Philippians 3:4-14

John 12:1-8

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (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.) Jesus said, “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.”

Jesus, they hung you on a cross because you love sinners.Save us from our self-righteousness and from our contempt for those who differ from us. Amen.

We have come to the fifth Sunday in lent. We are nearing the end. Next Sunday will be Palm Sunday that wonderfully schizophrenic Sunday of the triumphal entry followed by the first reading of the Passion Story for Holy Week. But we are not there yet. Almost but not quite. This fifth Sunday in Lent we have a reading from the Gospel of John. To gain a little perspective on the story we need to look at the Gospel Readings placement within John’s narrative. The story immediately preceding this one is the raising of Lazarus from the dead. In John’s Gospel the brining back to life of Lazarus was the last straw for the authorities. After the raising of Lazarus John reports that “… the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation… So from that day on they planned to put him to death. Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the Jews,” So Jesus, who has been open and performing great works must now keep out of sight if he is going to make it back to Jerusalem for the Passover. What comes after our reading is the story of Palm Sunday. Today is the rest between the two ultimate outrages to the authorities that sealed Jesus’ fate.

So, as one of the characters on an old sit-com used to say “Picture it!” Here is Jesus in the home of Lazarus after he has raised him from the dead! It sounds like Lazarus, Mary and Martha are throwing a thank you party for the miracle! I can just imagine it. After all hospitality would demand a thank you! Wouldn’t you invite Jesus into your home if he raised you from the dead? What I would like to know is what was the conversation like between Jesus and Lazarus as they ate there meal! Was Jesus asking Lazarus about his experiences being dead? After all Jesus has told the disciples that he will be put to death and is on his way to Jerusalem for the Passover with the authorities plotting his demise. Was Lazarus curious about his experiences on the other side and asking for explanations? We don’t know what the conversation was during dinner but I would love to have been able to be a fly on the wall during that conversation! We don’t have the dinner conversation between Lazarus and Jesus but we do have a discussion about part of what happened at the dinner. I picture the scene of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet as happening after the food was consumed. Mary takes this expensive perfume, which is reported to be worth 300 denarii or one full years wages for the average person at that time. Mary takes the perfume and anoints Jesus feet. In that culture it was the slaves that would wash the feet. I would propose that Mary is so grateful for having Lazarus back that she took this very expensive perfume, something that was being saved for some great charitable act such as the anointing of the dead and using it now on Jesus. The smell would have permeated the house obliterating the body odors and food odors. The entire house would have smelled sweet. So what did the other guests think about this anointing? What we here is that Judas objecting to using the expensive perfume. Today we would call Judas the treasurer to the group. He complains that they could have sold the perfume and used the money for Alms. The narrator reports that Judas “… 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.) Jesus said, “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.”

Jesus is once again is his statement to Judas telling the people gathered around that he is soon to die. But what are we to make about the statement about the poor? Doesn’t it contradict other statements made by Jesus about whatever we do to the lest we do to him? Barbara Crafton, retired Episcopal Priest and keeper of an online community called the geranium farm has this to say: “Is this a statement straight from Jesus that serving the poor comes second to the deep connection of worship? That, for all time, compassion takes a back seat to contemplation?

I think not. This remark about the poor comes in the days before Jesus' betrayal and death, in response to Mary's symbolic action foretelling these things. Mary anoints Jesus' living body as if for burial; who could miss the meaning of that? It is certain that Judas doesn't; he is the one who protests and tries to set the needs of the poor against devotion to Jesus, hoping that those who were there would forget all about the somber symbolism of Mary's action. But then, maybe Judas already knows what is going to happen.

For us, serving the poor is anointing the body of Christ. They are the same action: an act of honoring, of making clean, of preparing the way.

As Mary washed Jesus' feet with costly ointment and dried them with her hair, Jesus' feet became clean. This cleansing wasn't about her fussy housekeeping or people tracking in mud on her clean floor; Mary doesn't "tsk-tsk" about cleanliness being next to godliness. This cleanliness is life itself.”

One of the commentators that I read also pointed out that in the culture of Jesus time there was a difference between giving alms to the poor and true acts of charity. It was considered an act of Charity to anoint the dead, after all contact with the dead made the person ritually unclean so they would have to be cleansed too. Giving alms, at arms length, would not necessarily contaminate the giver. So the symbolism that Jesus gives of anointing his body for burial raises Mary’s act to a great charitable act of hospitality.

In our Society I’m afraid that most of us are more like Judas in these situations than we are like Mary. I can hear all of the critics saying why don’t we give more to the poor. Yes, it is important to give alms to the poor but it is also important to provide great acts of Charity and find ways to provide more than just short term cash. To find a way to break open the expensive sweet smelling perfume and drive away the stench of suffering. Barbara Crafton provides one suggestion that rises above just giving alms She tells us that “[l]ast Thursday was designated by the United Nations as World Water Day, a day upon which Episcopal Relief and Development and others in the communities of service and philanthropy focused on the 2.6 billion people in the world who suffer from daily shortages of safe water, on the thousands of children who perish each day from waterborne disease. A billion people worldwide don't have a sufficient supply of drinking water.

The digging of wells in Angola. The protection of natural springs and recovery of watersheds in Haiti. Community education about safe water everywhere, and technical help to achieve it, for village after village. ERD addresses this local problem in partnership with local people, place by place, town by town, so that fewer children die of waterborne disease. Fewer, then fewer, then fewer still. Eventually, none.

First the anointing, pointing straight toward the cross. And then, the resurrection. Both anointing and resurrection speak powerfully of love, one in term of human devotion and one in terms of divine power. We already know which side God is on. Are we ready to break open our costly ointment and begin the anointing?”

As we approach the yearly remembrance of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and the coming of Holy Week let us remember the generous acts of Mary. Let us also examine how we can welcome Jesus into our heats and homes on Easter in thanksgiving for giving us new life just as Jesus gave new life to Lazarus.

Amen