Anointing the Feet of Jesus (John 12:1-11)
Rev. Bart Cochran
March 13, 2016
“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.” So, what in the world is Nard? Nard is
a fragrance made from the spike or stamens of a
species of Valerian root; it smells like spicy musk.
The Valerian root grows at the base of the Himalayan
Mountains and in China and India. This passage from
John's gospel in itself is a "fragrant" text. Jesus'
friend Mary takes a box of very expensive perfume
and with it she bathes the feet of Jesus. Scholars say
that the perfume is worth in today's currency as
much as $10,000. It may strike us as strangely
sensual when Mary wipes the perfume all over his
feet with her long, flowing hair; it's an amazing scene.
If we look at the Old Testament, nard is mentioned in
the Song of Songs and Nard is compared to a bride’s
love for her new husband in a very intimate way
much like the intimacy we feel from Mary’s actions
today.
Now, Nard has come to mean any number of
perfumes, but for our gospel reading today, just
remember that the pound of Nard that Mary pours
onto Jesus’ feet is more valuable than gold and it
represents unconditional love like a bride should
have on her wedding night. We don’t have to know
what it smells like to understand that this perfumed
oil was something special and unique. This is not an
everyday event and it shows us something deep
about Mary’s feelings for Jesus…something very deep
indeed.
We read this story from the book of John this
morning, but the same story can be found in all four
gospels. But, the details of this story is very different
in each of the gospels. In John we are in Martha and
Mary’s house with their brother, Lazarus. In
Matthew and Mark, Jesus is in the home of Simon the
Leper and in Luke Jesus is in the home of an
unnamed Pharisee. In some of the stories it is a
prostitute who anoints Jesus with the perfume. In
other versions of this story it isn’t just the bad guy
Judas who chastises the woman for wasting perfume,
but rather it is all of the disciples who are upset that
this precious nard wasn’t sold and the money used
for the poor. We see a lot of differences in this same
story depending on which gospel we read. So our
first question is, “Which version do we believe?”
Well, I choose to believe them all! That is to
say, I choose to look at what emphasis each writer
puts on this story. I try to see what the message is of
each story. I don’t get caught up in trying to decide
what the facts are…instead, I am looking for truth.
For example, if I were preaching this story from Luke,
I might preach about our need for mercy like the
mercy that Jesus shows to the woman that the
Pharisee refuses to show respect. But since, I am
preaching this story from John this morning, I will
preach a different truth…a different perspective, a
JOHN perspective if you will.
So what is the John perspective of this story?
First of all, let’s look at the story in context. We are
in the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. We know
these people! These are good friends of Jesus, yet
they are not disciples…at least not in a formal sense.
They don’t travel with Jesus, but Jesus always stops
by to see them when he is in Bethany. Martha
always seems to be the busy sister and Mary always
seems to be the attentive sister. We know very little
about Lazarus except that Jesus loves him and brings
him back from the dead.
We also know that this is the last time Jesus
will ever stay in their home. Jesus will go on to
Jerusalem for the last time. This is it for Jesus and his
life and ministry and Mary seems to know it. She
anoints his feet with expensive oil and uses her hair
to rub it all over and dry his feet.
Only in John's version of the story does the
woman have a name-Mary--and a relationship with
Jesus--not a stranger, not a notorious sinner, but his
long-time friend--which makes her act all the more
peculiar. He knows she loves him. He loves her too.
So why this public demonstration, this odd
pantomime in front of all their friends? It's
extravagant. It's excessive. She's gone overboard, as
Judas is quick to point out that fact.
“Leave her alone.” Jesus tells Judas, “She
bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my
burial.” That is beautiful. Mary is saying good-bye to
someone she loves. Mary is saying farewell to Jesus
and so… yes, to show him how much she loves him
she goes completely overboard. Again, what we are
seeing is unashamed, unconditional love. But why is
that important here? Why is that important in this
story?
Let’s listen to the gospel…“When the great
crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they
came not only because of Jesus but also to see
Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the
chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well,
since it was on account of him that many of the Jews
were deserting and were believing in Jesus.”
Mary’s love is a risk. Jesus is in danger and
Lazarus is in danger. The chief priests want them
both dead. Now, no one would put a woman to
death, so Mary is probably safe as far as her life is
concerned, but she is unafraid to show her love to a
condemned man and that carries its own risk. She
could have stayed safe; she could have played it cool
and not been so demonstrative in her affection for
Jesus. She could have simply just told Jesus she loved
him… and left it at that, but she didn’t do that. She
went overboard. Why?
She took this expensive nard and rubbed it on
his feet…why his feet? Because that is what you do
for a dead body. You anoint his feet. Mary rubbed
his feet with perfume so precious that its sale might
have fed a poor family for a year, an act so lavish that
it suggests another layer of truth. There will be
nothing economical about this man's death, just as
there has been nothing economical about his life. In
him, the extravagance of God's love is made flesh. In
him, the excessiveness of God's mercy and love is
made manifest… made real. Unconditional love is
unbridled. Unconditional love is untamed.
Unconditional love is wild and unkempt. It isn’t
polite and reserved, unconditional love is WILD and
SHAMELESS. In other words, OUR CUPS RUNNETH
OVER!!! David danced WILDLY before God. What we
are talking about is EXCESSIVE LOVE, prophetic
love…God’s love. More love than we need or can use
and yet it keeps coming…it never ends and is forever
and ever. God’s love is excessive and lavish.
This sweet fragrance will not be held back to
be kept and admired. This precious substance will
not be saved. It will be opened, offered and used, at
great price. “And the house was filled with the
fragrance of the perfume.” Love spills out into the
house; love spills out into the streets…it cannot be
contained. It will be raised up and poured out for the
life of the world, emptied to the last drop. Before
that happens, Jesus will gather his friends together
one last time. At another banquet, around another
supper table, with most of the same people present,
Jesus will strip, tie a towel around his waist, and wash
his disciples' feet. Then he will give them a new
commandment: Love one another, as I have loved
you…unabashed, without fear or shame…as God
loves the world.
I have one more thing to add before we move
on and it is this. Is this extravagant, shameless, deep
love given to everyone? I mean, doesn’t Jesus say
the poor will always be with you? Jesus says, “The
way you treat the poor is the way you treat me.”
Jesus says, “The way you take care of the hungry is
the way you treat me.” We are to love without end,
without border, without reason…we can never run
out of love just as Christ never runs out of love, just
as God never runs out of love…and we never run out
of life, because in God’s love… life is replenished…life
is as never-ending as the love that creates it.
Open up the love bottled up in your soul…let it
flow…try and use it all…prove to yourself that it will
never run out. Love like God loves; love like Christ
loves.
AMEN