1. The Anointing at Bethany
We are reading the Gospel according to Mark during the period of Lent. From chapter 14, Mark gives the account of what happened on the Passion week. The record begins with the arrival of a woman at Simon’s. She offered Jesus very costly perfumed oil. We will learn the meaning of the Passion by reflecting on the event.
After spending a long time preaching in Galilee, Jesus entered into Jerusalem on the last Sunday before the Cross. In daytime, he gave teachings in the Temple and stayed nights at Bethany, a village near Jerusalem. Jesus went there sometimes to visit Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. In the Wednesday evening, two days to Passover, Jesus was at table in Simon’s. Then, ; - a woman approached him with an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She opened the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.(Mark 14:3)
The episode is known as “The Anointing at Bethany,” or “The jar of nard.” Edwin P. Park* wrote the hymn “Master, no offering” based on the episode. All the four Gospels report the same story in common, which is one of rare cases. The fact shows that disciples were so much impressed by the event.
It happened on the previous day to the arrest of Jesus. While the woman was with Jesus at Simon’s, priests and law teachers were discussing how to kill Jesus. (see Mark 14:1-2) Besides, Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles, was planning to hand over Jesus to priests and law teachers.(see Mark 14:10-11) Jesus should guess that the crucial moment was coming. In that menacing atmosphere, the woman brought a jar filled with ointment perfumed with nard*2, opened it and poured oil on Jesus’ head. Nard is a plant that grows in the Himalayas and extremely expensive because of its scent. Jewish people mixed it with olive oil to perfume closes or purify bodies. Generally it was used by some drops because of the hight price. It is also said that a pint of pure nard costed around 300 denarii. (a denarii was a minimum day’s wage; therefore basically 300 man-day’s of labor)*3
The woman poured all of the oil in the jar on Jesus’ head! She could have let fall only several drops. For that reason, ; - some who were there became upset and said to each other, “Why waste that perfume? It was worth a full year’s work. It could have been sold and the money given to the poor."(Mark 14:4-5)
Who was that woman? John said that she was “Marry” (see john 12:3) whereas Luke called her “a sinner in the city.” (see Luke 7:37) In contrast to those records, Mark gave no particular feature about her. Some scholars think that she was Mary of Magdalena. *4 Probably, she was one of women healed by Jesus. And to express her gratitude to Jesus, she purchased very expensive oil to offer Jesus and came to Simon’s. Many should say that she exaggerated too much. But she might want to offer all she had to give thanks to Jesus. She did what she wished regardless of any secular calculations. And Jesus accepted and praised her act. So he said to those who criticized the woman for the waste, ; - “Leave her alone. Why are you troubling her? She did an excellent thing for me. You will always have the poor with you, and you can help them anytime you want. But you will not always have me.(Mark 14:6-8)
Along with that, Priests and law teachers were plotting to kill Jesus and Judah intended to betray him. And other disciples didn’t recognize that the death of Jesus was imminent and close. In that background, the woman payed probably all of her money for the ointment to pour on Jesus. And he should consider the act to be his Messianic anointing. Her selfless conduct must comfort Jesus who were approaching to the Cross. Therefore he said, ; - “Wherever the Good News is preached in all the world, what this woman has done will be told, and people will remember her."(Mark 14:9)
*1 Master, no offering http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/m/n/mnofcasw.htm (lyric and listening)
*2 Nard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spikenard
*3 http://books.google.co.jp/books?id=RmCHbDWzAzoC&pg=PA19-IA151&lpg=PA19-IA151&dq=nard+cost&source=bl&ots=6HY4mQUpyf&sig=i5skSCNNHEfoOaoMqXUaWZZEIUs&hl=en&ei=cjeuTcKnEZCwuAPZwLGGDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CC8Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false
*4 Mary Magdalene http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Magdalene
2. Two ways of thinking
Two types of persons appear in the episode. The first one consists of priests, law teachers and Judah. They use hostile language, for example, plot, arrest, kill, riot, hand over someone in exchange of money. Those words symbolize a disgraceful world. As a matter of fact, estimation of the secular society is based on earthy power and money. Those who belong to that world dare to kill, provoke or put neighbors in difficulties to take profits. As they make calculations, they must consider the irrational conduct of the woman to be ridiculous or even irritating. Because they don’t live in the same world with her. They are opposite to her because she is on the side of Jesus.
Jesus and the woman represent the notion of abundance and amplitude of good acts done free of charge. That vocabulary characterizes the Good News. Jesus and the woman belong to the kingdom of God, in which they offer, give and waste love without calculating rewards. Love will never calculate. Love gives all as the woman did for Jesus. The room must be filled with the fragrance of nard and Jesus was ready to die on the Cross. Many persons should ask him why. They would say that such a death won’t change anything in the world. They might interpret Jesus life and death as a mere waste. Nonetheless, Jesus remained faithful to his decision in accordance with God’s will. The jail of Jesus life was open on the Cross and the fragrance of love spread to all over the world.
I want to draw your attention to the fact that the event happened in “Simon’s.” (see Mark 14:3) Simon was a man who had been suffering from leprosy and healed by Jesus. Jesus went to his house regardless of the law which prohibited the contact with lepers. Furthermore, Jesus shared a meal with him. And priests hate Jesus because of that behavior ignoring the law. Thus Jesus was accused and executed for the friendship with the unclean or sinners. He offered all on the Cross to redeem humans’ sin. We see similarities between his conduct and that of with the woman in Bethany.
Some Christians may give the tithe unwillingly or for pretensions. In contrast, some others are willing to do whatever they can to help neighbors to share pains of others in tangible ways. Those who were saved from certain hardship express thankfulness in that way voluntarily. Thus they give the proof of faith which pushes humans to act for others’ sake. And when we live in accordance with the faith, we are near the kingdom of God.
3. The sacred waste
Today’s invocation verses are John 12:24-25 ; - I tell you the truth, a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die to make many seeds. But if it never dies, it remains only a single seed. Those who love their lives will lose them, but those who hate their lives in this world will keep true life forever.
Jesus said it after entering into Jerusalem ahead of the Passover. He was arrested on the Thursday and crucified on the following Friday. In the verses above, he drew a comparison between himself and a grain of wheat. Both of two must die to give fruits. Jesus was ready to lay his life down for the salvation of humans. And the message of salvation could reach at humans’ heart only through the offering of life. From rational point of view, it must be absurd to die to make others live. But Jesus did so for our sake.
Healing the sick and disabled on Sabbath days must seem extremely foolish. Because we would think that one more another day of suffering might be negligible for him after 38 years of paralysis. Nonetheless, Jesus healed him on a Sabbath day. Naturally, the act triggered a severe dispute between Pharisees and Jesus. (see John 5:10)
Why did Jesus dare to perform it on that very day? Ordinary persons should think that he could have wait till the next day. But the act wasn’t didn’t delayed. The same reaction came when Jesus opened the eyes of a blind man. At that time, Pharisees murmured, ; - “This man does not keep the Sabbath day, so he is not from God.”(John9:16) Before curing him, Jesus said, ; −“While it is daytime, we must continue doing the work of the One who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”(John 9:4)
Love doesn’t let us wait. The timing must be crucial. The woman poured expensive oil on Jesus on the day just before the crucifixion. In other words, it was the unique occasion for her to do so. She offered the best and all of her possession. We, humans, estimate probable return of contributions before giving. We always look for rewards to act. But when we live by incentives of love, secular calculations must be deleted in our heart. That is the very love. For example, we should never expect any reward from giving the tithe. It must be an absolutely free act. It is the same as contributions to the construction of church building. Offerings and donations won’t promise the salvation, not only testimonial letters. Names of contributors won’t be engraved on a cornerstone. So, in secular sense, those donations are wasted money. But the Lord will receive it as “Sacred waste.” As the prophet Malachi said, ; - “‘Bring to the storehouse a full tenth of what you earn so there will be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord All-Powerful. ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out all the blessings you need.’ ”(Malachi 3:10)
Mieko Kanda, a Japanese psychiatrist who devoted her life to helping patients of Hansen’s disease, said to them:
— You are infected and suffering in my place. All are stolen from you and you undergo pains of the incredibly harsh illness in my place. Therefore, I am working for you.—
Her thinking might seem ridiculous because she is not the cause of the afflictions. But, despite the fact, she was willing to share their pains as her Cross. We cannot know for which reason the leprosy, such a horrible disease, exists in the Nature. The bacteria decay tissues of flesh and bones till patients die. Furthermore, the lepers are disliked and segregated by the society. So much so, those who don’t have real faith would say that the peace of God is an illusion. In contrast to them, some others devote themselves to supporting persons in difficulties. Because they are trusting in God. In that way, “Scent of Jesus” can be spread largely. We as Christians confessed our sin and recognized that Jesus died for our sake. And we will say, “Jesus Christ, we will follow you because you died in our place.” That witness must be a response to the life of Mrs Kanda. So Let’s pray for power to live on “Sacred wastes.”
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