Have
you ever spilled or broken a bottle of perfume or cologne or some sort of
fragrance? Whether you have or haven’t
you can probably imagine the smell – way too much of it! And if it soaks into clothing or the carpet
that smell’s going to be hanging around for a long long time.
If you’ve ever been around a
powerful smell that you just can’t escape then you probably know what it
smelled like when Mary poured the better part of a pound of perfume on
Jesus. Though probably sweet in small
doses, this smell was overwhelming.
And have you ever been in a public
situation that suddenly turned awkward?
There’s this stunned silence with no one knowing what to say. So imagine the scene of Jesus and other men
reclining by a table to eat dinner. They
didn’t sit in chairs and have a table as high as ours are today. The table was short. You would recline on your side and extend
your feet out and away from the table.
Thus Jesus’ feet are easily accessible.
In the midst of conversation and eating Mary comes in and pours this
perfume on Jesus’ feet. There’s an
embarrassed silence as the smell overwhelms everyone’s nose. But before anyone speaks Mary stars wiping
his feet with her hair. Now it would be
one thing to pour a lot of perfume on Jesus feet and then wipe it off with a
towel or something. But even if Mary had
incredibly long hair this act takes a lot of really close physical
contact. To call the scene sexually
charged is an understatement! The
embarrassed silence and shock from the other guests is now seems to drag on
endlessly.
It is Judas who breaks the silence
with a very responsible statement, “Why was this perfume not sold for three
hundred denarii (about a year’s wages for a blue collar worker) and the money
given to the poor?”
Who among us hasn’t had that same
thought run through our head when we encounter something excessive? The gospel writer then adds a really strange
note, “He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a
thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put in it.” Now there’s a sermon’s worth of material in
just that statement, but let’s not get sidetracked on that. Let’s just say that Judas was allowed to keep
the common purse even though they knew he stole from it!?!
Even though we may have read this
Bible passage numerous times we still aren’t ready for Jesus’ answer. We expect him to say: ‘Right you are
Judas. Mary, this is a complete waste. Not to mention that it’s embarrassing! Get up and act the way a proper lady
should!’ But instead Jesus says –and our
translations are really off from the Greek here, so let me say it more
literally-, “Permit her; it will keep until the day of my burial.”
Well, given how strong the smell is
and that Jesus is crucified in under a week, this was probably true!
What are we to do with all
this!?! How can Jesus endorse such
waste? How can Jesus approve of such
irresponsible behavior, let alone the obviously sexual overtones of her act? How indeed?
In situations like this I think I
make a very well intentioned mistake.
And you probably do too. I was
always taught to be a responsible person.
While it was okay to have fun, you always put limits to the fun. You didn’t spend too much money or too much
time. You work hard, you earn money, and
then you apply it in responsible ways that provide for your needs and for the
needs of others. Overindulgence leads to
debt and debt leads to a downward spiral of interest payments and maybe even
bankruptcy.
We think that when resources are
available they should be used to create the most good. Who among us is not appalled to see a news
report about a foreign dictator who lives in an opulent palace while millions
outside live in abject poverty. This is
wrong! This is sinful! This must stop!
While I certainly won’t speak
against responsible behavior I do think we make a mistake when we think being a
responsible person is an end unto itself.
We have to go one step deeper.
We need to ask ourselves why we
should be responsible people? If we
answer, “Because there are limited resources and we have to be careful with
what we have so there is enough to go around,” then we’re wrong. Jesus’ miracles of abundance, like turning
water into wine and feeding thousands with just a couple fish and loaves of
bread, show us that God has no problem getting the resources needed to
accomplish his will.
The root reason why we should be
responsible is the same root reason that drove Mary to pour expensive perfume
on Jesus’ feet and wipe them with her hair.
That root reason is a response to God’s love for us.
What Mary did may have been
misguided on many levels, but at their core, her intentions were right on. Mary so completely and fully appreciates who
Jesus is and what he has done for her that she offers everything that she is –
her money, her time, her body, her sexuality all to Jesus while holding
absolutely nothing back. Not even social
norms and shame hold her back; for in her offer of everything she has that is
an asset, she also offers Jesus all her failures, vulnerabilities and
weaknesses.
Everything that Mary ever was, is
now, and ever will be she offered unreservedly to her Lord.
Why should you be a responsible
person? Not because being responsible is
an end unto itself, but because it flows from your appreciation of God.
If responsibility is an end unto
itself then you will be jealous of every irresponsible person whose life is
better than yours. If responsibility is
an end unto itself then you will judge the actions and generosity of others
based on your definition of responsibility.
That’s what Judas did.
Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet with
perfume and wiping them with her hair anticipate the foot washing Jesus will do
for his disciples in only a few days’ time.
That was also highly improper and perhaps irresponsible. But that is God showing God’s commitment and
lavish generosity and acceptance of us.
We want to build our lives around
God’s generosity towards us. When we are
thankful for that other things flow – things like generosity and responsibility
and faith-filled decisions. Then when we
see someone else’s life that looks better than ours we do not become
jealous. We can be appreciative, knowing
that God has blessed us richly too. And
when we see something that looks irresponsible we won’t rush to judgement, but
instead look to the motive behind the action.
Lavish use of resources may be a wonderful act of faith and devotion,
just like Mary.
May you not be responsible for
responsibility’s own sake, but responsible because you are loved by God. May you love because you are loved by
God. May you be generous because you
know God is generous with you. And may
you be just as willing as Mary to hold nothing back – both good and bad – when
it comes to giving to your God. For God
wants everything – everything that you are, your assets and your liabilities –
so that God can fully save you.
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