Let Her Be …
Let Her Be…
John 12:1-8
D. Robert Chance
The story of the extraordinary encounter between Mary and Jesus in which Mary pours expensive perfume on Jesus and is then reprimanded by one of Jesus’ disciples reminds us to accept people’s gifts as they are intended and to be more gracious and less judgmental in our attitudes toward one another.
John 12
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
1Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5“Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.[b]” 6He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
9Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and putting their faith in him.
Introduction…
There are many scholars who believe that certain parts of John’s gospel have become displaced and that some of the chapters and verses are out of order. There are some who suspect something is amiss in this chapter.
By the point of Jesus’ life we are in the scripture today it was coming very near to the end of his ministry for Jesus. The very fact that he had come to Jerusalem for the Passover was an act of great courage, for the authorities had made him into an outlaw and would use his coming to their own means. So great were the crows that came to the Passover that they could not all obtain lodging within the city of Jerusalem? Bethany was a small village just outside the boundaries of the city and people who couldn’t get or couldn’t afford room in the city of Jerusalem itself often found room in Bethany. Jesus was staying in Bethany.
When Jesus came to Bethany they made him a feast. It must have been in the house of Martha and Mary and Lazarus. It was certain that Mary’s heart was filled with love for Jesus. She had a pound of very precious ointment. Both John and Mark describe the oil by the adjective pistikos (Mark 3:3) No one seems to know what the word means. It may mean “genuine” or it may mean “liquid”, or it may have been a trade name. It may have something to do with having been made from the pistachio nut. In any event it was a very special and very valuable. It wasn’t the kind of perfume that could be purchased at the department store.
With this expensive and valuable perfume Mary anointed Jesus’ feet. As extravagant and out of place for Jesus and his disciples to have been, it was a simple act of love.
It was an impulsive thing to do. Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus were good friends of Jesus. They knew him well and they were honored and delighted to have him staying with them. The oil was highly valued and could have been sold for enough money to feed a great many hungry people.
Judas mad that point. Jesus scolded Judas for his negative reaction and he complimented Mary and expressed gratitude to her for her action.
In Luke it is Mary’s sister, Martha who scolds Mary and it is Martha whom Jesus scolds. The story is told in all four Gospels. To be sure there are differences in the accounts in each of the four Gospels but those differences don’t matter - the point is always the same.
Something happened when a woman, Mary, in John’s version poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet. Something so important happened that all four of the Gospel writers chose to include the story in their Gospels.
What was that something?
Why was it so important?
What is the point in our discipleship that the Gospel writers want us to grasp?
I First, some things never change. There are always those who are critical and carping of what we do. There is always someone to be judgmental and critical of what others do.
There is always some to criticize what we try to do.
There is always someone to second guess our motivations.
There is always someone to look for the rain in a sunny day.
There is always someone who knows better.
There is always someone to take issue with us.
There is always someone who has something to say.
There is always someone to make lemonade out of cherry soda.
There is always someone raining on the parade - no matter how grand and glorious the parade was.
I’ve experienced myself, I’m sure you have to.
I remember times over the years when I genuinely and sincerely tried to do something for the good of the church or the good of the Lord or because I thought it was the right thing to do only to have received in the worse possible light and to be criticized by someone or some group. The examples are endless. I best stay away from remembering them lest I get all discouraged and down trodden again.
There are always people to see the worst in our actions. There are always people to see the bad in our attempts at good. There are always people waiting in ambush for us to say the wrong thing, or to misspell something. I remember a dear friend who became an un-merciful critic of my spelling. The funny thing is that person had their own misspellings. The sad thing is I always wanted to say “but did you get the point I was trying to make?”
I remember one time when Hal Rummel who loved children and was so good with the children told a story in Sunday School. The story was told pure Hal, which is to say it was freewheeling, fun, and full of fact and fiction freely inter-mixed. The children were enthralled. I loved seeing the smiles on their faces, especially two little girls that went by the name of Amy and Beth. After the program I heard someone criticizing Hal because his English was bad. I thought “give me a break”. Yes, he his English was less than perfect but the real point was the children were touched.
I think one of the sad commentaries of being a minister is that all ministers learn quickly that there is always someone to criticize your every thought, your every action, your every phrase, your spelling, your looks, your spirit, your children, the choice of ties you wear. What does it say about we the church, about people of faith that we learn quickly to be on guard when dealing with others in the church?
More importantly than recognizing there are always those who criticize and judge and carp and complain and see the worst in everything we need to know that there is something of that in us as well. It’s far more damning to know those tendencies within ourselves than it is to see them in other people. As Pogo used to say (if you are too young to know who Pogo is ask someone older) “we have met the enemy and he is we”. We always to face the danger of being too much like Judas and not enough like Mary.
Mary had used, OK, let’s be honest, “wasted” expensive perfume. Yes, the money could have been better spent on the poor. But in being ungracious and unkind and mean spirited Judas and Martha had committed a worse sin.
II. We are not to be like Judas in our attitudes, our response to one another, our behavior.
- We each have to resist the urge to focus on the wrong things in other people and miss the right things, the good things, and the more important things.
- We all have avoid being so much like Judas that he looks like our twin brother.
- We all have to resist the urge to judge.
- We all have to resist the urge to criticize.
- We all have to resist the urge to see the worst in others.
- We all have to leave the carping, the backbiting, and the small mindedness at home.
It’s not easy, never has been.
There seems to be something in our DNA that wants to judge others by our standards. There seems to be an in-built call to criticism and hardness of heart.
Do you know what bothers me about this story? It’s that I could easily have been the Judas in it.
Do you know what bothers me about someone focusing on Hal’s grammar? It’s that the same thought occurred to me.
To be as Jesus wants me to be. To be as Jesus wants you to be is to recognize the danger of being critical and harsh and ungracious within our own hearts and to do our very best not to be so.
In a positive way the point of this story isn’t just about what we aren’t to be but more importantly about what we are to be.
III. Jesus responded by showing Mary the kindness and the graciousness of accepting her act as it was intended and so doing we see how we are to respond to one another and treat one another - with graciousness and kindness, rather than criticism and negativism.
- We are to give one another the benefit of the doubt when things are said and take them as kindly and graciously as possible.
- We are to accept one another’s gifts as they were intended even the good intentions didn’t quite work out as planned.
- We are to be more loving to one another rather than judge one another.
- We are to look for the good in one another and in situations rather than the bad.
- We are to forgive rather than to hold on to grudges.
The expensive oil was highly valued and could have been sold for enough money to feed a great many hungry people. Judas made that point. Martha judged her sister in the same way. But Mary’s act was an act that was wildly exuberant. Jesus understood that. He scolded Judas and Martha for their negative, judgmental reactions and compliments Mary and expressed his gratitude to her.
Had Mary asked Jesus first he might well have suggested Judas’ preference but he took her act as she intended it. He respected Mary. To have criticized her or rejected her act of kindness would have deflated her completely and embarrassed her.
Does this story tell you something about how Jesus wants us to act?
Does this tell you something about how Jesus wants us to treat one another?
Sure it does. Jesus wants us to treat one another with respect and kindness and accept one another’s gifts as they were intended.
There is a bit of Judas in all of us. We all have a tendency to be judgmental and critical. We all have a “criticism” gene or two or three in us. In following Jesus part of the call is to transform ourselves to be more like Mary and less like Judas ourselves. Being a Christian is meant to be a transforming process. Little by little, day by day we hope to become more like Mary and less like Judas. It’s a long journey.
Closing…
This is the call of the Gospel lesson for today. This is what Jesus wants us to see.
Be kinder.
Be more accepting.
Be more forgiving.
Be more loving.
Be more compassionate.
With God’s help and most certainly his blessing may we each strive to treat one another and receive one another’s gifts and spirit as Jesus received Mary’s act of pouring out her expensive perfume on him.
It’s not about what could or couldn’t be used for the poor.
It’s not about whether the poor will always be with us or not.
It’s about being rich and extravagant in our spirit rather than poor and cheap.
It’s about how we treat one another.
It’s about transforming the way we see one another and becoming disciples of Christ.
7“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”