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Printer Friendly VersionAs most of you know, I’m a big sports fan … and one
of the things that sticks in my mind from my childhood … was going to
see the Cincinnati Reds play baseball. At that time, it was about a five-hour
drive from Charleston, West Virginia … so we would usually go down on
a Friday for a Friday night and a Saturday afternoon game … and then
go home.
If you’ve been to a ballgame, you know that this is true.
There are people outside the park selling stuff everywhere. Hats. Pennants.
Photographs. Autographed baseballs. And, of course, programs!
I don’t remember what all those people would say, but the
guy selling programs always said: “You can’t know the players without
a program!”
And, in effect, what he was saying was that you can’t follow
the game … and understand who did what … without knowing who the
players are.
It’s true for this story as well.
It’s hard to follow what’s happening unless you know
the “players” … the characters.
There are two main characters in the story – Jesus and Mary. So let’s
save them for last.
There’s someone named Martha.
Martha was the sister of Mary and Lazarus.
Verse two tells us that Martha was the one who served the supper
to Jesus and Lazarus and whoever else was eating.
In the previous chapter – John 11 – we have the story
of Lazarus, Mary and Martha’s brother, being raised from the dead. I’ll
try to summarize.
Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick. But,
instead of coming immediately, Jesus “stayed two days longer in the place
where he was” – verse 6 of chapter 11 tells us.
Finally Jesus decides to head for Bethany. By the time he gets
there, Lazarus has already died … and he’s been in the tomb for
four days.
When Mary and Martha get word that Jesus is coming, Martha gets
up and runs to meet him.
There’s no “hello.”
There’s no “thanks for coming.”
There’s no “it’s good to see you.”
The first words out of Martha’s mouth are: “Lord,
if you would have been here, my brother would not have died.”
And Jesus and Martha have a theological discussion about life
and death and who Jesus is … and what Jesus can do.
I get the sense that Martha is kind of a no-nonsense type of
person. She gets to the point. She doesn’t mince words. She says what
she thinks ... and is done with it.
When it’s time for supper, she fixes it. She serves it. She cleans it
up.
If the Meyers-Briggs personality profile tool has a specific
description for her – and I’m sure it does – it, without a
doubt, would describe her as task-oriented … or single-minded …
or no-nonsense … or something like that.
Martha could be seen as this steady, stable … sometimes-unemotional
person who simply goes about her business.
I bring that up because of what happens next in chapter 11.
Mary, Martha’s sister, finally gets up and runs out to
greet Jesus. She falls down at his feet … and the very first words out
of her mouth are:
“Lord, if you have been here, my brother would not have
died.”
The exact same words that Martha had said.
But this time, Jesus doesn’t go into a theological discussion
of life and death and resurrection.
Verse 33 says: “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews
who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.”
Jesus’ response to Mary was different from Martha’s.
Not necessarily better, but just different.
But, we’ll say more about Mary later.
Another of the “players” … so to speak …
is Lazarus.
Lazarus is the guy who’s dead in chapter 11 … and
eating dinner with Jesus in chapter 12. Right?
Jesus comes to the tomb. It’s not a hole in the ground
… it’s like a cave … with a stone across the front of it. Jesus
says: “Take away the stone.”
And everybody’s thinking: “What’s he doing? What
… does he want to look at Lazarus? He’s wrapped up like a mummy
anyway.”
But, notice who speaks up. Notice who is willing to say what
everybody wants to say. Martha. No-nonsense Martha.
“Come on, Jesus. You don’t want to do that. Lazarus
has been in there for four days now. He’s dead. We put perfume in there
… but, by this time, it stinks in there … and if you have them take
that rock away. It’s gonna’ stink out here.”
Jesus has them remove the stone.
And, Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb … to new life.
Chapter 11 tells us that because of this event … Jesus
raising Lazarus from the dead. Because of this, the Pharisees have a meeting
and … “from that day on took counsel how to put Jesus to death.”
That’s what verse 53 of chapter 11 says.
So Jesus goes away for a while with his disciples.
He’s walking around with this death sentence hanging over
him.
And about a week before the Passover he comes again to Bethany
… which is only two miles or so from Jerusalem … to see his friends
– Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.
Some of his disciples are with him.
He’s been on the road. He’s hungry. The religious
leaders are trying to trap him and arrest him.
And, he comes to Bethany to spend some time with his friends.
He reclines at the table with Lazarus to eat.
You know how your kids will lay down in front of the television
with a pillow. They’ll lay there with their feet sticking out behind
them.
This is similar to how Jesus and Lazarus and the disciples were
eating that night.
It was the custom … the proper and expected way to eat.
And, of course, Lazarus and Martha and Mary were all thrilled
to have Jesus with them again.
Lazarus, of course, was always glad to see Jesus. After all,
he had lain in a tomb for four days and Jesus had called him back to the land
of the living. It’s not surprising to think that something like that
would spark some thankfulness in you. Lazarus was always glad to see Jesus.
Martha was also excited to see Jesus. Of course, no-nonsense
Martha channeled her enthusiasm into cooking and cleaning, and preparing and
serving the meal.
But, Mary … overcome with gratitude … and thankfulness
… and adoration of Jesus did one of the most intimate … inappropriate
… and impractical actions … recorded in all the Bible.
She slipped up behind Jesus … and while no one was looking,
she took a huge amount of perfume … and poured it out on Jesus’
feet … and wiped his feet with her hair.
She shouldn’t have done it.
For the custom and culture, it was too intimate a thing.
In the first century, a woman didn’t let her hair down
in public … like Mary did.
In the first century, a woman didn’t let her hair down
in front of men other than her husband … like Mary did.
It was not only too intimate an act by Mary, it was also inappropriate
… because everyone knows that when you anoint someone … you anoint
their head, not their feet.
When Moses anointed Aaron to be a priest, he anointed his head
(Leviticus 8).
When Samuel anointed Saul, he anointed his head (1 Samuel 10).
When Samuel anointed young David, he anointed his head (1 Samuel
16).
When Nathan anointed Solomon, he anointed his head (1 Kings
1).
But, Mary … overcome with gratitude … and love …
and adoration … and thankfulness … just takes the perfumed oil …
and pours it out, not on his head, but on Jesus’ feet. And, then she
lets down her hair … and begins to wipe his feet with her hair.
It was too intimate.
It was inappropriate.
And, it was impractical.
Judas … the disciple who would later betray Jesus …
brings that to light.
“Why did she do that?”
“I’ve seen bottles of perfume like that … in
the high-priced markets of Jerusalem.”
“Where did she get that stuff?”
“I’ve seen oil like that sold for 300 denarii!”
“Jesus … Jesus, do you know how much 300 denarii amounts
to?”
“Do you realize that a man who woks six days a week …
12 hours a day … Do you realize that it would take that man a full year
to earn 300 denarii?”
“What a waste! What an impractical thing to do!”
“Think how many loaves of bread we could have bought with
that!”
“It smells great in here right now, but in a little while
we’ll never know what happened. What a waste!”
“Why did she do that?”
Well … we know why she did it. He was Jesus. He was her
friend. He had raised her brother from the dead. She was committed to him.
She was grateful to him. She was thankful to him … and in her impulsive
… extravagant … no-holds-bar kind of way, she wanted to express
how much she loved the Lord.
It was too intimate.
Inappropriately, she anointed his feet instead of his head.
It was excessive and impractical.
But, it said … loud and clear … that she was grateful
to Jesus for what he had done in her life.
It was an act of devotion … and adoration and thanksgiving.
But, do you hear what Jesus answered to the protest by Judas?
Judas was asking: “Why did she do this?”
Jesus knew Mary was thankful … and grateful … and
appreciative.
But, Jesus answered: “Mary has anointed me for my burial.”
That’s what Jesus said.
Can’t you see Mary’s reaction: “Huh? Anointing
you for your burial? No, I was just trying to say “thank you!” I
was just trying to ...”
In this action by Mary there was obviously a “surplus of
meaning” (Craddock).
Mary actually did more … and conveyed more than she actually
knew.
My guess is that the same thing has happened to you … somewhere
… at some time … in the presence of Jesus.
How many times has the Sunday school teacher said something
… referred to something … that wasn’t meant specifically for
you … but somehow … it met you at your point of need?
How many times have you been discouraged … disappointed
… down … and somebody called just “out of the blue” …
to let you know how much they appreciated you and cared for you?
How many times have you been lost … searching for some
guidance … in need of some direction … and the Scriptures have been
read … and lo and behold, it’s like they were written just for you?
How many times has the preacher said something … proclaimed
some message … spoken of God’s love … and you knew that he
didn’t know your situation and circumstance in life … and yet, it
was just what you needed?
Why is that?
Because … God is at work … in the presence of Christ
… inspiring deeds of love and words of encouragement.
Because … God is at work … using his human instruments
to provide you strength.
Because … God is at work … in human flesh … giving
… and providing … and adding … and increasing … and doing
… and empowering things and people and events that we don’t even
know.
Here’s Jesus … in the little town of Bethany …
two miles from Jerusalem … and just days from his crucifixion …
and a woman trying to say “thank you” … actually proclaims
his approaching death!
How is that?
Because God is at work.
When the chief priests and Pharisees decided to entrap and destroy
Jesus, in the meeting the high priest stood up. His name was Caiaphas.
And, like Mary didn’t really know all that she was doing
… Caiaphas did not realize all that he was saying when he said …
and it’s recorded in John 11:50.
He saw people following Jesus. He feared that there would be
an uprising. And, if there were an uprising, the Romans would crush with brute
force his little insignificant corner of their world. The Temple would be
destroyed. Their livelihood would come to a screeching halt. And, so to prevent
a popular revolt …
Caiaphas said to these religious leaders: “You do not understand
that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that
the whole nation should not perish.”
Little did he know … how right he was!
He wanted simply to extinguish the leader of a possibly rebellious
faction in Jerusalem.
He wanted to simply destroy the leader … and watch the
followers scatter.
But, little did he know … that God was at work … and
that one man should … and would die for the people … for all the
people of the world!
[Read Matthew 25:31-40]
“But we didn’t even know it was you! We didn’t
even know what we were doing … at the time!”
Who knew? Who Knew?! Only God knows.