5th Sunday in Lent
John 12:1-8
3/25/2007
Rev. Philip A. BouknightSix days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. John 12:1
This is how John begins this portion of his gospel. He gives great attention to detail and he uses details to help develop a theological point. Six days before the Passover, four days before Judas would betray Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, five days before he would be handed over to Pilate and make his way to Calvary where he would die for you and me, six days before he would lie dead in the tomb….He was in the home of Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead.
The detail of where he was at this particular moment in his ministry is important because of the overall structure of John’s gospel. Matthew, Mark and Luke all note the climax of Jesus’ ministry as the moment where the authorities finally turn against him and seek his life. They record it as Palm Sunday, where the Jews laid their cloaks and palms before Him, worshiping him as their king. John is different. For John, that climactic moment where the authorities turn against Jesus is the raising of Lazarus from the dead. We are told that many Jews left to follow Christ at that moment. John tells us in this chapter that the authorities even sought Lazarus’ life, because it was on his account that the Jews turned to follow Christ. So here is Jesus, near Jerusalem, in the house of Lazarus with Mary and Martha standing by.
Now when we hear the names Mary and Martha, we immediately think of Jesus’ teaching where he noted that Mary chose the best part of worshiping Him instead of Martha’s choice to serve, but that is Luke. Here we find them doing what Mary and Martha do. Martha is serving and Mary is worshiping, but they play a minor role. Even Lazarus plays a small role in this narrative. Judas plays the more active role.
We would rather talk about Lazarus, Mary and Martha than we would Judas. We are uncomfortable when it comes to Judas and that might be because it was he who betrayed our Savior, but I think we are uncomfortable talking about Judas, because deep down, we see a little of Judas in us.
Mary was worshiping Jesus. We are told that she poured a jar of very expensive and aromatic oil on his feet. A little later in John, we learn how the disciples viewed the washing of the feet. It was the dirtiest part of their body and they would not allow Jesus to wash their feet until Jesus, through Peter, explains that unless he washed them they would have no part in Him. Here is Mary, pouring expensive oil on his feet and drying it with her hair. Judas didn’t have a problem with her act of worship. He had a problem with the cost of the oil and we are given a purview into his heart, learning that he didn’t really care about the poor. He wanted part of that money for himself. He was a thief and some of that money, wasted on Jesus’ feet, could have lined his pockets.
We are told that she poured a pound of this oil onto Jesus’ feet. A Roman pound was more scant than ours; twelve ounces rather than our sixteen and 300 denarii’s would have been equivalent to one year’s salary. In today’s terms, it would be as if, say $36,000 was spent on a jar of oil and then poured on Jesus’ feet. That would come to $3,000 an ounce. It was a lavish gift. When you think of it that way, we might have an issue with such a lavish gift spent on the act of worship.
So how much do we spend on our worship?
Take a look at our budget. More than 90% of what we give as a church, has been earmarked for worship. It seems absurd when you look at our community and see people who are poor, homeless, and lacking the basic necessities of life while we pack away money for a community that gathers little more than once a week. That would be an appropriate comment if such an understanding of worship were true. We are not called to worship one day a week. We are called to worship our God seven days a week; even on our day of rest. The one day that we do gather together in this place is for the purpose of feeding us and nurturing us so that we could be sent into the world to serve for the rest of the week. Unfortunately, one day is what God usually gets and sometimes, he doesn’t even get that. The amount of money that we spend on him isn’t lavish at all, but rather the change we have left in our pockets after we have spent everything else on ourselves. Imagine what we could do as a church if we cast out that Judas nature in ourselves and replaced it with a life that more closely resembled Lazarus, Mary or Martha.
Lazarus was at the table, because Jesus had raised him from the dead and he was going into the world even through they sought to kill him, because of who he represented. Jesus has raised us from the dead through the waters of baptism, but rather than go boldly into this world proclaiming what he has done in our lives, we button our lips and state that they will know we are Christians because of our good works. Without God’s word upon your lips, all that we give them is another person in the world who happens to be nice. Martha loved to serve so much that she almost missed the more important gift of receiving Christ’s wisdom. Most often, service to us is making it to church. Service is what we pay professionals to do. Mary spent her life in loving devotion to her Lord and Savior, laying her love upon him in such a lavish fashion that it made heads turn. It made some even speculate about her relationship with Jesus. Lavishness to us is more like bringing a dollar store gift to the birthday party of a King.
Oh that Jesus was worth more than a few pieces of silver. Yes Judas makes us uncomfortable. It is hard to have a Mary and Martha heart in a Judas world. It is hard live as though we have been raised from the dead. No one ever told us that this road would be easy. We see clearly where easy takes us. Judas cared for himself. He even justified his actions under the guise of righteousness. He may have even fooled himself into believing that he was following Christ, but his heart told the truth. In the end, his selfishness led him to utter despair. The things of this world were useless and he had banked his entire existence on their worth. His little pouch of silver could not save his life.
God can redeem that Judas in all of us. He can turn our hearts of stone into hearts of fire. He can set us free in this world to live for him. That is what he came for. He came to give life and that is why John mentions that six days before the Sabbath, He was in the home of Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. He was dwelling with those who had new life, walking among those who sought to serve him, speaking with those who sought to worship him. Six days before Passover, the day that he would lay in the tomb…dead, He was celebrating life; new life in Christ. He was pointing them to the moment where his death would raise them all. He came to Bethany, because Lazarus was there, because Mary was there and because Martha was there. Judas just happened to come walking in with them. He comes to us because Lazarus is here. He has raised us from the dead. He comes because Mary is here. We gather in worship to give him all that we have for all that we have received. He comes because Martha is here. We are sent into the world to serve and the poor are there….just beyond those doors. The homeless are there, doors away from your own homes. People who lack the basic provisions of life are out there, while in here, our pantries overflow. They need Lazarus…not Judas. They need Mary and Martha…not Judas. They need Christ….not Judas. If we dare to be Lazarus, Mary and Martha; if we dare to let go of our tightly held purses and our coveted calendars, then they will receive far more than what we are, they will receive the God whom we represent. They will finally get the provision that they have been longing for. They will see Christ.
As Jesus heads to the cross, His death brings us life. How could we ever imagine that following him would require less of a cost to us. For people to live, we must die. We must give away our life. Then, when they see a commitment in us that does more than give lip service, perhaps they will be encouraged to cast out the Judasness in themselves and put on Christ. Judas they know. Lazarus they need. Judas they know. Mary and Martha they need. Judas they know. Christ’s kingdom they need. Bring them what they need, not what they know, and in the process, you will save your own life for Christ longs to reign in us now, He wants to worship him now, and he wants us to serve him now, not just after our death. Be lavish in your love. Be lavish with your time and be lavish with your possessions. It is such small thing to do in light of what he has done for us.
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