THE PRELUDE
THE MESSAGE
Nearly thirteen years ago, I retired from federal service. For my retirement, my staff organized a lunch to honor me. In addition to the luncheon, they gave gifts, gave speeches, and shared memories. It was very nice to be honored, and I hope I never have to do it again. It is hard to be honored and not let all the praise go to your head.
Within the Gospel of John, Jesus had one meal given in his honor. Spoiler alert. Jesus did not let it go to his head. Chronologically, the meal in Jesus’ honor came immediately after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. That seems like a good reason to honor someone with dinner. John wrote, “1Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead” (John 12:1). Bethany was a village about a 30- to 45-minute walk from Jerusalem.
John added a few more details about this dinner. He wrote, “2bMartha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him [Jesus]” (John 12:2b). So far, this story mentions Jesus, Lazarus, and Martha. Who were Martha and Lazarus? John 11:5 says, “5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister [unnamed] and Lazarus” (John 11:5). In Chapter 11, we meet Martha, her sister, and Lazarus, a family Jesus knew and loved. This means the meal in Chapter 12 continues the story begun in Chapter 11.
Spending just a few moments in Chapter 11, we might remember that Lazarus became very ill while Jesus was at the place where John the Baptist had baptized people after they repented of their sins. This place was called, coincidentally, Bethany beyond the Jordan, about 25 miles from Bethany near Jerusalem. Knowing the seriousness of Lazarus’ illness, “3 The sisters sent word to Jesus, 'Lord, the one you love is sick’” (John 11:3). After receiving this news from the sisters, Jesus waited two more days before traveling to Bethany near Jerusalem. Before leaving to see Lazarus, Jesus said to his disciples, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him” (John 11:15).
When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead four days. Martha, hearing of Jesus’ arrival, left the family home to be with Jesus. When Martha reached Jesus, she said, “21 ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’…25 Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die’” (John 11:21, 25-26). Shortly after this exchange, Lazarus’ previously unnamed sister, Mary, heard Jesus was in Bethany. Like Martha, she left the family home to find Jesus. The text says the Jews who were with Mary to comfort her also left the house to be with her. When Mary and the Jews found Jesus, “32b Mary fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died’ (John 11:32b). Each sister made the same confession of faith. Martha did so privately. Mary did so in the presence of the Jews who had come to comfort her.
We know that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. John wrote, “45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him” (John 11:45). In this story, John emphasizes Mary and her relationship to the “Jews.” In the Gospel of John, the word “Jews” refers to religious leaders who consistently fought Jesus and would not believe in him. Yet at the raising of Lazarus, many believed in Jesus.
When the Jewish High Priest heard about the raising of Lazarus from the dead and that members of his own inner circle now believed in Jesus, “53 They [The High Priest and other leaders] plotted to take his [Jesus] life” (John 11:53b) and Lazarus’ as well (John 12:10).
This sign, Lazarus’ rising from the dead, was the last of the seven signs John recorded in the Gospel that pointed to who Jesus was. That sign overwhelmed the unbelief of the Jews. And it was the sign that triggered a determined plan to kill Jesus. This sign sets the stage for the meal held in Jesus’ honor.
At that dinner, Lazarus reclined at the table with Jesus’ Twelve disciples, and Martha served. Food was being served. Conversations unfolded. John broke into the scene with these words: “3Then Mary” (John 12:3). John’s abrupt introduction of Mary, “Then Mary,” makes clear that something unexpected and profound was about to happen. By now, we should expect that whenever Jesus had a meal, something spiritually profound was about to happen. John’s sharp introduction of Mary showed that Mary was interrupting the dinner. “3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet” (John 12:3a). Mary, the woman whom the Jews came to comfort after the death of her brother, entered the dining area. She did so not to eat or speak. Instead, Mary entered carrying a jar of perfume so costly that selling it would meet a person’s daily needs for one year. Mary had a mission. Slowly and carefully, without a word, she made her way to Jesus, who was reclining at the table. Everyone’s eyes were locked on her movements. Eating and talking, the normal activities of dinner, ceased. Upon reaching Jesus, Mary opened the jar and poured out that perfume upon his feet. Not some of it. But all of it. All 16 ounces of perfume. A year’s worth of living expenses. Before dinner began, Jesus’ feet, along with everyone else's at the table, had been washed. So Mary’s act went beyond washing his feet. No one spoke. They only watched. Then Mary increased the scene’s tension by letting down her hair and wiping Jesus’ perfumed feet with it. At that time, only a husband was to enjoy a woman's hair. John wrote, “Mary wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (John 12:3b). The house fell silent.
The dominant sense was that of smell. Perfume. The scent was everywhere. What did Mary mean by interrupting the dinner honoring Jesus?
I suspect Mary did not see her action as an interruption. The dinner was to honor Jesus. In her own way, Mary wanted to honor Jesus extravagantly. Mary might have thought, “Of what sense does it make to keep this expensive perfume for me, when I could use it to honor the Christ? Now, even the Jews were seeing who Jesus was and believing. The world had changed. What need do I have of perfume?” So Mary poured out her prized perfume, giving it all to Jesus and holding nothing back. Mary had acted with extravagant hospitality, honor, and consecration of Jesus. The moment was quiet, and tension was building as all eyes moved from Mary to Jesus and back again, awaiting Jesus’ response.
“But then,” John writes, interrupting the moment's intense quiet. All eyes shifted to the voice. Someone else was interrupting the scene. It was a man’s voice, but not Jesus '. “4 But [then] one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 ‘Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages’” (John 12:4-5). Judas’ words had an edge because they scolded Mary as wasteful rather than admirable. Judas’ loud and foul words sharply contrast with Mary’s silent movements and fragrant perfume. To this contrast, John gave us some insights into Judas’ motivation: “6 He [Judas] did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it” (John 12:6). John’s addition shows Mary’s motivations and Judas’ in using the perfume were profoundly different. Mary used the perfume to honor and worship Jesus. Judas sought to steal the perfume’s value for himself.
Just then another voice was heard. “7 Leave her alone.” Those words came from Jesus. They were firm and directed toward one person, Judas. Jesus’ words did not invite a response from Judas. They were directive, an order: “Leave her alone.” To Mary, Jesus’ words were a welcome relief. To Judas, Jesus’ words stung, as Jesus chose sides with a woman over one of his Twelve. With Jesus’ command, the tension at dinner rose higher. Jesus then added even more by giving Mary’s worship of him a broader meaning. Jesus said, “It was intended that she [Mary] should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me” (John 12:7-8). Everyone was quiet. What did Jesus mean by "saved for the day of his burial”? Before this occasion, in John’s Gospel account, Jesus made veiled references to being 'lifted up' (3:14; 8:21-22), but he never spoke of dying. Jesus’ death would be an unimaginable nightmare for the Twelve. If Mary had saved this perfume for his burial and used it now, would that mean Jesus' death was near? The dinner to honor Jesus became an extraordinary turning point: a clash between open, personal worship and secretive greed, underscored by the fragrance of deep love and a coming death.
Before the scene could be sorted out, “9 A large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he [Jesus] had raised from the dead” (John 12:9). Mary’s comforters, the Jews, now in greater numbers, were coming to Jesus in faith. This was the turning point in Jesus’ ministry. But not the one the Twelve had hoped for, where the religious leadership would be forced to accept Jesus as the Christ. Instead, Jesus said it was a turning point toward his death and burial. John lets us know this with the arrival of the believing Jews: “10 The Chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him” (John 12:10). This now completes the story started in Chapter 11 of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, as we never hear about them again.
Dinner with Jesus was always a moment of great drama and deep theological significance. There was no simple meal. And we are always left with the question, “What then am I to do now with the understanding I have of this passage?” John did not write these words to us, but for us. So what then are we to do?
The story of dinner honoring Jesus had two contrasting characters: Mary and Judas. We can learn from both.
From Mary, we learn that love for Jesus is best shown in worship and outreach. Let’s start with outreach first. Mary, for whoever she was in life, had deep connections with the Jews of Jerusalem. They were her friends, perhaps even family members. Whoever Mary was, the Jews came to comfort her when her brother, Lazarus, died. The Jews, as John calls them throughout the gospel, were largely synonymous with what we call today unbelievers. The Jews did not believe in Jesus. But the Jews' unbelief did not keep Mary from doing two important things.
First, Mary's belief in Jesus never wavered. She sent word to Jesus when Lazarus fell ill, and she ran to Jesus when he arrived in Bethany after Lazarus had died. Mary publicly testified to her faith in Jesus before her unbelieving friends, saying to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Mary’s faith did not rise and shrink depending upon her audience. She believed always, even in front of her unbelieving friends. We should ask ourselves, “Am I a chameleon with my faith? Am I sold out for Christ with Christians, but a “sellout” in front of nonbelievers?” Mary’s confident faith opened doors for nonbelievers to become believers. Are we doing likewise? Are we making our faith known and real to nonbelievers, opening doors for them to come to faith? I want to give you an awesome thought to consider. To the non-believers who love and care for you, you are the closest thing they have to Jesus Christ. For better or for worse, you are what they believe Jesus is like. Is that an awesome thought or a terrifying one? Either way, don’t shrink from the reality. Open doors to your non-believing loved ones. Be confident in your faith, and act like it.
Second, Mary knew that loving Jesus meant loving God. She also knew that loving Jesus meant showing it through worship. At that dinner, Mary worshipped Jesus above all others. Her worship was costly. It was public, but also very personal. Mary broke social conventions to worship. She was even scolded for her worship. How about our worship of Jesus as an expression of our love for God? Is it costly, public, and personal for us? Sometimes I think we make a mistake when we tell people, “I am going to church today.” Or, as we drive by this building, we say, “That’s my church.” I wonder if it would be better said, “Here I am to worship.” Or, of this building, “That’s where I worship on Sundays.” Worship is a powerful transforming experience. It transforms our outlook and our understanding of the goodness God created for humanity and has preserved from the effects of sin. Worship gives us the opportunity to share the inexpressible feelings that peace gives us. Mary worshipped not in words but by anointing Christ's feet because it was the clearest way to express feelings language alone could not capture. Mary’s example shows us our need to worship. Doing so gives the worshipper inner peace and a place and way to express it. I encourage you to worship the Lord.
This story shows that Mary leads us by example in outreach and worship. What then can we learn from Judas?
Let’s think of Judas’ story this way. Suppose you were alone in the woods. You had a map to where you wanted to go. You climb a hill. You scan the horizon and realize the map doesn't match the terrain. You check again. You are in the right spot, but the map doesn't match the terrain. So you conclude the map must be wrong and discard it, because following it will not get you where you want to go. This is Judas’ story. Judas believed in Jesus. He believed Jesus would get him where he wanted to go. Jesus was king of the Jews, and what of Judas? Well, perhaps, having proved himself worthy with the group’s moneybag, he would have charge of the king’s treasury. Yes, that would be nice. Jesus was Judas' map. But Mary’s extravagant worship and Jesus’ command to “Leave her alone” confirmed to Judas that his map and the terrain beneath his feet didn't match. Following Jesus wouldn't get Judas where he wanted to go. In Judas’ mind, the map—Jesus—was therefore useless and had to be discarded.
What lesson does Judas offer us? It is this. Jesus is the true map for our lives. He came to give us life now and eternally. If we follow him, then we will never hunger or thirst again. But what do we do when the terrain doesn't match the map? We experience pain and loss. We think, where is that on the map? We get discouraged. Again, this seems like a valley not on the map. We begin to say to ourselves, “What good is this map? I thought Jesus would take care of my every concern? He said to pray. I did. He did not do what I wanted. What good is this map? By this, we really mean, ‘Does Jesus exist? Should the map be discarded?’”
Sometimes the terrain beneath our feet is difficult and doesn't match what we want. That is because the map, Jesus, leads us into righteousness, bringing us one step closer to Him every day. Many of those moments of transformation occur under difficult personal circumstances. Judas wanted nothing of it. Jesus was not leading Judas where he wanted to go. So, to Judas, betraying Jesus seemed like the right thing to do, given how disappointed Jesus had disappointed him. Judas teaches us not to focus on our desires. Instead, we should focus on what Jesus said: “Follow Me.” Let Jesus determine our destiny.
“Follow Me” sounds like a simple command. Judas and many others couldn't do it because they couldn't reconcile where Jesus was going with where they wanted to go. But Mary also reached a moment when the map she carried in her mind of what was to happen didn't match the terrain beneath her. She poured perfume on Jesus’ feet as an act of worship. But Jesus told Mary that she had anointed his body for burial. Mary was not expecting Jesus’ death, and no less than a death upon the cross. In that moment, Mary could have left Jesus side, but she did not. She stayed and worshipped him.
Let us learn from Judas that our expectations may not match the direction Jesus is going, but we should not discard Christ; we should follow Him. Let us learn from Mary that, no matter the terrain, we should worship Jesus and stay open to bringing the nonbelievers we love along with us. Amen and Amen.