Stephen
Baldwin
NT:
John 12.1-8
An
Awkward Party
Around here folks don’t often have dinner parties. We have cookouts and backyard get-togethers. With the weather like it has been, I bet some
of you have been planning a get-together, haven’t you? But whether we’re talking about dinner
parties or cookouts, it’s the same concept.
Invite over some friends or family, cook a bunch of food, and enjoy good
weather together.
The problem with them is that they can be awkward. Because you don’t know some of the people
there or you don’t like the food or you came in your Sunday best when everybody
else is in their jeans and t-shirts or so and so brought their disrespectful
kids who will pelt you with water balloons, again, or Uncle Eddie will be there
wearing his inappropriate jean shorts and white undershirt asking for a hug. Parties and cookouts can be awkward. We know that.
But can you begin to imagine what this dinner party
described in John was like for Jesus, Mary, Lazarus, Judas, and everyone else there
that night? On the one hand, it was a
time to celebrate…Passover was coming, Lazarus was raised from the dead, Jesus
was together with all his disciples and closest friends. Passover was a huge celebration in
Jerusalem. Over 100,000 people would flood
the city for the event. They had reason
to celebrate!
But on the other hand, it was sort of like the last meal
for a prisoner on death row. Sure, it
was nice to have a good meal…but you knew you wouldn’t have anymore after
that. Jesus certainly knows his end is
near. He came to that realization a
while ago and made peace with it. He’s
been trying to tell his disciples, but they don’t get it. Only Mary does. She understands that her teacher and friend
is about to die. She bought him
expensive perfume for his burial, but tonight at the dinner party she decides
there’s no need to wait and anoints him with it then and there.
If something awkward between a couple of people happens
at a dinner party, word travels fast.
Right? If Uncle Eddie double dips
in grandma’s famous taco dip, it only takes minutes for everyone to get the
message not to have anymore of the taco dip.
When Mary anoints Jesus, I imagine the party growing so
still…so quiet…that you could hear the grass grow. Everyone stopped and stared. Everyone wanted to know why. Everyone wondered what she was doing. This was a cookout, not a white glove
dinner. There was no need to bring out
the china and the $30,0000 bottle of wine for crying out loud…
Judas is the only one to speak up, chastising Mary for
wasting money. Others probably thought
the same thing, but only Judas said it.
Jesus immediately rebukes him, sarcastically making the point that Judas
is one who wastes their money on a daily basis, using it to bribe the authorities
rather than feed the poor.
Speaking of the poor, we can’t forget about poor old
Lazarus. A man who was once dead, now
alive, but surely feeling stuck somewhere in between. The same authorities who threaten Jesus
threaten him. Every breath he takes is a
slap in their face, and they vow to make him pay for it. So there he and Jesus are, brothers in
spirit, connected by Mary and Martha, caught somewhere between life and
death. It’s enough to make any dinner
party, especially this one, feel awkward.
Lent is supposed to be a simple time of year. That’s why you don’t see any fancy church
decorations. We don’t even have flowers
this time of year. Gillespie’s sends us
simple greenery, which is beautiful in its own right. That’s because Lent is supposed to be a
simple time. That’s what makes the
extravagance of Mary’s gift all the more awkward. It was too much for everyone at the party…except
Jesus. For it was just what he
needed.
The big question this story raises is why. Why would Mary do such a thing? Because she was preparing Jesus for
burial? Because she loved him? Because the others didn’t understand they
wouldn’t have many more gatherings like this?
Because she wanted to expose Judas?
All good possibilities. But
perhaps it was much simpler than that.
Perhaps she simply wanted to support her friend, showing him that he
wouldn’t have to go through it alone.
The thing I admire most about Mary is that she didn’t
confine her faith to her beliefs. She
didn’t even say a word. She didn’t have
to. She acted out her faith in her
example. She showed Jesus that she
cared, even if it was awkward for her and the others, even if would mean
ridicule and misunderstanding, even if it would mean facing the wrath of Judas.
Like a cookout or a dinner party, this time of year can
be awkward. If your friends or family
just know this as spring instead of Lent, as the time the flowers grow instead
of also being the time Jesus goes to die, it can be awkward. But, if you’re willing to follow Mary’s lead
and act out your faith in love…if you’re willing to look around and see what
people really need…if you’re willing to pour out the love they need in
extravagant measures…even if it means some people around you or even close to
you don’t understand…then this time of year can be something much more than
awkward. It can be awesome. Awe-inducing.
Awe-inspiring. Awesome. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment