John 12:1-8
University LC, Gainesville
Before I buy
anything with a fragrance, I sniff it. Whether it’s bath gel or kitchen
cleaner, I want to know what the fragrance is, and how strong it is. Some
fragrances are seriously irritating to me, so I usually buy unscented products
when I can get them.
A few years
ago I re-ordered some hand made soap, and in the package were some samples of
other fragrances. One of the samples was frankincense. On Epiphany Sunday, when
the magi give baby Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, I decided it
would be fun to pass it around among the parishioners during the sermon so
everyone could know what it smelled like.
The room was
filled with the fragrance. And by the end of the sermon, I had lost my voice.
Apparently, frankincense is one of the fragrances that I am very sensitive to.
… Nard, or
spikenard, is an essential oil with a woody, spicy fragrance, something like
that of moss. Similar to lavender, it is said to be a calming, relaxing
fragrance. In ancient days, it was often combined with frankincense and myrrh.
It was this fragrance
that Mary of Bethany brought into the room to anoint Jesus’ feet. Perhaps the
dinner party was a celebration because Lazarus had been brought back to life.
The men were lounging on soft benches, talking and laughing as they ate, telling
stories, and enjoying the meal Martha had created for them.
Mary came toward
Jesus and began to pour this oil on his feet. She probably worked it into the
cracks and calluses and massaged his feet. As any extra ran off, she wiped it
up with her hair – the oil would have been good for hair, too.
As she did
this ministry to Jesus, other men began to notice. First, they noticed the
fragrance. Then they looked for the source of the fragrance. Judas spoke first,
voicing what many were probably thinking. “Why are you wasting that oil? It
could have been sold to feed the poor!”
Jesus
replies, “What she is doing will prepare me for my burial. I will not be here much
longer, but you will always have the poor to feed.” (Pastor Lynn paraphrase)
… Even when
I am not preaching, I usually look at the gospel text for Sunday and read a
commentary or two. I spend the next week meditating on the text, to see what
Jesus wants to teach me through the text. -- Which is why, when Pastor Terry
asked if I could preach today, I had something in mind for the sermon, and
could say yes to his need for self-care.
Early in the
week, I ran across the idea of lavishness. Mary lavishly anoints Jesus’
feet with this oil. How, I wonder, do we today, lavishly anoint Jesus? How do we
spend so much time in his presence that it is as if we have massaged his feet
with oil? How do we take the time to listen to what he has to say to us?
Do we give
to Jesus as lavishly as Mary did? As the Magi did? Do we give our gold and our fragrant
ointments to Jesus? Do we remember his life and death, his love outpoured for
us, and give generously to him in response?
Are we as
lavish as Mary when we feed the poor? Jesus calls us to see him in the other: when
we feed the poor, visit the sick and imprisoned, clothe the naked, and give
shelter to the homeless. Do we give as lavishly to them as if we are giving to
Jesus?
Or do we judge
them as Judas judged Mary? Do we say, “I’d give her a dollar, but she’d just
spend it on drugs”? No lavish giving there!
Do we say, “I
don’t want a home for special needs adults in my neighborhood.”? Do we say this
because we don’t want others opening a business, or because we don’t want ‘those
people’ around us? No lavish welcome there!
Do we buy
generics for the hungry, but get brand name food for ourselves? How lavish is
our sharing?
… Here’s one
example of lavish sharing.
Many years
ago, Mary and I were at a weekend training together in Chicago. Mary was born
in India and had lived in Michigan for many years. Every few years she traveled
back to India to see family. Perhaps it was there that she learned to feed the
poor.
One evening
we all went to a restaurant for supper. The meal was abundant, but our rooms
did not have refrigerators, so we sadly left the excess food on our plates to
be discarded.
Mary,
however, asked for a to-go box and packed up her food. As we walked back to the
hotel, Mary looked in the alleyways and quickly found a homeless person who was
happy to receive her leftovers. For most of us, it was wasted food, but for Mary,
it was a lavish feast to give to Jesus.
Jesus
lavishly gave us himself to teach us how to live and love. Can we, in return,
lavish him with our attention, our devotion? Can we offer to the poor and
oppressed the same love and lavish generosity?
Amen
