The Living Christ

John 12: 1 – 8 (March 21, 2010)

1) The Text

12Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6(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 into it.) 7Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

2) The Context

The Gospel of John has two major sections. The first twelve chapters present the ministry of Jesus among people in general. The second half of the Gospel, chapters 13-21, focuses on the last week of Jesus’ life. Mary’s anointing of Jesus is placed toward the end of the first section in the Gospel. In fact, John places the story here before Jesus enters Jerusalem, which is in contrast to Matthew and Mark, who place the story of the anointing after Jesus has entered Jerusalem.

Bethany is a small community within walking distance of Jerusalem. It is the home town of Lazarus, whom Jesus has raised from the dead, John 11:17-44. This was the final straw for the Judean authorities. As a household that has connections with the elites in Jerusalem, Mary would be very aware of the plans underway to have Jesus arrested and executed. And she would know that the form of execution would be crucifixion by the Romans, since that is the method used when the intention is to not just kill a person but to kill what they stand for; to kill belief in them; to kill any possible continuing movement by followers. And that form of death does not allow for a proper burial with proper anointing of the body.

It was a normal custom of hospitality in elite homes for the host to have his slaves wash the feet of guests. But Mary's actions take this common action to whole new level. First, she performs the action herself. Second, normally a woman would never touch a man except her husband and children - and then only in private. Third, a woman would never allow anyone other than her immediate family to see her hair. Fourth, the cleaning of the feet was not done with perfume – especially with “Perfume made of pure nard” (v. 3, spikenard oil), which was derived from the roots of a plant grown in the Himalayas, and, with the amount mentioned here which would cost a year's wages for a peasant laborer. Fifth, this is not the anointing of the head as was done for the installation of a new priest, prophet or king; nor of the whole body as was done for the dead. Anointing the feet indicates that Jesus is about to do something of singular significance. As a rather wealthy mistress of the house, Mary of Bethany takes it upon herself to acknowledge and affirm Jesus' forthcoming significant action.

In this passage, John has Mary portray the shocking intimacy of loyalty, trust, and bonding with Jesus that over-rides cultural norms; and contrasts that with the disloyalty and dishonesty of Judas.

3) Interpretation

At this point in John’s gospel, it is clear that Jesus is in significant peril. He is just about to enter Jerusalem, where he will die. In this context, the account of the anointing at Bethany can be seen as a strange foreshadowing of Jesus’ death. The striking thing about this text is that Mary has chosen to anoint Jesus now. Rather than wait until after his death, she does so while he’s still living.

Therein lies a curious intersection of death and life. They meet in the house of Lazarus, who famously died and yet was restored to life by Jesus. Jesus is going to his death in Jerusalem, and Mary seems to anoint him as one would anoint a dead body for burial, yet he is alive. By anointing him now, as opposed to after he’s been put to death, Mary is essentially giving the very best that she has (quite literally, the most expensive thing she owns) to the living Jesus. The real waste would have been to devote her effort and expensive gift to the dead Jesus. Rather than give what she has in memoriam, she gives it in witness to the living, breathing, presence of Christ.

Her stunning act of devotion has stark implications for Christians today. There’s a danger that churches will become museums for Jesus; that our existence will reflect more about his death than his life. In The Preaching Life, Barbara Brown Taylor tells of happening upon the ruins of a massive cathedral while hiking in the Kachar Mountains in Turkey. After reflecting on the reality that what was once an impressive church built to the honor and glory of God in the very land that Paul walked was now nothing but ruins and garbage, she writes:

“God has given us good news in human form and has even given us the grace to proclaim it, but part of our terrible freedom is the freedom to lose our voices, to forget where we are going and why. While that knowledge does not yet strike me as prophetic, it does keep me from taking both my own ministry and the ministry of the whole church for granted. If we do not attend to God’s presence in our midst and bring all our gifts to serving that presence in the world, we may find ourselves selling tickets to a museum.” (p. 6, emphasis mine)

Think about that for a minute. We must devote all our gifts, from the smallest to the grandest and most expensive, to serving Christ’s presence in the world, or else we may find that our churches have become museums. In other words, rather than devote our time, our attention, and our energy to merely preserving the memory of Jesus, as one would a deceased relative, we are called to give the very best we’ve got to the living Christ. This text reminds us that authentic devotion to Jesus will involve giving him the best we’ve got right now in a continuation of his living ministry. Let your life be centered on the living Christ in your midst.

One final point must be made regarding the presence of the poor in our day and age. Jesus’ response to Judas is oftentimes used to minimize the importance of the Christian obligation to care for the poor and needy. It is very important to note that Jesus’ response is a quotation from Deuteronomy 15:11, the entirety of which reads, “Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’” Rather than minimize one’s obligation to care for the poor, Jesus here quotes a verse which explicitly commands it.

4) Thought Exercise

How can we best contribute to continuing Jesus’ ministry here and now?

What gifts do you bring to continuing the work of Jesus?