John 12:1-11
Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 36:5-10

As a teenager, I loved to read J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. I remember how excited my aunt was when she found out that I liked the books: she has read them once a year since sometime in the 1980s. While I was never that dedicated, I loved the stories and was thrilled when, in high school, we learned there would be modern film adaptations. I remember sitting around for hours with friends, imagining how Peter Jackson’s interpretation of the sights, sounds and characters of the books would parallel, or differ, from my own.

Going into those films for the first time was incredible. Seeing Tolkien’s imagination brought-to-life on the big screen was awe-inspiring. Characters that we thought for sure they could never make happen on screen left us speechless. Yet throughout the films, there was one consistent drawback: we knew the whole story! There were no surprises, no “what will happen next,” no “holy cow Bruce Willis’ character is actually dead” moment. Things happened exactly as we knew they would. We knew the story.

In our Gospel lesson today, we’re on the last pages of Jesus’ ministry before his Crucifixion. Jesus has been telling the disciples what will happen next, foreshadowing his pending death. Jesus has laid out the road to his disciples over and over again. They literally know the story, even though they tend to forget it often. So here we are in this final scene before the Triumphal Entry and Jesus casts a shadow forward over what those next few days would look like, trying to give the disciples all of the story spoilers to understand exactly what his real purpose is on earth.

So if you have your Bibles with you...turn to the Gospel of John chapter twelve. As you are finding the passage, let’s establish where we’re at in the story.

Over the last few weeks we have looked at the few weeks leading up to this final Passover in Christ’s life. Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, no small task, and many were coming to believe and follow him. This final straw led the Jewish leaders to conclude that it was time for Jesus to go; they sought to find and arrest Jesus to put an end to his ministry and his life. As Passover approaches, Jesus has gone into hiding with his disciples out into the wilderness, far away from the watchful eyes of the Jewish leaders.

This story is also told in the Gospels of Matthew (26:6-13) and Mark (13:3-9) which have the same structure with one exception that we will look at in a moment.

Starting in John 12 we read:

Verse one: “Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.”

Here we are, just days before the Passover, and Jesus heads to the town of one of his dearest friends. Rather than stay in hiding, Jesus heads back to the place where the authorities are keeping watch. He heads to the town of the guy he just raised from the dead! Personally I have watched a few hundred Law and Order episodes and I call tell you this for sure: when the police are looking for a fugitive, they keep watch at the family and friends houses. Humans typically resort to the familiar and safe, especially when we’re in a situation where we feel threatened. And that is what we have here: Jesus was a fugitive on the run. The Pharisees are on the warpath and end up paying someone to betray him. Jesus knows this: after all, he fled to Ephriam to escape the pressure and anger of the Pharisees. This reminds me of a time when Jesus was an infant. The Holy Family was forced to flee Bethlehem to preserve his life, escaping the persecution of Herod. The remained away for a long time until Herod died, guaranteeing the safety of a young Jesus. But now that his ministry is drawing to a close, his life does not need to be preserved on earth.

Jesus lays low for a short time, but here we are, just days before the Passover, and Jesus walks right back into Bethany. This clause “where Lazarus was” is a huge clue to the significance of Bethany at this moment. EVERYONE knows that Lazarus was dead, Jesus showed up and raised him from the dead. Lazarus is literally a walking testimony to the power of Jesus and many are believing in Christ as a result of him. This isn’t some quaint, quiet town off to the side, out of the hustle and bustle of culture. This is the Grand Central Station of celebrity at this moment, the place where the local celebrity Lazarus is spending time. The crowds are in Bethany and Jesus heads right into the thick of things again.

Verse two: “So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.”

Dinner was the main meal of the day, and the phrase “reclining with him at table” implies that this meal was probably a special banquet rather than a small family meal. We read that the dinner was “for him,” again implying that this wasn’t a small meal among friends but a celebratory meal in Christ’s honor, probably with a significant number of people. It makes sense, after all, since Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead.

What we don’t see here is an attempt to be discrete. The dinner was in his honor. We’re left to wonder how many people were actually there, of course, but the text suggests that this was an event, not a small gathering.

Verse three: “Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”

At this point in the Gospel of John we’re familiar with three members of this family, but John’s focus of this story is on Mary, not on Martha or Lazarus. And in this focus we have some very, very significant things in this one verse.

Mary took a pound of pure nard. John’s contemporaries would have understood the significance of nard. Nard comes from a plant that grows in the Himilayas and in Jesus’ time, it was a luxury import. Made into a perfume, it was most commonly used in this era for anointing bodies before burial. Greek and Roman literature often feature nard in this fashion, most prominently in Homer’s Illiad. We also see it mentioned in the Song of Solomon, and Rabbinic oral tradition has included it as one of the seven herbs used in the Temple in Jerusalem. In Jesus’ day, nard had significance in both worship and burial rites within the Jewish tradition and in the Greek and Roman cultures at large.

Nard was also extremely fragrant, so much so that it could cover the early smells of decomposition before a body was buried. This isn’t like Mary put a touch of cologne on Jesus to help him smell fresh. If you walked into the room, you would’ve been VERY aware of the presence of nard. If you have ever been in the same room as a young man saturated in cologne, you know what we’re talking about.

This action that Mary takes is far outside of the cultural norms. We learn at other points in John’s Gospel that attending to the feet was the servant’s responsibility, yet Mary shows a spirit of service and devotion to Christ by anointing his feet. She’s representing the servant role to Christ, something that he models in the Upper Room just days later. Jewish women at this time would only let down their hair in private and never in public, yet Mary again shows this devotion to Christ by doing so in the presence of many at this banquet. She is acting in a spirit of humility and devotion and is not afraid to model it at this banquet. For Mary, serving Christ is more important than reputation or social norms.

Verses four-five-six: But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Study Bibles note that one denarii was the equivalent to one days wages, so this amount of nard would cost nearly one entire year’s wages. Think of the sacrifice Mary is making here! Can we really imagine investing this much of our income into something and then gifting it away? This nard was surely a treasure for Mary, yet her devotion to and love of Christ is evident in her willingness to pour out this great treasure in anointing Him.

Judas, on the other hand, makes what sounds like a valid point, but John is quick to reveal his wicked motives. Judas is not interested in helping anyone but himself. Mary is demonstrating a spirit of selflessness in this text while Judas, one of the twelve since the beginning of Christ’s ministry, is seeking out an opportunity for self-gain.

Verse seven: Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.”

Scholars are not exactly sure how to read this because Mark’s version of this story suggests that Mary used all of the perfume to anoint Christ. If that is true, scholars suggest Jesus means “it” to be “the memory of this event,”: in essence, “leave her alone, so that she may keep the memory of this day for my burial.”

The Gospels of Matthew and Mark phrase this statement differently. In Matthew’s account, Jesus tells the disciples “ In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.” (Matthew 26:12) Mark’s account is very similar, with Jesus telling his disciples “She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.” (Mark 13:8)
In these accounts we see Jesus again attempting to foreshadow his pending death, pointing forward to the cross merely days later. Even at the end of his ministry, Jesus reflects the full purpose of his role on earth. There is never a surprise ending in this story.

Verse eight:  “For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

Several times in the Gospels, Jesus speaks a phrase that hearkens to an entire passage in the Old Testament. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus calls out “My God, My God, why Have you forsaken me,” which is the first phrase of Psalm 22. This would have drawn readers back to the Psalms to get the full breadth of Christ’s cry from the cross. Luke’s Gospel tells us that from a young age , Jesus had a deep knowledge of the Scriptures and crowds were astounded at him when he spoke in the temple.

In verse eight, we see a reference to Deuteronomy 15:11: “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’” This verse in John is often used to minimize our obligation to help the poor and needy, but Christ actually gives reference to this Deuteronomy passage that explicitly commands it. Jesus is clearly not condemning Judas for saying he wants to help the poor: in fact, we see him pointing to a Scripture that tells us to do exactly that. Instead Jesus is condemning Judas’ selfish intentions that John reveals to us in verse 5: Judas was making a selfish attempt to further fill the ministry coffers and bring more responsibility and wealth under his control, most likely for his own personal gain. Jesus knew what Judas was doing, yet he loved him anyway and repeatedly reminding him of Christ’s purpose on earth.

Verses 9-11: When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Here we again see the lasting impact of Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. Sure, the crowd came to see Jesus, but they also came to see the recently-dead Lazarus. At this point the Jewish leaders, who had already committed to Jesus’ death, decided that more casualties were necessary to quash this Messiah talk. We don’t hear about Lazarus again after this chapter but church tradition holds that Lazarus had to flee Judea after Christ’s death and Resurrection because of threats on his life. And what was his crime? He just got sick and died one day, and then a few days later was back with his family and friends again, healthy and happy. A few days go by, words get out, and suddenly the rumors and death threats are filtering in. Catch the irony of the Pharisees behavior. In essence they are telling Lazarus,  “We want you dead TODAY because you WERE dead but now you’re not dead anymore.” Not particularly sound logic, but at this point in the narrative the Pharisees are committed to stopping Christ’s message and ministry regardless of the cost.

Mary and Lazarus reflect complete devotion to Christ. In her one act, Mary turns tradition and culture on its head. She anoints Christ while he is alive, sacrificing an expensive burial rite to reflect her understanding of events yet to unfold. By her actions, she acknowledges an understanding of the days ahead, knowing full well that Christ is going to die, and soon. She models selfless devotion to our Lord.

For his own sake, Lazarus should have tried to stay as far away from Jesus as possible, yet here we see them dining together in full view. Instead Lazarus remains as a living witness to the power and mercy of Jesus, and most likely suffered for it after Christ’s Resurrection a short time later.

Let us be like Mary and Lazarus, reflecting selfless devotion to our Lord. Let us not be found hiding from the association with our Lord and his Resurrection. Each week we proclaim together the mystery of faith, but may our lives truly proclaim this in every waking and sleeping moment.

And may we also be like Mary’s perfume. It was purchased at a great price to Mary, much like our own lives were purchased at a great cost to Jesus, his own life. We must place ourselves at the foot of the cross, realizing that we are nothing by ourselves but, in Christ, we are new creations. Mary brought her best and dedicated it to the Lord. And may our lives be like a Godly perfume to everyone around us, family and friends, coworkers, the poor and needy. The greater He becomes, the more we live in His presence, the more His Saving Grace and power lives through us. Let us truly go forth and be a Godly blessing today.

Image from Pelegrino. Used via a Creative Commons License.