Anointed for Burial and More—Lectionary Reflection for Lent 5C (John 12:1-8)

John 12:1-8 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

12 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. ² There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him. ³ Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴ But 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.) ⁷ Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. ⁸ You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

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                Our Lenten journey is nearing its end. Before too long Jesus will enter the city of Jerusalem in triumph only to be arrested, crucified, and buried. While we have followed Luke’s storyline to this point, on this Sunday the Revised Common Lectionary takes us to the Gospel of John. We find Jesus and his disciples in Bethany, at the home of Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. According to John’s narrative, Lazarus had recently died and then was raised from the dead by Jesus. It appears from the narrative that Jesus made Bethany his home base while ministering in Jerusalem. The figures of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha appear together only in the Gospel of John (Lazarus does not appear in the Synoptics). While it is common to import information about Mary and Martha from other Gospels, it is best simply to let this narrative play out without reference to the other Gospels. After all, there are many Marys in the Gospels.

                According to John’s narrative, it is six days before the Passover celebration, but Jesus has yet to enter Jerusalem in triumph. That will happen the next day (John12:12-19). In the meantime, we’re told that people had gathered in Bethany to see Jesus because he had raised Lazarus from the dead, which led the priests to plot to have Lazarus killed because people were turning to Jesus and away from their leadership (John 12:9-11). Thus, what takes place in our reading sets things up for Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, with John suggesting that the raising of Lazarus contributed to Jesus’ popularity. If you’ve seen the 1960s The Greatest Story Ever Told, the raising of Lazarus and its aftermath is highlighted by the good news going out from Bethany accompanied by the “Hallelujah Chorus.”

                This reading from John’s Gospel is a natural turning point in the story. It brings to a close the earlier stories of Jesus’ ministry, especially in Galilee. Now, he is getting ready to head into Jerusalem, where he will face his date with destiny. But, first, we need to eat. As a study of the Gospels reminds us, Jesus enjoyed sitting down for meals with friends (and even not-so-friendly folks).

                Now that the family is back together, alive and well, they host a dinner for Jesus. Martha served the dinner, while Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus and his disciples. It is important to remember that, unlike DaVinci’s painting, the participants in the dinner would have been reclining, perhaps on low couches, with their feet toward the wall of the room. While they were eating, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, Mary, entered the story. In John’s telling, Mary takes a pound of pure nard, a costly fragrant oil, and pours it on his feet, even as she wipes his feet with her hair. John tells us that the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Why she chose to do this is not revealed, especially since no mention is made of his feet being washed earlier (though that might be assumed). It is also worth remembering that Jesus will, before, too long, wash the feet of his disciples (John 13:1-20).

                Mary’s action did not sit well with at least one of the disciples who sat at table with Jesus. That would be Judas Iscariot (John lets us know that Judas is the one who will betray Jesus, thus letting us know that Judas might have ulterior motives). Judas complains that this costly ointment, with which Mary had anointed his feet, could have been sold for three hundred denarii (about a year’s wages for a common laborer) and given to the poor. John next reveals why Judas complained. He wasn’t concerned about the poor. Instead, since he was a thief who carried the common purse, from which he stole money, he had ulterior motives.  Marianne Meye Thompson notes that “Throughout John, Judas epitomizes those who have fallen away: if they had once believed in Jesus, they do so no longer. Judas thus stands in contrast to Mary: she spends generously what she has to honor Jesus, while Judas greedily grasps what does not belong to him. Mary honors Jesus; Judas betrays him.” [Thompson, John (New Testament Library) (Kindle p. 261) WJK Books]. 

                With this contrast between Mary, who honors Jesus, and Judas, who betrays him, in view, now we hear Jesus’ response. It is a controversial response, especially because of the way it has often been interpreted throughout history. Jesus tells Judas to leave Mary alone. That is because she had purchased the ointment to prepare him for burial. In making this statement, John’s Jesus, lets us know that Jesus foresees what is about to happen. He seems to know that he will soon die, and Mary has helped prepare him for that eventuality.

                Having commended Mary for her recognition of his impending death, he makes one last statement. That has to do with the poor. Judas had complained that the perfume could have been sold for three hundred denarii and then given to the poor. Judas had a point. This seemed like an extravagant action. Nevertheless, Mary had done something important that brought a blessing to Jesus. Then Jesus tells Judas and the gathered folks at the dinner:  “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me” (Jn. 12:8). So, does that mean Jesus is letting us off the hook when it comes to the poor? I don’t think so, but many a building project has drawn on this statement as a rationale. We will always have the poor with us, but this project honors Jesus. I’m not sure this is what Jesus meant. Most assuredly honoring Jesus and caring for the poor, something that is a biblical imperative, are not mutually exclusive. We can have nice church buildings and still care for the poor. Beauty is something to embrace since it honors God’s gift of creativity. But does Jesus approve of extravagant expenditures on buildings and programs while neglecting the poor? I don’t think so.

                Jesus spoke a truth, he might not be physically present with them much longer, so Mary offered something valuable to him. She prepared him for his impending burial. The fragrance that came from that ointment was very different from the stench of death spoken of when it came to Lazarus’ corpse (Jn. 11:39). Instead, it offered a vision of Jesus’ glorious conquest of death in the resurrection.

                Now for the poor, who will always have with us, we might want to interpret this cryptic statement through the lens of Deuteronomy 15:11, which declares:  “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.’” (Deut. 15:11). Might we take Jesus’ words here as a mandate to care for the poor and needy, since God has a preferential option for the poor? Perhaps Mary understands something Judas did not. That is, with God there is an abundance. Too often we live with a scarcity mentality, such that we find it difficult to share the abundance that is God’s gift to us. Stephen Shoemaker offers us this word that puts things into context:

We live our lives in the shadow of the cross, but we also live in the presence of the risen Christ. So here is an invitation to daily companionship with Jesus, at the Table, in extravagant acts of compassion and generosity, in moments of worship. All this in a world which lives by a mind-set of scarcity, rather than a mind-set of abundance, and so tempts us to close in and give little. All this in a world whose violence and cruelty crucify people every day. [Feasting on the Word, Year C, vol. 2, p. 145]