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

 

 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 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 

 

On Saturday we read that many of those who had come to Mary from Jerusalem (to accompany her in mourning Lazarus), 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 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.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

 

 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 explains that, because Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 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 humankind from sin and death, is continually emphasized.  

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 table with Him.   This Passover is the third one mentioned in John's Gospel (see also John 2:13; 6:4).  It is also the setting for the final week of Christ's earthly ministry, which will be narrated in careful detail.  My study Bible adds that Jesus had already been glorified through His signs and words; now it remained for Him to be glorified through His death and Resurrection.  Here, Jesus returns to Bethany, a short way from Jerusalem, and joins His friends Martha, Mary, and Lazarus for a supper.

 

 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 points out that while the other disciples said the same thing that Judas said, they did so with very different motives (see also Matthew 26:6-13).  Judas spoke from greed, my study Bible says, while the others spoke from the virtue of charity.   It remarks upon this idea 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 (John 6:11; see also Mark 6:7); and Christ allowed Judas to partake at the table of the Mystical Supper (John 13:26).  But Judas could never overcome his greed.

Jesus tells the disciples, "For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."  Perhaps it's easiest to read this statement as one that specifies that Jesus is special, different, a unique case.  But, on the contrary, it seems that an argument can be easily made for the exception of a general rule of compassion or charity in terms of whatever urgent need we might see in front of ourselves.  Mary's anointing of Christ is in itself an act of compassion -- and also one of love.  We know that Jesus loves Mary and her siblings.  The shortest verse in the Bible is an expression of this love:  "Jesus wept" (John 11:35).  The sympathy between Himself and Mary, Martha, and Lazarus is one we understand from the Gospel passages that teach us how much He loved them.  Mary's anointing is a return of that love, an expression of love and also veneration for the Lord.  Jesus returns this compassion to her by expressing the goodness of her act, her good intention, to the rest of the disciples.  There He notes, "Me you do not have always."  He points to the deep and urgent need that is right in front of them, that perhaps the disciples do not want to face:  that she does this because she accepts what they cannot, and she is preparing Christ for His burial, for what is to come in Jerusalem.   But this exceptional statement, it seems to me, is preparing us for the deep exceptions to the "rules" that will come in our own lives, and that is especially true in terms of how we share our compassion with others.  Compassion is so key to the Gospels and to the ministry of Christ.  In His parable of Judgment, the parable of the sheep and the goats, it is really the expression of compassion, or its omission, that is the key to Christ's judgment (Matthew 25:31-46).  If we take a close look at the parable, we note that Jesus does not say general "rules" about judgment, but gets down to very specific actions and details.  He says,  "I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me."  And the people in return, ask specifically about such incidents, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?"  Those who failed to do so ask similarly, "Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?"  What this teaches us about acts of compassion or charity is that to see what is in front of us, which situation or circumstance arises that needs our help in some sense is to do what He wishes of us.  To fail to see what is in front of us is a failure to be what He calls us to be.  It's all very well to understand ethics, to think in general terms about charity and love and compassion; but it's meaningless if that does not translate to the capacity to discern such need when it doesn't fit a  prescription or pattern or theory or ideology.  Our charity means nothing if it does not touch the heart.  Judas' heart is somewhere else, although he expresses nominally an urgency toward compassion and charity.  If we are waiting only to see someone important or significant (like Christ) who needs our help, we are failing in our hearts to know compassion and to understand charity.   After all, who could equal the powerful position of Christ?  And yet, here He is speaking of Himself as one in need.   We must ask ourselves, who are "the poor" in each circumstance?  What do the "poor" look like?  Are the "poor" only those poor in a monetary sense?  For in the present scenario in the Gospel, Jesus is the poor, the one in need of this anointing for His burial.  So it stands to reason for us to extrapolate from this teaching that one in need of our help, one for whom our compassion is needed at any moment, might be someone we do not expect, whose profile does not fit our "picture" of one who needs or deserves our charity.  And from there, we must learn to assume that we are to keep our eyes open, to continually be learning this language of compassion of the heart, and to discern where God may be calling us to something we can't yet see.  So, let us continue this outsized, extravagant, and noteworthy action of grace on the part of Mary of Bethany.  Elsewhere, in His admonition, Christ extends praise indeed, saying, "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her" (Matthew 26:13).  Let us learn to see what is in front of us, the language of God in the heart asking us for discernment beyond a rule.

 

 

 

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

 

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 

 

On Saturday, we read that many of the prominent people from Jerusalem who had come to Mary in order to mourn Lazarus, 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 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 he did not say this 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.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

 

 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.  This is the third Passover which is mentioned in John's Gospel (see also 2:13, 6:4).  This third and final Passover in the Gospels is the setting for the last week of Christ's earthly ministry.  It will be narrated to us in careful detail over the chapters that follow.  My study bible says that Jesus had already been glorified through His signs and words; now it remains for Him to be glorified through His death and Resurrection.  It notes also 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 humankind from sin and death, is continually emphasized. 

 

 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."  My study bible emphasizes that the other disciples said the same thing that Judas said, but with a completely different motivation (see Matthew 26:6-13).  Judas spoke from greed, but the other disciples spoke from the virtue of charity.  That Jesus put a thief in charge of the money, it adds, 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 will wash Judas' feet with the other disciples at the Last Supper (13:5); and He will also allow Him to partake at the table of the Mystical Supper on the same occasion (13:26).  But Judas could never overcome his greed (Matthew 26:14-16).

I'm struck by the evil that surrounds Jesus, especially in the fact that at this point the leaders have given out an order that whoever spots Him should report it, so that they can seize Him.  It's as if they have issued a Wanted poster for Him.  They have given a command, the text says to us.   In the midst of this hostility from the leaders who hold power in the society as a whole, there are those faithful who nevertheless love Christ and do not hesitate to show us.  Since so many came from Jerusalem to mourn with Martha and Mary (and Saturday's reading specifically mentions Mary -- see above), I think the text indicates that Lazarus' family is also well-known, and prominent enough so that many came to them from Jerusalem to mourn, and hence witnessed the raising of Lazarus.  While those who hunt Jesus at the Passover festival represent the people in that they are the religious leaders, what we see is the importance of individual acts of faith in the anointing by Mary.  She is showing her love and devotion to Jesus, and even though virtually all of the disciples misunderstand the importance of what she does (see especially Matthew 26:6-13), Jesus nevertheless explicitly corrects them.  In Matthew 26, He tells them both what we read here, and more:  "For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always" (Matthew 26:12-13).  It tells us that we are never to underestimate our acts of kindness and those motivated through love for Christ.  It also lets us know that it is Jesus who is the ultimate judge, and He who understands what is truly in the heart.  For we are not judged by the grandiosity of a deed, but rather by the depth of what is given through an understanding of the heart.  (Let us remember here the story of the widow in Luke 21:1-4).   It's possible I read very much into this text, but it seems that Christ is giving the highest praise He can.  Moreover, it is clear that at least He stands in deep appreciation of the gift; it is meaningful to Him, and it makes a great difference in the context of where He is going and what He is going to endure over the course of the next week and through His Passion.  And at the same time that we see the great gift of Mary, and the true love in her heart for Christ, we also observe Judas.  Judas says words that are nominally good, but his motivation is all wrong, and his perspective is selfish.  Even though the other disciples, ostensibly with good motive, criticize Mary, they also are mistaken and are corrected by Jesus.  So essential is the understanding of the heart to true judgment, that the Gospels give us this story exalting Mary for her act of love and true charity.  From the beginning, we're told, Jesus has known that one of those whom He has chosen is not entirely "right" in his heart. Just after Peter's confession on behalf of all that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God," John 6:70-71 tells us, "Jesus answered them, 'Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve."  Perhaps we are to understand something more about judgment and the human soul, that no matter how great the kindness and grace shared with each person on the part of Christ, those who choose to reject this grace and love are still free to do so.  It may teach us personally that simply loving and kind behavior on our parts, no matter how well-intentioned or correct, is not enough to change another.  Each person has their own capacity to choose for love, just as Mary chooses for love, and the leadership among the Council choose to put Jesus to death and to reject the thought of even entertaining to hear His Gospel message, although there are others on the Council -- and they are prominent members as well -- who will come to discipleship and faith in Christ.    This is a highly significant teaching, for it tells us about the heart and the ways of the heart.  Perhaps this is our Creator teaching us that we must exhaust all possibilities of helping others.  Indeed, the Church does not expel nominal members, but always hopes for salvation for all (excommunication from the sacraments is not the same thing as expelling members).  In the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43), Jesus gives us an image of the world.  Even as we live side by side, so the weeds, which so closely resemble the good wheat, are growing side by side with the wheat.  It is a parable about judgment, which Christ says will take place at the end of the age.  Judas forms an image of which the weeds may be symbolic, in that he so closely resembles a devoted disciple.  But he has grown a particular way, and he will follow through to the end as one who does not accept the word of Christ.  But let us consider that in the fullness of our faith, we consider Christ to have descended into hades before ascending into heaven, and even so Judas remains with the possibility of repentance when he will meet Christ there.  The world is a puzzling and strange place, not least of which because of the mystery of human hearts and our capacity for belief:  that is, both for faith and the rejection of faith.  Christ comes into the world offering grace and love, but not everyone accepts this truth, nor the energy and present reality of grace.  We, as human beings, remain free also to reject, with hearts that may make choices to do so.  But in the midst of the world, there is also Mary and the saints who will follow her.  There are all the angels which serve God, and those who pray with the saints.  There is grace abounding.  So, once again, as we have observed in our recent readings and commentary, the world works within the realm of Christ, a created place which is an adornment of the heaven (for this is the meaning of the Greek word "cosmos" which so often indicates the whole world in Scripture), and we are placed in the midst.  Let us consider that even while we know there is Judas, we may also be those who love Christ like Mary, and nothing another does can take away that reward of love for a heart that remains capable of discerning and living in grace.  In a world filled with hate and rejection, we can still be the one who follows in the footsteps of Mary.  We can love Christ and share in her place as beloved of Christ.  And the world cannot take away that "good part" that we have chosen.

The Extravagance of Love

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

In last week's readings, we read about the raising of Lazarus, Jesus' seventh and final sign in John's Gospels. For the story of Lazarus' raising, see Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick; Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died; and Lazarus, come forth! In Saturday's reading, we learned of the aftermath of this sign, the most powerful and potent of all. At the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, many mourners had come from Jerusalem. They were among those of the people who followed the leadership in the temple. After this sign, many of them believed, but others among them went and told the Pharisees the things that Jesus did. The Pharisees and the chief priests made a council. They asked, "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 nation." Caiaphas was the high priest that year. He told 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. Jesus then went into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim.

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. Jesus has attended two Passover festivals already in John's Gospel. This will be His third, and final, in His ministry. For these readings, we remember that the term "the Jews" is generally used in John's Gospel to denote those who prevail in the leadership at the temple, and their followers. By now Jesus knows they wish to put Him to death, and hasn't walked among these people. My study bible has a note: "Because Jesus is the Lamb of God (1:29), the connection between the Passover and the death of Jesus is important, and John emphasizes it over and over again (see 2:13, 23; 6:4; 12:1; 13:1; 18:28, 39; 19:14, 42)."

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. Here is a picture for us, a kind of icon. The family of Lazarus prepare a supper. Naturally, Martha is serving. In all stories of these sisters, it is Martha who is busy with duties of hospitality. Jesus' disciples sit with Lazarus at the table, one who has been raised, formerly dead. It is a kind of picture of salvation, of family in Jesus' name. There are all kinds of ways in which we may in some sense or aspect be dead, but Jesus, as He has said, is the resurrection and the life. These are Jesus words' to Martha from Thursday's reading: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." Through Him, we sit at table among His followers, and we live. It is also a kind of picture of the Resurrection itself, in which all that lives in Him is transfigured and glorified. Bethany, we remember is about two miles east of Jerusalem. Jesus is journeying toward Jerusalem for the Passover.

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. This act of deep love and true devotion is referenced already in John's Gospel, in Wednesday's reading. So powerful is this symbol, so great is this act of love, that it was obviously widely known among the believers at the time John wrote his Gospel. It has often been referenced as the "extravagance of love." That the whole house is filled with the fragrance of the oil is a kind of reference to prayer. Her act of deep love is one that will reverberate everywhere, to others, even beyond space and time. Prayer is like a fragrance that ascends to God.

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: "The account of the anointing contrasts Mary's act of devotion -- the 'extravagance of love' -- with Judas's bitter cynicism. Anticipating His death, Jesus considers the anointing to be a symbol of preparation of his body for burial (vv. 7, 8)."

Judas doesn't seem capable of understanding Mary's great act of love, of devotion to Christ. We know of the love that was between Mary, Martha, Lazarus and Jesus. The Gospel has told us so repeatedly over the past few readings (see last week's as noted above). Luke's Gospel has also given us an account of Mary, and her character, and the ways that Jesus viewed her. For the early Church, she clearly remained an important and even a towering figure, as she does in the Gospels. But, even so, Mary is the one who sits in mourning, who sits at the feet of Jesus. who listens and chooses the good part. She responds quickly when secretly called to Him. And here, she pours the expensive fragrance on His feet, wiping them with her hair. Her act of love then becomes an anointing also for her, the fragrance a kind of symbol of her spiritual purity, what is truly in her heart, in her love for God. Why does Judas not understand this love? This language of love and its fragrance, its real spiritual devotion, is not something he can understand nor grasp when Jesus tells it to him. John's Gospel tells us he's avaricious, but there's much more to it than that. Judas will respond to this rebuke by betrayal. There's a depth to love that Jesus calls us toward. It's much more than doing good deeds, counting up what we can do like notches in a tablet. Love asks us much more, and that is the whole devotion of our hearts. And in that love is the language of God, the very relationships God will establish. This is a place much, much deeper than the things that we can count and measure on our terms. It is a place where God can be at work in our lives, moving us to the true good works that God wants of us, not what we can calculate on our terms. So, where does that language of love come from in you? How does its spiritual fragrance come to you and infuse your life?