A sermon by Senior minister John B. McCall, March 25, 2007
John 12:1-9
If I had to blame anyone, I’d put it at the feet of my father. From an early age he taught me to be frugal. Like him, I have a personal clothier whom he called “Jacques Penné,” but better known as JC Penneys. When it’s time for a new car I look for a reliable used Ford. I, too, love a bargain and will watch for a sale before I buy something I need. At the same time, I won’t buy something unnecessary just because it’s discounted.
Some members of my household think I go beyond frugal, past parsimonious, and make it all the way to cheapskate. It may be a matter of semantics, but I believe there’s a difference. Frugal means I pinch pennies where I can, so I have dollars to put where it matters. Cheap means scrimping everywhere and always.
Many of you know what I’m talking about. Welcome to the club. Today’s lesson is for us. As we look at today’s lesson from John, a little background will help. A similar story appears in Matthew, Mark and Luke, but the woman isn’t named.
John places this story the week before the Palm Sunday entry into the city of Jerusalem. It follows Jesus’ miraculous raising of Lazarus after four days in the tomb. According to John this miracle was the final straw, persuading the Temple authorities it was time to tie up the loose ends and get rid of the troublemaker.
Mary, Martha and Lazarus, all siblings, were dear friends of Jesus. He often relaxed at their home in Bethany, just over the Mount of Olives from Jerusalem. This time there’s a dinner party at the family home and the guest list was Lazarus, his two sisters Mary and Martha, and Judas! Curious combination.
While Martha (always dutiful) busied herself with preparations in the kitchen, Mary (often impractical) poured a jar of expensive ointment on Jesus’ feet, then let down her hair to dry them. This was an act of tremendous extravagance and intimacy.
Judas – the treasurer for the disciples – saw this as a waste: “Why didn’t you sell it and give the money to feed the poor?” Notice how John inserts that Judas wasn’t really showing a heart of compassion but rather the heart of a thief. More than that, everyone knew that you only put ointment on the feet of a corpse. No one missed that image, not Judas, not Mary, not Jesus himself.
Obviously the party stopped. What would Jesus do? “Leave her alone,” he said to Judas. “She bought this perfume for the day of my burial but has given it to me while I can enjoy it. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
Wow! On first impression this seems hard-hearted… party while your neighbors are struggling. But look deeper. Jesus knew what he was saying: this world will never be completely healed. There will always be bad news; always poverty and sickness and suffering and death.
But, friends, he was also saying joy is joy and good news is good news. Find it where you can. The poor are always with us? Yes! But don’t forget to dance and sing and give thanks to God for so much that’s so good.
Jesus was able both to savor the world and to work at saving the world, both to enjoy its sights and sounds and tastes and textures and to see the pain and respond to the need.
If we’d been there many of us frugal folks would have counseled Mary to just sprinkle the tiniest amount of perfume on Jesus’ feet, and then dry it with a towel – symbolic, adequate, a nice touch without getting foolish about it. But her extravagance was right. Right there in front of her was the one in whom God’s love was extravagantly poured out for the sake of all. To scrimp and calculate at a moment like that would have been stingy and wrong.
We shouldn’t judge Mary’s show of compassion even though Judas was right in a literal sense. The money could have stocked the shelves in the food pantry. But she seized the moment, pouring out what she had, giving up something of great value, as an extravagant expression of love for the Lord whom she followed, this one who had raised her brother from death; this one through whom God had poured out extravagant love. In her joy and gratitude she acted impulsively without counting the cost. It was a grace moment.
Don’t let the sadness in the world to prevent you from finding joy in all that’s beautiful and tender. Mary began with the one who was right next to her. Are we as compassionate toward our own family and neighbors as we are to strangers?
We don’t worship a stingy God – a God who weighs the gifts of grace and doles them out reluctantly or begrudgingly. I don’t believe God looks at the world and only sees its pain and suffering and sin. I believe in an extravagant God who fashioned all of creation and calls it very good; a generous God who loves first and asks questions later; an exuberant God who dances with us when our hearts are light and joyful.
I’d like to be more that way, but find it hard sometimes. When I look at the world I too easily see those things that aren’t as good as they could be, should be. My dutiful voice says: if we all just got up a little earlier every morning and worked doubly hard for a few more hours, and then got up and did it again, maybe then everyone would be loved, and fed and sheltered and clothed and free and safe. But no; even that wouldn’t do it. We’ll always have the poor with us.
Or, when I look at our church and it feels as though energy levels are low and attendance is down, I turn inwards and ask what are we’re not doing well (or, even more honestly, how am I failing?!) I’ve suggested there are some weeks when we might pick up the phone in the church office and say “First Congregational Church… how can we disappoint you today?” You know what I mean – we who are dutiful and perhaps too reluctant to see the beauty of God’s world.
There’s nothing in this Gospel story to let us harden our heart towards the poor. Jesus commanded commissioned us to love God and to love each other. But he never said we had to be sour, sad, or depressed in the face of the world’s needs. He reminded all his followers to act from love, to do what we can in his name, and to remember that God is generous and extravagant.
Today’s scripture gives us insight on how we can draw together these two different worlds. One calls us to faithful and passionate response to the suffering in the world, while the other invites us to rejoice in the simple pleasures and beauty of creation.
Jesus was a great teacher and a fine example of how we can keep the balance. He showed us that the same love and generosity can move us to respond to the needs of those far away and close at hand. And he taught us that doing something to ease the burden of another, however little it may seem, is always the right choice.
And just as importantly, let that love well up, pour out, overflow with a joyous extravagance. Certainly do your part to save the world. Savor it as well… and don’t forget to dance.