Extravagant love

Betty Stroud
Year C, Lent 5
John 12:1-8

In each version of this story, which is told in every gospel, Mary says not a word.
Yet, in her silence, her actions could be said to sing: to sing of compassion and of extravagant love.

Despite being nameless in three of the four gospel stories, and labelled “sinful” when Luke tells the story, few stories are better known, and even fewer are retold so often. This story about perfume, tears, embrace and anointing, shows the hallmarks of Mary’s love.

As I pondered this story and how it relates to us today in the 21 st century I decided to take three of the images present in the story – and grow each of them a little.

After each one, I will give you a moment or two to reflect quietly on what you’ve heard.

There’s no logic to the order and there’s some overlap.

But I invite you to enter into this story and let God speak to you.

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem – a city of great importance to the Jews. The holy city ……the city of God.

Jerusalem …. the city where Jesus would confront the ruling systems of the time – the temple and the Roman rulers – at their seat of power.

Jerusalem ….. the place to which his disciples had tried to persuade him not to go.

Jerusalem ….. the place where he knew he would be in danger, but yet decided to go anyway.

And so, he pauses to take a breather at the home of three of his close friends …. Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus. Their home was situated in Bethany – not far from Jerusalem.

The three of them plus the disciples and friends are having dinner.

Talk flows, some laughter is shared.

Jesus joins in with the talk and the laughter, but Mary seems to sense that he has other things on his mind.

She has grown to love this man who has taught her so much about life – about justice, about God, and about a new way of being.

She knows the consequences of his going to Jerusalem, and her heart goes out to him. And so ….. in an act of sheer extravagance, she takes the bottle of nard that she has sitting on her shelf and, regardless of the cost of it – heavens it will take Lazarus a year’s work to be able to buy another one – empties it over Jesus’ feet.

And then, she does the unthinkable.

She lets her hair down – which, in those days was the act of a wanton woman – and tenderly wipes his feet with it.

It was an act of extravagant love born out of her compassion for this man, who himself had taught her compassion.

A couple of questions we might ask ourselves:

‘What moves us to act with extravagant love?’

‘How often do we act extravagantly with love and compassion?’

Silence

Imagine Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples. What does he look like as he sits opposite Jesus. Judas is the keeper of the purse – in other words, he looks after the money. He keeps a close and careful eye on what is spent, for he doesn’t like to see waste.

Not only that, he isn’t above dipping into the money for his own use.

When he sees Mary acting – in his eyes, like a harlot, and pouring the perfume over Jesus’ feet he feels a number of things:

Indignation that Jesus doesn’t tell her to stop being stupid.

Amazement that someone could waste such an expensive item – especially on washing someone’s feet – even if it was Jesus.

And, he feels compelled to say something.

He remembers the commandment in the ancient book of the Torah about caring for the poor.

So …. self-righteously, he asks why the perfume wasn’t sold and the money given to the poor.

A question we might ask ourselves:

Are we willing to be generous with our encouragement, with our acceptance, with our love, or are we judgmental and self-righteous?

Silence

But here’s a different thought.

Over the last few days, as I’ve met with some people from this congregation, I have heard any number of stories of love being shared, encouragement given, and the acceptance of people – regardless of who they are. They’ve been wonderful to hear.

But I know, from my own experience, that I don’t always get it right. If I’m tired or have difficult stuff going on in my life then I can tend to be less than loving and generous, and I would hazard a guess that I’m not alone in this. These are the times when I know that I need to be generous and loving to myself. Taking time out; doing the things that refresh my soul.

Questions:

How are we generous and loving to ourselves?

What are the things that refresh our souls and do we make time for them?

Silence

That pound of nard.

Nard was a costly, fragrant ointment or perfume prepared from the roots and hairy stems of an aromatic Indian herb.

As Mary tipped it over Jesus’ feet, the smell of it wafted around the room. It got up people’s nostrils. It permeated everything. You couldn’t get away from it.

Nard ……. one of the costliest perfumes there was.

But its cost didn’t deter Mary from using it.

She could have left it on the shelf and made do with something cheaper – or in fact, not done anything at all.

But for her, only the best was good enough for Jesus and she knew that this was the right time to use it.

She used it because she could see that Jesus was in need.

He probably would have struggled on without it, but her act of generous, outrageous love would have been like balm to his troubled soul.

Mary shows us, through her example, how we are to live our lives as disciples. Her servanthood to Jesus cost her much, not only in money, but in the possible rebuke and ridicule of everyone present. She didn’t hold back with her silent song of love.

Question: What does it mean for us to be extravagantly generous, when we have so often been consciously taught to be careful, even frugal?

What will it mean for us to be wasteful in such a way as Mary?

Silence