Community
Church Sermons
The Fifth
Sunday in Lent, Year C – April 1, 2001
"Sometimes
You Need A Mary”
John
12:1-8
When you stand on the Temple Mount in the center of the old walled city of Jerusalem, your eyes are drawn to a hillside just a short distance outside the city. Separated from Jerusalem by a valley, this hill is called the Mount of Olives. At its base is the still-beautiful and serene Garden of Gethsemane. The word Gethsemane means oil press, and that term is very appropriate since the Garden itself is an ancient grove of olive trees once used for the manufacture of oil. They say some of the trees in the Garden today actually date back two-thousand years or more, and probably were the very trees under which Jesus prayed on the last night of his life. At the top of the hill is the traditional site of Jesus’ ascension. A church stands there now. And just over the other side of the summit, nestled in a valley, is a little village called Bethany.
Bethany was a special place to Jesus for there, three of his closest friends lived. Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Two sisters and a brother. We don’t know how their friendship began. But we do know that they were close already when Jesus received word one day that Lazarus had died. And we know that Lazarus’ death affected him deeply for John the Gospelwriter records that, when he heard the news about Lazarus’ passing, Jesus wept. And we also know that, when Jesus showed up at the family home to console the sisters, Martha was pretty upset with him. She had sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was ill, asking for the Lord to come. But Jesus had not come. Had he responded, she was sure, her brother would not have died. Martha was obviously close enough to Jesus to feel personally betrayed and let down by her friend. And she let Jesus know it. In no uncertain terms. Martha was not one to mince words.
But for all the conflicted conversation between Jesus and Martha, there was some element of trust she held in the Lord. It was Martha who simply said she believed when Jesus told her that Lazarus would live. And of course, when Jesus called him forth from the tomb, Lazarus was raised from the dead, to the joy of the entire family.
You get a sense, when you read the several stories about Jesus and this family, that their relationship is very deep and very close. So it should not surprise us that, when Jesus prepared to enter Jerusalem to face the death he knew was before him, he chose to spend his last days with his dearest friends of all – Lazarus, Martha and Mary – in their little house in Bethany, just the other side of the Mount of Olives.
John tells us that Jesus arrived at their house six days before Passover. To welcome him, they put on a dinner for Jesus. Everyone was there. Lazarus – who was quite the star attraction, having been dead but now being as alive as he’d ever been. People today are attracted to stories of peoples’ near-death experiences. You can imagine how fascinated they were with this real-death experience, punctuated by a resurrection! Yes, Lazarus was there in all his glory. And the disciples of Jesus were there, including one Judas Iscariot. They were quite excited about the days ahead when Jesus would triumphantly enter Jerusalem and – they supposed - would lead the revolution that would drive out the Romans and establish the Kingdom of God. You can sort of picture them sitting around the table, whispering about what the future held. Martha, of course, was there, busily at work in the kitchen, preparing and serving the meal. Such a large gathering was a major challenge that required planning and paying attention to detail. And Martha had gifts in this department. Perhaps her full name was Martha Stewart. And sister Mary was there, too. Much to the chagrin of Martha though, Mary chose not to pitch in and help with the meal preparation and service. But what Mary did do that night is remembered to this very day.
It is said that, as they dined together – Lazarus exulting over his miracle, the disciples speculating about their political future, Martha focused on serving her guests - Mary quietly went to Jesus’ side. Taking a jar containing a pound of pure nard – a perfume so fine and fragrant that it would be valued at 300 denarii which was about a year’s wages – Mary knelt and poured it out on Jesus’ feet – and then wiped them with her long, flowing hair – and the whole house was filled with the fragrance.
Can you imagine the sweet aroma?
And with that fragrant gift of pure love filling the whole house where they were gathered, something truly surprising happened. People became angry and upset!!! I can imagine Lazarus complaining that Mary was interrupting their deep discussion about the theological underpinnings of his resurrection experience. I can hear Martha complaining – as the Gospels tell us she did - that Mary was leaving all the work in the kitchen to her. And John tells us that Judas Iscariot – who was a crook – objected to her act and angrily said. “Why was this perfume not sold for three-hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor?”
Mary’s gift was met with disdain.
But then, in the wake of all the complaints, Jesus responds. “Leave her
alone. You don’t know what you’re talking about. She has done a beautiful thing
for me. You see, Mary scraped and saved to buy this perfume, and she has saved
it all these months for the day of my burial.”
Do you get the picture? Of all the people gathered in the house that night, only Mary is able to perceive the moment Jesus is facing and what he truly needs to face it. Not testimony about miracles performed. Not speculation about what the future will hold. Not even devotion to the task of serving a meal to a large number of people.
No, what Jesus needs more than anything else this night – in the final moments of his life - is someone who simply tries to understand what he’s facing, and loves him as he faces it.
This past Wednesday, we gathered for the funeral of our dear friend Rudy Paluzelle. Many people said many wonderful things about the meaning of Rudy’s life to them. Clearly, he had used his days wisely, making friends, giving cheer, sharing himself, loving others.
Among the things we shared that night was a little poem his widow Viola had pulled off the refrigerator at home. She said Rudy read this poem every day, and that it had great significance to him. Listen:
While I can know
the sweet and tender feelings
Which from true
affection flow.
Love me now, while
I am living.
Do not wait until
I’m gone,
And then have it
chiseled in marble,
Sweet words on
ice-cold stone.
If you have tender
thoughts of me, please tell me now.
If you wait until
I’m sleeping, never to awaken,
There will be
death between us, and I won’t hear you then.
So, if you love
me, even a little bit,
Let me know it
while I am living, so I can treasure it.
There are people in each of our lives right now, who – more than anything else – need someone to try to understand the moment they are living in, and to reach into that moment with the simple gift of love. They are people who are surrounded by a world that is so wrapped up in its own agenda, that it hardly even notices what they are facing, and what they truly need.
They are people who don’t need a Lazarus to preach to them about the good things God has done for them. Or the disciples to give them some hope about a future kingdom that is coming. Or even a Martha who will work hard to provide a nice meal in a well-organized home.
No, these are people who need a most extraordinary kind of person. These are people who need a Mary.
Someone whose role in life is to express loving gratitude and appreciation by pouring perfume upon them.
Last night, I received a phone call from my old friend and colleague, Ralph Marsden. Ralph called for two reasons – first, to remind me to wake up at 2 o’clock this morning to spring my clocks ahead – and second, to wish me a happy birthday. Over the years, Ralph has recorded the birthdays of just about everybody he’s ever met. And that’s a lot of people! His little book overflows with names, covering every day of the year. And every day of the year, Ralph sits down at the telephone, and calls with birthday greetings. I think Ralph recognizes the importance of saying I love you while life allows. Ralph is a Mary. And when he calls, you can almost smell the fragrance!
A note. A card. A word. A phone call. A gift. A visit. A listening ear. There are many ways to pour perfume over the feet of the people around us. And part of our mission as Christian people and a Christian church is to develop that skill, and practice it every day.
But this story goes even deeper than that, for it tells us more than about the need for us to use our time wisely in loving each other. It tells us as well about the need for us to love God! You see, Jesus was not only Mary’s friend. He was her Lord and Savior.
Maybe it is surprising to some that God has needs, just like we do. That there are times when God needs more than theological discourse with us, more than making plans for the architecture of the Kingdom, more than our efforts to feed the world with the bread of life. This story tells us that there are times when God simply needs us to love him!
This is the part of the sacrament of Communion that we so often fail to appreciate. This table represents so much more than a buffet table from which we receive something to eat. Oh no, this table is not at all unlike that table in Bethany long ago. Some gather around it to do theology. Some come to get strength for tomorrow. Others just come to eat and feel spiritually satisfied.
But Mary gets up from that table, and goes right to where the Lord is sitting. She senses he needs more than a seat among people as they feed themselves. So Mary does this remarkable thing - pours out her love for him, in her own unique way. And God says, “What a beautiful thing you’ve done for me!”
As you come to the table today, would you come differently than you’ve ever come before? Come not to receive from God, but to give to God. Come and give God your thoughts about what he means to you. Come and give God words of praise, extolling the beautiful things he has done for you. Come with expressions of thanks, recounting the beautiful blessings God has poured into your life. Tell God how wonderful you think he is. Sing him a love song. Pour out your perfume!
And then go out into the world, and do the same for others.