jesus to tell Mary to help out. But Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need for only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

We spent the retreat exploring our Mary and Martha tendencies, and looking for that better part that Jesus talked about.

So in this mornings’ Gospel text, we meet Mary and Martha once again. Jesus is in their home six days before the Passover. Using our calendar, that would be next Saturday night – the evening before he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey with people waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Mary and Martha’s brother, Lazarus, is also there – the one Jesus raised from the dead. So Jesus has gone to have dinner at the home of his dear friends. He loved them. They were not his disciples in a formal sense, but he was like a brother to them. Perhaps they were some of those rare people in whose presence he could be a man. Perhaps for this one evening, they can shut the rest of the world out, and they can care for him, as he has so often cared for them.

We have to remember that the raising of Lazarus caused the enemies of Jesus to step up their plans to put him to death. Jesus could no longer go about openly. Jesus had been more or less safe as long as he stayed away, but by coming to Bethany to save his friend, he signed his death warrant. But for Jesus, he is only doing what he has asked his followers to do, to lay down his life for a friend’s life. Lazarus is at dinner beside Jesus and does not know what has occurred which is the way Jesus would want it.

Martha was once again in charge of the dinner. And Martha knows that her sister sees life very differently than she does. Mary seems to have a sixth sense, a very intuitive side. So no one probably even notices that Mary slips away from the dinner.

Mary returns holding a slender jar. She breaks the neck of the jar and, without a word, begins to anoint Jesus’ feet. The fragrance of the nard fills the room.

Mary seems to be unaware of anyone in the room besides Jesus because she does some remarkable things. She loosens her hair in a room full of men. She pours the salve on his feet – not on his head. Feet were only anointed when a person was dead. Could this nard be left from the death of her brother? She touches his feet and wipes them with her hair. All these actions just were not done!

Mary is not a stranger, but a friend. They have had a long friendship. He knows she loves him. So why this very public demonstration, this extravagance?

Judas is quick to point out that she has just gone overboard. We could have sold this very expensive ointment and given the money to the poor! And it was expensive – a year’s pay for a day laborer. It reminds us of stories of famous bottles of wine that are never opened and enjoyed, but just keep being sold for more and more money. They are bought to just be admired and sit in some wine cellar.

But Jesus tells them to leave her alone. Now Jesus is completely for the poor. He preaches justice for the poor, the outsider, the oppressed. He teaches his followers to care for the “least of these.” So Jesus must see what Mary has done differently.

Mary’s intuition has told her that Jesus’ time is running out. For those moments, it was as if the air was thick with death. And soon it became clear whose death it was. Somehow Mary knew. She could have anointed his head, like a king or prophet, but she did not. She went to his feet, and she poured out her expensive ointment.

Mary is an example to us of a pouring out of love for Jesus. She held nothing back. When she was in the presence of Jesus, no one else mattered to her. And Mary was willing to give whatever she had to demonstrate her love for Christ.

This precious ointment will not be put on a shelf to be admired; it will not be saved. No it will be broken, offered, poured out, at a great price.

And with Mary’s actions, we begin to understand that Christ will do the same for her and for the world. In those next few days, the precious life of Jesus will be broken, offered, poured out, at a great price.

And so, like Mary, we sing with the hymn writer:

“Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” Amen.