EXTRAVAGANCE - The reference to the fragrance of the perfume is interesting.
Seems to signal the extravagance of the action. If this is the Joop! of their time then it
would have understandably filled the entire house! (My spouse, for instance, can detect
just a single spray too much cologne than my usual one squirt does it ritual in the
morning.)
ODOR CONTROL? - Some commentators will wax a bit romantic at this point and say
something about Martha’s attempt to keep Jesus from Lazarus tomb due to the odiferous
smell of death is removed through Mary’s action; the stench of death that once
hovered over this household has been replaced by the fragrance of love and devotion.
TWO RESPONSES MODELED - We have here two distinct responses to Jesus’ final hour.
Mary is the model of faithful discipleship, Judas that of unfaithful discipleship.
Mary’s act of discipleship is brought out even more strongly in the contrast
with Judas in this scene. Judas does not respond to the impingement of Jesus’ hour
with an act of love for Jesus, but with self-centered disdain. Judas’ response leads
to the destruction of the flock, whereas Mary’s actions model the life of love that
should characterize Jesus’ sheep. [1]
Can you think of any scenarios
where at issue was the use of resources as an expression of worship vis-à-vis some other
worthy project? What about the use of money for a new ministry project that is deemed as
less bang for the buck than other projects?
Millions are merely backseat Christians, willing to be observers of a performance which
the professionals put on, ready to criticize or to applaud, but not willing even to
consider the possibility of real participation . . . (Elton Trueblood)
A pastor’s prayer: ‘Do something for us today that isn’t in the bulletin
. . .’
In a worship team planning meeting
recently, we looked at this passage as it might be presented in a worship service. Here
are several of their reflections on this story which might offer some sermon ideas:
Motivation for Mary’s action-Lazarus is mentioned at least twice in this short
little vignette; perhaps gratitude forms part of the motivation for her actions. Jesus
adds a more prophetic implication to her actions as well.
Uninhibited worship-one of us yearned for the boldness to become such a free spirit in
their worship of God during Sunday morning services. "When was the last time we did
something completely spontaneous and uninhibited during worship?" she asks the group.
The poor always-one of the group recalled a piece from "Jesus Christ
Superstar" that imaginatively commentated on the "poor with you always"
part of Jesus’ response.
When has our worship been "costly?" When have we followed Mary’s lead
and offered worship that cost us something? When have we worshiped in such a way that the
fragrance of our worship permeated lives beyond us? On the other hand, when have we
followed Judas’ lead and criticized worship as being too expensive? Do worship and
mission ever get caught in tension with each other? What about the budget-setting time
each year for our church?
Negotiated Sacrifice-we got this term from a recent worship seminar that our church
sponsored; the phrase is used by the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo, California
to describe a way to lessen the Judas vis-à-vis the Mary approach to worship. "You
pray for me while I worship in a way that I really enjoy, but a part of the worship
service that you don’t care for, and when you are worshiping in a way that you enjoy,
I’ll pray for you, that you’ll enjoy it to the fullest." Negotiated
sacrifice frees the congregation to become persons of prayer rather than critical
side-liners. As one pastor has remarked, "there are only two roles that we can play
during worship-active, joyful participation or the critic.
