Series: April 2025
Speaker: Bethany Nelson
Today's Sermon
"Take My Gifts"
Deuteronomy 15:7-11
If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, “The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,” and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; your neighbor might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt. Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.”
John 12:1-8
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
This reading is from John’s Gospel, but – fun Bible nerd fact - this is one of the relatively few stories that appears in all four Gospels. That must mean it’s important. However, I will admit that this story always puzzles me a little bit. Why did Mary decide to use all of that expensive perfume to anoint Jesus? Was it a wasteful moment, or was it a moment of beauty? What was going through her mind as she performed this symbolic act?
We will never have the answer to that question, but we can wonder. This morning, I invite us to imagine together what Mary’s story might have been.
(Read from Mary’s point of view.)
“I had been keeping that perfume for my wedding day. It was the most expensive thing I owned … even the jar itself was worth more than my other possessions. The perfume sealed inside it had been brought from the far east. Pure nard, the very best that my brother could buy for me.
That was back when he was working, before he became famous… before he became ill and died. You’ve probably heard of him – Lazarus. He had been ill for a long time, and on previous visits my sister and I had hosted Jesus ourselves. We all knew that one day that dreadful disease would kill our beloved brother. We had hoped that Jesus would heal him, but for some reason he didn’t. Even when the end was near and we sent word to him, he didn’t come. At least not at first. He turned up 4 days too late! I couldn’t face him, I was so angry. When I finally did see him I said ‘If you had just gotten here on time, my brother would not have died.’
I was weeping, and so was he. But then he asked where the tomb was… and… well, you know the rest. The whole country knows the rest. Lazarus is now alive!
So there they were, all of the men sitting down to meal. A sight I had never expected to see again this side of heaven. My brother Lazarus beside the Master. I was wondering what I could do to say thank you. Then I remembered the perfume. Although I was keeping it for my wedding day, I had seriously thought about using it to anoint my brother’s body before we put it in the tomb. But my sister Martha, ever the realist, said ‘No!’ She said that I now needed the perfume more than ever, either to catch the right man or to sell it to stop us from starving!
But we didn’t have to worry about that now. Lazarus was back with us again. Risen from the dead!
I went over to where the Master was reclining and broke open the jar. The perfume filled the room with its scent and I poured it over him, first on his head and down his shoulders. Then on his feet, drying them with my own hair.
His followers were scandalized, but I don’t care. I had to find some way of showing my love and gratitude and I wanted it to cost me something, beyond even the price of the perfume.
But it was the money they focused on - especially their treasurer Judas. He knows the price of everything! He spluttered about it being worth 300 silver coins, and how many poor people it would feed. Then I felt bad about what I had done … had I been wasteful?
One of the other disciples joked, saying that Judas was only thinking of the tithe he could skim off the top. But the Master told them to stop, said that I had done a beautiful thing. He then said something about always having the poor with us, but that we wouldn’t always have him.
Then he said something even stranger, that when I poured the perfume on him, I did it to prepare him for burial. Had Martha told him about me wanting to anoint Lazarus’ body with it? I don’t know. God willing he’ll be with us for a long time yet.”[i]
Again, who knows what was really going on in Mary’s heart and mind. Some scholars think she somehow knew that Jesus’ death was near and she wanted to prepare his body for that moment. Others, like the author of this monologue, say it was a dramatic act of gratitude – a thanksgiving for her brother’s healing. Whatever her motivation, we do know that this was an extravagant act of love and devotion to Jesus … one that Judas immediately started complaining about. What a waste! Give the money to the poor instead! I love that John - the author of this Gospel story - immediately feels the need to editorialize Judas’ reaction. “He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief.” According to John, Judas’ reaction is driven purely by self-interest. If that money is in circulation out in the world, that means more wealth for him. If that money is poured over Jesus’ head, Judas gets nothing.
Even more interesting to me than Judas’ reaction is Jesus’ response – “You always have the poor with you.” Too often this reply has become an excuse for not doing more, or not doing anything at all, to alleviate poverty or help the poor. But that is not at all the point that Jesus is making here. Jesus is most likely referencing Deuteronomy 15, the other reading we heard this morning. In this passage, God very specifically tells the people, “Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth” – or, as Jesus paraphrased, since you always have the poor with you – “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land … Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so.”
Perhaps this is what Mary is modeling for us. Giving extravagantly and ungrudgingly to others. Pouring out generosity to those in need. Never should we withhold our resources of extravagant love – our love for God and our love for one another. Especially, says Jesus, our love for those in need.
This story clearly articulates two very different ways to interact with one another. Judas exploits others for his own gain. He relates to people with the goal of getting the most out of it for himself. Mary takes the very best of what she has – that which is most precious to her - and shares it with another. Each one of us has that choice to make over and over again, whenever we interact with another person. How are we going to be in relationship? Will we choose to be motivated by self-interest, or will we choose extravagant generosity? Jesus is very clear about the choice that God calls us to make.
Let’s sing together the chant that opened worship today.
“Take my gifts and let me love you, God who first of all loved me.
Now because your love has touched me, I have love to give away.”[ii]
The last line of that chant (that we didn’t sing) says, “Now the bread of love is rising, loaves of love to multiply.” As we share in the Lord’s Supper in just a moment, let us not forget what that meal is all about. When we break the bread and share the cup, it is a time of remembrance, when we remember Jesus’ great love for us and also remember his call to follow him. To serve him. To love our neighbor generously. Jesus welcomed all to share this meal with him – even Judas, the naysayer, the betrayer. So may we also welcome all in our lives. May we take our gifts and use them in extravagant, loving service of God and of all. Amen.