Philippians 3:14; John 12:1-8
I became fascinated this week
with the word “anoint.” The English word “anoint” combines the meaning of two
Hebrew words, “cukh” and “mashach”.
The word “cukh” refers to the use of oil by
anyone, as a cosmetic, to protect the skin from sun and sand and to add
fragrance. In arid cultures such as the Middle East, anointing the head,
or providing a dish of rose water for refreshing the face, or washing the feet,
were considered common courtesy and hospitality. Anointing oil was also used
for healing purposes, as we remember from the story of the Good Samaritan.
The word “mashach” is more familiar, meaning
the anointed one, such as a priest or prophet or king. We hear and read it as
messiah. Aaron and his sons were anointed to set them apart as priests. Saul
and David and other men were anointed as kings. Elijah anointed Elisha as the
prophet to succeed him. Cyrus the Persian is called anointed / messiah because
he defeated the Babylonians and sent the Israelites back to Jerusalem.
Jesus is called messiah, anointed
one, several times in scripture. Sometimes, he is “A” messiah, and other times,
he is “THE” messiah. In Luke 4, Jesus quotes Isaiah 61: the Lord has anointed
me to bring good news. In Acts 10, Peter tells Cornelius that God anointed
Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power. When Jesus washes the feet of the
disciples in John 13, he is in a way anointing their feet with water for
ministry in his name.
There are references in Second
Corinthians and Hebrews to believers being anointed in Christ, meaning that
people have the Holy Spirit within them. That means that we, too, are anointed
with Christ’s Holy Spirit.
So, now that we understand a
little of the scriptural meaning of being anointed, we can turn to the Gospel
text where Mary of Bethany anoints Jesus’ feet.
This story immediately follows the raising
of Lazarus from death. Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, both confronted
Jesus about his apparent “letting Lazarus die.” Now, Mary is so grateful, she
gives the richest gift she can. Perhaps she thinks, after walking hundreds or
even thousands of miles in his mission, Jesus’ feet are sore, cracked. A foot
rub and a soothing balm sure would feel good. So she gets the jar of nard and
begins to pour it on Jesus’ feet. She rubs it into all the cracks and crevices.
Many people have accused Mary
of being a prostitute because her hair is not covered. But she is at home among
family and close friends, so covering her hair was not necessary. Because her
hair is uncovered, she can use it to absorb the extra nard, making her own hair
feel better.
Judas complains about the waste – the oil
could have been sold for a lot of money. He says this in a way that reminds us
of many politicians: his words say he is concerned with the poor, but his
intent is to put some of that money in his own pocket.
Jesus scolds him: “What she
has done is good. She has anointed me for burial. Today, because I will not be
with you much longer, this anointing Mary has done is more important than feeding
the poor, whom you can feed any day, all year long.”
This anointing is surprising
because, if it is for his burial, Jesus is still very much alive. It is
surprising because, if it is to anoint him as king, he is a very different kind
of king.
And it is surprising because
this anointing has been done by a woman. Jesus allows Mary to touch him. She is
not his wife or cousin or child. She is not a prostitute. She is a friend. Never
before in the known history of the Jewish people has an anointing, a messiah
anointing, been done by a woman. The anointing of a king has always been done
by a male priest, a high priest even.
Jesus allows and praises this
action by Mary showing he accepts her as equal. As Paul says in Galatians,
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, man and woman.” All who
believe in Jesus are equal, one with another.
This anointing of Jesus is the
messiah kind of anointing. The early church continued this type of anointing
but made it available to all believers. New Christians were bathed, baptized,
and then slathered/ anointed with oil and clothed in new white garments to
begin their new lives.
Many of you, five, fifteen, or fifty or
more years ago were anointed with oil as the pastor made the sign of the cross
on your forehead at your baptism. You/we have been anointed with Christ’s Holy
Spirit, and called to ministry in his name.
I believe in using anointing oil
liberally. We use it for baptisms, during the order for healing as we will
later today, and on Holy / Maundy Thursday as we receive God’s forgiveness. The
anointing oil is a sign of our call to follow Jesus, pressing on, as Paul says,
toward the goal of following Jesus. It is good to remember the oil is a sign of
God’s powerful presence in our lives.
Lutherans don’t do much with the concept
of the anointing of the Holy Spirit as the Pentecostals understand it. Yet we
do believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. Or do we?
Do we come to church expecting
the Spirit to show up?
Do we expect to be healed by
God, or is the anointing for healing we experience today just a reminder to
hope and pray for healing?
Do we trust in Jesus to lead
us in ministry, putting words in our mouths, faith in our listeners’ ears?
Do we trust Jesus to be with
us as we follow him in giving our lives to God for divine purposes?
Do we trust in Jesus to guide
us as a congregation into the future?
Let’s remember that we have
been anointed by God and filled with the Holy Spirit. We are called to follow
Jesus, not to the cross, but to bring good news to all people. The anointing we
have received is not for our burial, but to dare us to be Jesus’ hands and feet
and mouth and love in this world, this community.
Please pray with me. Lord, as
Mary anointed Jesus for what was to come, so you anoint us for your purposes.
Help us remember that your anointing has power in our lives, and lead us to
trust you, wherever you lead us. In your holy name, amen.
