Six days before the Passover, which was the evening before Palm Sunday and Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus threw a party for Jesus. Well, that is not exactly what John’s account of the Good News says. It reads, “There they gave a dinner for him.” When one puts it this way though, ridiculous images come to mind.
Giving a dinner for someone could go in several different directions. This could have been a very formal affair, as though the friends of Jesus were putting together some sort of fundraising effort for his not-for-profit movement. If you will recall Mary had ample resources—this day last year I was giving a sermon all about her connections to the dried fish industry in her home town of Magdala. So one way this dinner could have gone down was very formal, like that day’s equivalent of black ties, evening gowns, and maybe even a red carpet. Of course, that does not sound like Jesus’ type of party.
Maybe the friends of Jesus gave him a dinner that was more like a roast. This was the last time some of them would gather with Jesus, and perhaps they took this opportunity to highlight some of the best moments of his ministry with jokes. While I like this idea in my head, I somehow doubt that on this night before Jesus would ride from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem and set into motion his own death that light-hearted comedy was taking place. So what really happened on that evening long ago?
We cannot get a full glimpse of the meal, what kind of wine was served, or whether or not the fish was overcooked, but we do know some details. It took place in Bethany, not two miles from the Holy City. John tells us that Lazarus was there reclining at the table—as was the custom in those days. He was alive after being dead not but a few days earlier. His sisters Martha and Mary followed their typical pattern with Martha serving—busily running around serving guests—while Mary took a different approach, which we will come to in a moment. Other guests seem to include the disciples, although the only one mentioned by name is Judas. We must remember that occasions like these were large social affairs not in a private home so much as a public gathering space. This helps explain why the chief priests showed up looking for not only Jesus, but also Lazarus as well.
In the middle of the party, when all were reclining together something strange happened. Mary situated herself near Jesus with a pound of nard, a type of expensive essential oil, so that she could anoint his feet. Upon seeing this Judas was beside himself. He became indignant for Mary had spent 300 denarii, which was a about a year’s earnings in today’s figures $30,000, not on the poor, but on perfume. I love John’s Gospel, but I wish that it left out the editorial comment about Judas being greedy and not really loving the poor. For we cannot help but be on Mary’s side when we think that Judas was a scoundrel and a thief. In all honesty, wouldn’t we be upset if someone spent $30,000 on perfume?
While Mary wiped Jesus’ feet with expensive oil and her hair, Jesus replied to Judas’ legitimate claim that this money would have been better used to care for the poor. He spoke to Judas, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." In this statement, Jesus rebukes his disciple’s claim about the extravagance of this gesture, cryptically hints that his own death is at hand, and provides one of the most challenging statements about caring for the poor. Talk about a mood killer for a party! Right after this the focus of the story shifts to the religious folks, the chief priests coming to see Jesus and Lazarus as they plotted all the more to kill both men. Going back though, what do we make of Jesus’ claim?
Jesus condoned an extravagant gesture of love—one that foreshadowed his own washing of the disciples’ feet, pointed to his own impending death, and threw out a statement that has long since been misunderstood. Saying you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me was not a slight to caring for the poor, even if we may question the integrity of Judas who originally logged the complaint. Acknowledging the profundity of Mary’s gesture and at the same time acknowledging the need to care for the poor provides a deeper insight into the love of God personified in Jesus: God’s way exists beyond one good thing pitted against another. Dr. Tony Baker, my theology professor in seminary called this non-competitive transcendence. When a third way is found beyond simply a dual between two good outcomes.
What Jesus says is adore me and adore the poor, or perhaps looking towards a third way: love me by loving the poor. This is what is truly worth celebrating at this dinner, that we gain an insight into God’s way of love. And, what is more Mary shows us how to do it. We literally and figuratively bend down to serve others. Mary did not simply wipe Jesus’ feet though, she anointed them with oil, which was how kings were sealed into their reign. The next day on Palm Sunday, Jesus would enter triumphantly into Jerusalem as he humbly inaugurated his kingship. His ruling was never, is never, and will never be about a mighty, clinched fist, but rather about kneeling with our hands open ready to share the love of God. This week may we celebrate like Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, may we serve others, and may we revel in God’s reign of love!
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