“By buying this rose you could save the life of a puppy…”
* * *
That awkward moment when the aspiring romantic (that’s me) gives a painful look at his wife - feeling guilty because:
“Shame I’d hate to have the job of selling roses in a restaurant.”
“Shame the poor puppy.”
“What will she think of me if I don’t fork out for the rose?”
- I’m cheap.
- I don’t care about puppies.
- I don’t like her enough to buy a crummy rose?
* * *
Being married means we’ve discussed this before - we’re both to cheap to buy the crummy rose and save the puppy… but we’re nice to the seller.
Between mouthfuls of overpriced steak, trying not to be too irritated by the seller, trying not to say (sarcastically) “I hate puppies”
“Thank you - but no thanks - good luck in your endeavour…”
* * *
But there’s always someone at the restaurant - in love with the girl - reaching for his wallet - pulling out the R20 - and buying the rose. Picking up the bill for the movie and the dinner - although he really can’t afford to - because he’s in love…
And love, reaches those things to which we are most attached… love hits you where it hurts - right next to your heart - in the wallet.
Love often means we’ll pay more rent and work for less money for the sake of caring more for our children.
Love means that we make opulent sacrifices for the people we care about… sometimes buying gifts in which we have absolutely no interest - at great cost to ourselves, because we struggle to express how much we care for them in any other way.
* * *
In John’s gospel a woman expresses her love for Jesus… the show of love is a bit awkward and embarrassing - even a tad inappropriate. It is humiliating / self effacing and as Judas quickly points out - a bit unnecessary.
* * *
According to the Anchor Bible Dictionary Mary’s action was absoloutely scandalous:
1) in the Jewish world it was scandalous for a woman to let down her hair in the presence of a man who was not her husband; (2) the anointing of feet was the task of slaves; and (3) the cost of the perfume (not mere oil) was extravagant (costing approximately 300 days’ pay for the ordinary laborer).
* * *
Mary’s act was extremely intimate... In a society where contact between men and women of different families was very limited, if not completely off limits - for Mary to talk to Jesus was a bit controversial (but Jesus spoke to women as well as men.)
For her to touch Jesus - a prominent Rabbi and Holy Man - would have been questionable…
But to do what she did; pour perfume on his feet and wipe it with her hair - absolutely scandalous.
Mary goes beyond what is considered fitting and proper in order to express her love for Jesus. She humiliates herself completely.
1st by doing something completely inappropriate to the culture of her day.
2nd by doing something a slave would do.
Mary’s action could have cost her her honour.
* * *
In a time when people didn’t have bank accounts or building societies there were various ways of saving ‘for a rainy day.’ Something small and costly was a good investment…
Perfumes fit the bill.
Judas (someone who knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing) informs us that Mary’s perfume could have been sold for three hundred denarii… The equivalent of about a years wages for a casual labourer.
(About R20 000 in today’s terms.)
Mary’s action probably cost her her savings, as well as her honour.
* * *
Mary’s act of selfless devotion to Jesus - an act of showing deep emotion in a public setting makes us a bit uncomfortable.
We prefer not to wear our emotions on our sleeves… we are reluctant to mourn in public - reluctant to declare our love for God (and for people) publicly - always a bit slow to say or express what is on our minds.
Because we are afraid somehow that we will betray our weaknesses if we do…
* * *
Judas is an interesting character in the gospel stories… many of us - I think - are afraid to say that we identify with him…
He acts as one who has been hurt too often in the past. Made to feel awkward by the show of emotion - by the intimacy that has been shown in this room - he reacts with a nasty / critical comment… “We could have sold the perfume and given the money to the poor…”
Judas knows the cost of Mary’s actions, but not the value.
* * *
We live in a world where we have been taught that emotion is a sign of weakness… Jesus points out however that Mary’s action is appropriate & prophetic.
* * *
Immediately after this passage John writes of how Jesus enters Jerusalem for the last time - to the waving of palm branches - we know that this means Jesus will soon die on the cross…
An ironic display of God’s love - which looks a lot like weakness and defeat…
As I read about the breaking open of a jar of expensive perfume as a symbolic sacrifice of love; I am reminded of the death towards which Jesus is moving.
A death which sounds like weakness, which sounds like shame, like foolishness - Paul will later write in his letter to the church in
This death (which looks like foolishness) actually shows us God’s power - Yahweh - Elohim, God most high, is not so weak that he is killed on a cross…
His love, rather, is so powerful that he loves us enough to be literally torn apart for us. Making himself a sacrifice of love - so that we can know that our sins are forgiven, that we are loved.
* * *
On the third day - Jesus rises from the dead - he is revealed to be who he said he was; God incarnate. Showing us how much God loves us.
* * *
For Mary love reaches deep enough for her to sacrifice her dignity, her honour, her wealth in order to show Jesus that she is committed to him.
For Jesus, for God, love reaches so deeply that he himself sacrifices all that he is to show us that he is committed to us…
We are God’s beloved people… in spite of who we are, and about this there can be no doubt.
* * *
Paul writes in his letter to the Church at
Love demands sacrifice - the person in love will go to all lengths, losing their wealth, their dignity, their pride in order to show their love.
Loving and being loved by God is for Paul, the most precious thing in the world.
* * *
Paul writes that he is a righteous man - a Hebrew of Hebrews - someone who has kept the commandments and lived by the law… but those merits count as nothing compared to faith in Christ.
Faith in Christ, meaning simply, believing, accepting and knowing that my relationship with God is in order because I have seen what kind of love God has for me. In spite of all I have done, in spite of who I am - Christ has died on the cross - breaking open God’s love for me.
Paul goes on to say that he presses on towards a goal - a goal of living a righteous life, doing what God calls him to do - not because by doing so he can achieve righteousness but because as he says “Christ Jesus has made me his own.”
* * *
Lovers in a restaurant may be induced to sacrifice some cash in order to buy a rose in order to express their love and care. Love reaches into that which is precious to us -
Mary - smashes a precious jar of perfume as a sign of love and devotion to Jesus - sacrificing her money, and her honour.
Paul - speaks about faith in Christ - faith that believes in Jesus sacrifice of love which he makes to show us his love. He speaks of faith that lets him knows that he is God’s beloved.
* * *
Love demands a response, that response is a voluntary expression of our love.
Today we will baptise Jason - a sign that we claim that promise for him - that Jesus died for him before he even knew it…
Today we will remember that love - that love that loves us, is broken open for us before we know it.
As a congregation of people who want to respond to Jesus, it is up to us to guide each other into a suitable response to that love…
When we learn - to love extravagantly… when that love is shown to our husbands / wives and children - and to those around us - as Jesus has taught us - then we will begin to see the
Amen.
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