Monday in Holy Week
Harriette Simmons
John 12:1-11

Today, Monday in Holy Week, we begin our walk to Calvary with Jesus. The Gospel today takes us back to events which took place the day before Palm Sunday, so we know that these events must be important. Jesus goes to the home of his friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus, presumably to get love, friendship and fellowship from this part of his inner circle before the upcoming events of his passion and death.

We see that again Martha is the one in the kitchen, and Mary is the one sitting at Jesus’ feet. Only this time Mary is performing a prophetic act upon Jesus. She is anointing his feet with costly perfume as if for burial and wiping them with her hair. This must have been very perplexing to the disciples. For we know that they seemed to understand little or nothing of the events around Jesus’ death. Their recognition of Jesus in his glory came only after he was raised from the dead. The disciples were still arguing about who was going to be greatest in the kingdom when Jesus came into power. They were looking for earthly glory. They must have looked with disdain upon Mary as she knelt on the floor.

Judas’ question to Jesus imparts sarcasm and evil into a situation which is becoming more and more ominous. Judas wants to know why the perfume Mary is pouring on Jesus’ feet wasn’t sold and the money given to the poor. We know the cunning with which Judas speaks because the scripture tells us that he was a thief who robbed from the common purse. Again, we see self serving behavior.

But Jesus stays Judas’ hand and lets Mary continue with her gesture of love. The very act of having this perfume poured upon him must have heightened for Jesus the reality and horror of what lay ahead of him. Imagine someone preparing to inject you with embalming fluid even while you are alive.

Jesus says to Judas, “Leave her alone. She bought it (the perfume) 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 seems like a strange thing for our Savior to say. He, who had compassion on anyone in trouble. He, who told us over and over again to care for the widows, orphans and those who had no one else to care – to the “least of these.” Why did he say “the poor you will always have with you?”

Jesus was a realist. Following the commandments of God makes one a realist. He knew that today, even two thousand years after he lived on earth, we would still have the poor with us. But, sometimes in our lives come moments of opportunity which will not repeat themselves. And this was one of them. Mary must have had a premonition that Jesus was going to die even as she used her expensive perfume to anoint his feet. She was extravagant in her love for her Lord.

I once heard a sermon on stewardship in which the preacher said, “Never suppress a generous impulse.” “Never suppress a generous impulse.” For a specific opportunity to demonstrate God’s love to someone may never show itself again in the same way.

We will see it this week in Mary, Mary and John as they keep watch at the foot of the cross and watch the one they love die a hideous death. A death devised by the Romans to scare conquered people into obedience. We know it was of comfort to Jesus to see them standing there. It gave him the opportunity to give the care of his earthly mother to John, his disciple.

We, who are Christians, are led by the Holy Spirit. For the most part, the Spirit speaks to us in a still, small voice in our soul. Learn to heed that voice. For it will lead you into God given opportunities which may never come again into your life. Don’t let fear be a deterrent. Even Jesus was afraid as he pleaded with his father “to let this cup pass from me.”

Mary and John must have been afraid of what the Romans might do to them as they kept vigil at the foot of that cross. But they stood there anyway. The mark of the hero is not that he or she is not afraid. The mark of the hero is that he or she may be very afraid, but they do the heroic act anyway.

Let us pray,

Heavenly Father,
Give us grace to heed your voice.
To do what is important and not just what seems urgent to us.
Thank you for the God given opportunities which come our way.
Help us to heed them.
Forgive us when we don’t listen.
As we walk this Holy Week with you, sharpen our ears to
hear your voice, that still small voice of love.
And make us like Mary who used her time,
her money and herself to honor you.
And we give you all the praise and glory.
Amen.