Monday,
Holy Week, a
Isaiah
42:1-9; Psalm 36:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-15; John 12:1-11
Here
is an ordinary dinner of Jesus with his friends, although, I am really wonder
if anything related to Jesus can be called ordinary. At the dinner was Lazarus who had just been
raised from the dead and outside looking in were crowds of people gawking,
trying to see Lazarus. Along with
Lazarus at the dinner, were his sisters, Mary and Martha, Jesus and his
disciples. It seems as the lesson
begins, they were settling down for a nice dinner, and probably a celebration
of the life given back to Lazarus.
But
as they were beginning their meal and their conversation, something truly out
of the ordinary began to happen. Apparently
as the meal began, Mary, Lazarus’ sister, had gone to get a jar of fragrant ointment
or oil, brought it back, sat down at the feet of Jesus and began to bathe his
feet with the perfumed oil.
To
where is our attention drawn, to Mary or to Jesus? As you know the disciples attention, in
particular Judas’, was drawn to Mary and her extravagance. That much oil was not needed for the bathing
and anointing of the feet of Jesus. By
the time Mary was finished, the oil was dripping all over the place. It was not just on the feet of Jesus, but it
was all over the cushions, his ankles, --and her hair.
Yes,
we know from what Jesus says that she is anointing him for his burial, and
probably not too many, if any understand what he is saying, including
Mary. But what truly happened to Mary is
that she could not hold back anymore.
Her heart was full of feelings toward Jesus, and she perhaps did not
even know what all those feelings were. Her
brother had just been brought back into life, but yet there was more happening
than just that, and she felt it.
Something was
happening because of Jesus, and she feels compelled to bring oil and ointment
to bathe his feet, which were always so tired from walking and traveling on the
dusty streets.
Mary simply
settles down beside him, pours the oil
all over his feet and ankles, then places her face so close to his feet
that when she turns her head back and forth, her hair picks up the oil as it
touches his feet and ankles, spreading the oil and the fragrance.
In this lesson are
we looking at Mary or are we looking at Jesus?
We are looking at Jesus because we are aghast looking at Mary and what
she is doing. Whether Mary intends it or
not she is pointing to Jesus, through her extravagance and her attention. Mary is giving something outside herself, the
ointment, the oil, but the gift of the fragrant oil is coming from within. For all it matters, Mary could be cleaning
the feet of Jesus with warm water, or putting jewels on his ankles. The gift is not the oil; the gift is the self
of Mary and those there at the dinner and those of us here today, are drawn to
Mary and what she is doing, more than we are drawn to her gift. We are not drawn to the oil; we are drawn to Mary’s
extravagance, her distractedness, yet her focus.
Without
a doubt, I am sure you can tell where this lesson is leading you and me at the
beginning of Holy Week. I do not think
there is any other comment that needs to be made, at least for me there is not,
other than, when you and I become noticeable to others, for whatever reason, do
people see you; do people see me; or, as with Mary, does what we do that is so
noticeable to others point people to see Jesus?
Amen,
Pastor
Scales