“Treasures, thanksgiving and treachery”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Friday, March 31, 2023
John 12:1-11 (Forward, p. 61) CEV p. 1117
Or put another way, “Priceless perfume and perverse perfidy”. There is nothing like an unexpected turn of events, one that changes everything for better or for worse, that changes the dynamics of everyday life. Often such things bring out the best—or the worst—in people. Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the grave after having been dead four days was one such event.
On the negative side of things, there was the reaction of Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. They knew perfectly well what this could mean for themselves and for the entire nation. They were afraid that the common people might put their trust in Jesus, causing the Romans to over-react and step in to quell the uprising, and thereby destroy the Temple and the Jewish nation. What they didn’t state in so many words was that in performing this one deed, Jesus had fulfilled the fourth and final sign of the Messiah. And so, yes, this would have been a grave threat to them and to the nation should Jesus be allowed to live. So, it was imperative that He be ‘put down’, eliminated from the picture, and that, as soon as possible. So, all that they needed was an accomplice, an insider, who could help them in this task without arousing the suspicions or attention of Jesus’ adoring public.
Mary, one of the two sisters of Lazarus, reacted in a far different way. For one thing, she was almost certainly motivated by a tremendous sense of gratitude towards Jesus, a thanksgiving for having done ‘the impossible’ in restoring their beloved brother back to them. Her gratitude was more than mere words could express, and so she showed it in her actions. Our text mentions that she took a bottle of very expensive perfume called nard or spikenard, breaks it open, and uses it to pour on Jesus’ feet. The genuine version of this product—there were fake varieties in existence as well—came all the way from the Himalayas of Nepal, China and India, which can well account for its pricyness. But that was not all, the Roman writer Pliny reports that the mere blossoms of the plant sold for almost a third of a year’s wage, so one can well imagine what price the crushed and distilled rhizomes of the plant might fetch. And given that this perfume, this essential oil, was contained in a sealed, long necked alabaster jar, which neck had to be broken, snapped in half, to extract the oil, this gift was total and irrevocable. Such was Mary’s self-giving and self-offering borne of her immense gratitude toward Jesus.
But there was perhaps one other thing, perhaps only unconscious and in the back of Mary’s mind. The plot against Jesus to have Him ‘eliminated’ was exactly a state secret. In fact, it was quite well known (see John 7:25) and the chief priests and authorities had even enlisted the help of the general public in arresting Him (see John 11:57). So, maybe Mary, without even being aware of it, was also, as Jesus’ suggested, anointing Him for His burial. After all, this was a widespread use of the essential oil as well.
However, as I also said earlier, a sudden change of events, an event that ‘changes everything’, can elicit all sorts of responses. It also evoked a most unhappy reaction on the part of one of the twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot. We know, from this account alone, that Judas was the treasurer for the group and used to keep the common purse, from which he was prone, from time to time, to dipping into it for his own purposes. So, Mary’s wasteful and entirely fruitless, as far as Judas was concerned, dashed any hopes he’d have of getting his hands on that great resource and using it for himself. Moreover, maybe he’d gotten drift of the nefarious plot by the authorities and their appeal for help from the general public—we can’t see how he could not be privy to this—and saw a chance to recoup his losses a bit. Moreover, it might well become apparent to him, that Jesus’ mission was not exactly turning out, turning the direction, that he had hoped for. So, where Lazarus’ return to life meant joy and liberation for Mary and her sister, it meant panic, desperation and a dashing of hopes and promises both for Judas and the authorities. You would have thought that Jesus’ love for Judas and Judas’ long experience of being with Jesus and experiencing His ministry and His ensuing loyalty to Jesus would have prompted a different reaction, but there it is. It is funny then just how one occasion can evoke such widely differing responses.
For me, this prompts a question: hopefully all of us have experienced something of God’s great love and faithfulness, but then, do we react to this? Do we respond in gratitude and self-giving as Mary did, or do we react with some sort of selfishness and petty grievance, as did Judas? It is a question that we well worth considering. Amen.
Forward notes: “Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (verse 3).
“When I cook Irish stew, my house is filled with the fragrance of garlic and onions and good beef stewing for hours with fresh veggies. Especially during winter, I like to cook for friends. Before a cozy fire in the fireplace, we sit in my small living room and tell stories of our days.
“Mary fills the house with the fragrance of the perfume. She anoints Jesus’s feet with pure nard. Five nights later, Jesus himself rises from the table, dons a towel, and washes the disciples’ feet.
Mary looks at Jesus’s feet and humbles herself before her Lord, offering love and service. Jesus himself does the same thing with his disciples, kneeling before them, giving them this precious gift of humble service. Little do they know that this offering is a foretaste of the sacrifice on the cross, a reminder to us to offer love and humble service to all we encounter.”
Moving Forward: “Consider attending a Maundy Thursday service that includes foot washing. The intimacy of such a service can be a profound experience.”