After he was resurrected, (John 11) Jesus' friend, Lazarus, more or less returned to normal life... and Jesus visited him one last time before he came face-to-face with death himself. He and Lazarus were hanging out with the men (and Mary)... when Mary grabbed a pint of expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus' feet, which she then wiped with her own hair! It was a shocking moment on many levels- one that would create quite a stir in any American church today- because it was utterly outrageous. IF she insisted on gathering with the men at all, Mary should've been low-key. She shouldn't have drawn attention to herself, and especially in such a dramatic, vulnerable, even provocative way!
They were gathered for a fellowship meal... when Mary acted out... in ways that were intimate, scandalous, and most unchurch-like. A woman... on her knees... wiping a man's feet... with her hair... was unthinkable. And then there's the matter of the perfume. It was costly ($6000 today), and it could've been used to feed and clothe the poor. It could've been used to further Jesus' ministries, and even though John (12:1-11) indicts Judas' motives, many church leaders who would have agreed with him, Why did we invest in a new site when our last site was good enough? Why are buying a new piano when we could increase our mission giving? Why would we add staff when we could add to our work in the community? How could any good steward empty a bottle of perfume one man's feet... and feel good about? I am sure that most, if not all, of the men in the room thought that Mary's priorities were misguided... but Jesus championed her cause.
Yes, we need to be good stewards. Of course, we must feed the poor and clothe the naked and speak truth to power because that is what Jesus did... and Jesus' comment about the poor always being with us... was NOT intended to minimize our mandate to feed them in his name. But Jesus COMES FIRST... and all of our Christian deeds must emanate from our relationship with him. Every faithful Jew knew they were commanded to love their God WITH ALL OF THEIR HEART, MIND, SPIRIT, and with THE VERY ESSENCE OF THEIR BEING... because God comes first! Jesus himself noted that those who put their hands to the plow and look back... are not fit for the kingdom. Jesus also noted that those who refuse to pick up their crosses and follow him... will lose their lives, and it is also clear that God must come BEFORE THE GOOD THINGS IN OUR LIFE. Anyone of us who calls him or herself a Christian... can put Jesus ahead of the bad things in our lives. Some of us can even put Jesus ahead of money... but Jesus insists on being more important to us than things like family and country!
Friends, Lent is about Jesus. It is about his journey to Calvary and his Lordship in our lives. It is not about church meetings, giving up a bad habit for awhile, and any ministry that we adore. It is about Jesus... and embracing him as our Lord and Savior! Of course, we go to church and collect money for the poor. Of course, we invest in Bible studies and projection screens and church signs. Obviously, if we are to call ourselves Christian at all, we must do all that he commanded us to do... BUT THE ONLY APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO CHRIST HIMSELF IS WORSHIP! Bravo, Mary, gut gemacht
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