John 12 – Mary anointing Jesus’ feet

Mary anointing Jesus’ feet by Ray Lau

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ² Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. ³ Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12:1-3)

In this chapter, we see Mary as a picture of the fullness of the life of discipleship.  Her act of washing Jesus’ feet shows the love that is the hallmark of discipleship in John’s Gospel.  Mary’s act of washing Jesus’ feet anticipates Jesus washing the disciples’ feet in the next chapter.  Mary pours out a perfume that is worth a year’s wages. We know that Lazarus, Martha and Mary are not rich for its Martha that is serving the food as they have no servant.  The perfume is a major expenditure, a major financial sacrifice. Mary wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair, this is significant since well-kept hair contributed to a person’s dignity in the ancient world.  Women took pride in long hair, which was considered attractive, and damage to one’s hair was considered degrading. Mary in this act shows her love for Jesus, not only in acting as a servant in washing his feet but also she makes a major financial sacrifice and sacrifices her appearance and status in the eyes of the world.

 

Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. (John 12:7)

 

Mary has used that perfume that was intended for Jesus’ burial, here again, is an anticipation of what is to come.  It is Mary that has understood where Jesus was going and what was about to happen. The 12 Apostles still did not understand what was going to happen to Jesus, Peter, Jesus’ closest disciple did not understand what Jesus had been teaching and explaining to them.  He did not realise that Jesus had to go to Jerusalem and to die on the cross.

The power of the witness of Mary’s discipleship in this story is that she knows how to respond to Jesus without being told. She fulfils Jesus’ love commandment, by washing his feet, before he even teaches it to his disciples.   She embraces Jesus’ departure at his hour before any of his disciples understand what Jesus had been telling them. 

Mary is the first follower of Jesus that really gets what being a follower of Jesus really means, a great example to us all.

Jesus says:

A new command I give you: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.  (John 13:34)

 

John 11 – Jesus wept

James Tissot, Jesus Wept

‘Jesus wept.’ (John 11:34)

Jesus wept But this does not quite capture what Jesus was feeling, in the original, the Greek word translated as wept might be better translated as ‘shuddered with anguish’. Jesus shuddered with anguish as he wept. Real physical emotion that shakes us when we lose someone close.

Jesus wept.  Tears are important.  Pope Francis said

“If you do not know how to weep, you are not a good Christian,”

When we applied to lead our current church, one of the questions at our interview was ‘when was the last time you cried?’  It was a good question to ask, an important question to ask.

How often do you cry, I think our relationship with tears is uncertain in our society and even in our churches.  Tears are more likely to be suppressed than expressed, hidden rather than gathered. And if do end up crying in front of others we feel we have to apologise.  But throughout Christian history tears have held a special place. There was even a practice in Victorian England, where people would collect their tears in little bottles as an expression of mourning for those who had died.    Gathered tears were a sign of their devotion and the pain of separation. Gathered tears were a way of remembering, of paying attention, and of being faithful. An expression of the simple longing to be close to one who was absent.  (Runcorn)

The idea comes from the book of Psalms, where in Psalm 56 the struggling psalmist says:

‘you have kept account my misery; put my tears in your bottle’.

The psalmist found comfort in the conviction that God too collects our tears and keeps a record of the stories of our pain.  

Jesus wept at the death of his friend.  God wept.   We weep and God gathers our tears and holds them, and holds us in His all loving embrace.