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And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?" Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.
Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."
- John 11:55-12:8
Last week, we read about Jesus' seventh and final sign in the Book of John, the raising of Lazarus from the dead. See the readings: If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him, I am the resurrection and the life, and Lazarus, come forth! On Saturday, we read that many of those who had come from Jerusalem to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.
And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast? Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him. My study bible says that "because Jesus is the Lamb of God (1:29), the connection between the Passover, when lambs were slaughtered to save the Jews from death (Exodus 12:1-13), and the death of Jesus, which saves mankind from sin and death, is continually emphasized." We note that by now the leadership has decided that Jesus must die; they are waiting for Him to attend the Passover in Jerusalem in order to seize Him. Jesus is fully aware of their decision to destroy Him.
Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. My study bible explains: "This Passover is the third mentioned in John (see 2:13; 6:4) and is the setting for the last week of Christ's earthly ministry, which is narrated in careful detail. Jesus had already been glorified through His signs and words; it remained for Him to be glorified through His death and Resurrection."
There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always." My study bible notes here: "The other disciples said the same thing Judas said (v. 5), but with a very different motive (see Matthew 26:6-13). Judas spoke from greed, while the others spoke from the virtue of charity. That Jesus put a thief in charge of the money shows that by every means He attempted to save Judas: He fulfilled Judas' lust for money; He allowed Judas to exercise apostolic authority (6:11; see also Mark 6:7).; He washed Judas' feet with the other disciples (13:5); and He allowed him to partake at the table of the Mystical Supper (13:26). Yet Judas could never overcome his greed."
It's important to note that -- as my study bible points out -- there are other motives besides greed in the criticism of Mary, sister of Judas and Martha, by the other apostles (besides Judas). That is, even if she is criticized here from a more pure and less "cunning" perspective, Jesus still corrects. The criticism of Mary is wrong. Purely and simply, love isn't a dollars-and-cents equivalent measure sort of a thing. What she does, she does from love and devotion to Christ, and He's pointing that out to the disciples. Judas we understand is the one who will betray. And perhaps his betrayal is stoked by Jesus' open rebuke and criticism. But the lesson is for all of them. Ours isn't a church of measurements and weights and formulas. You can't put love into monetary terms except in the idea that whatever love truly prompts and calls for, it is worthy -- and that cannot be separated from love and devotion to God. In this case, it's an act of anointing for burial. Mary is so close to Jesus, as beloved friend of this family, that she is well aware of what is going to happen. She knows that this is her last chance to be in such close contact with Him. Her gift is one of the greatest acts of love and devotion. And I think we have to separate that from a kind of human-to-human devotion. In fact, it's important that we understand love as that which is given to us most perfectly by God. Our love for God, and our nurturing in God's loving embrace, informs us about love, teaches us what we are to share with others, how to love others in a proper sense. Love isn't possession and it isn't slavery. It doesn't compel but is something given in real internal freedom. That is the action we see here, and so much more. It's also an act of devotion to the One who is beloved as friend, and Teacher, and Lord. We can look at this scene and see truly many things. Another important insight is the importance of this woman in ministry, that wherever the Gospel is told, so is the story of this anointing as memorial. Truly, the greatest mystery of God is love, and it's our job to come to know and to share that love in the world. Love may seem a simple thing; we can see it all around us, even perhaps in the nurturing of their offspring by animals. But devotion to God takes us much further in this quest to understand what love is. There are all sorts of difficult human questions about healing and love, how we best nurture others, and what is the most loving thing to do in any situation. Compassion is another aspect of love we must learn how best to express. These are not easy questions. And they can't be answered by formulas regarding money and measurement. This insight from this story tells us something powerful and important regarding our gifts to God and to the world. Only the real Judge can measure; the truth in the heart that is known to Christ is the true measure. Love is more than indulgence, it's more than simply doing what someone else would like of you -- much more. We start with the relationship to Christ, where we receive God's love, so that we can better learn love and grow in that understanding so that we may give love ourselves. The poor we always have with us; but this is a promise that there is all kinds of need, and all kinds of poverty in need of care. The statement remains blatantly true in its surface meaning, but if we look around us there may be all kinds of ways in which love of the "poor," in whatever form "poor" may take, is awaiting its expression through us. This word for "poor," coming to us in the Gospels, also has meanings of wretched, cowering, destitute, lowly; there are all kinds of ways in which human beings may manifest that. How do we "lift up the lowly," as He does? How do we express a real compassion and love, as she does?
