1. Mary’s Offering

We are now reading, during the period of Lent, the Gospel according to John. To date, we have witnessed miraculous signs and teaching performed by Jesus, which encouraged many people to follow Him. When He fed the 5000 with five little loaves of bread, the people marveled, and tried to make Him their king. When the crowd saw Him open a blind man’s eyes, they thought He was surely sent by God. However an event which impacted greatly upon his followers, was the case of Lazarus. John tells us that Jesus brought Lazarus back to life four days after his death. After this event His followers were convinced that He was the very Messiah.

“Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him” (John 11:45).

But Jesus’ reputation, which was widely spread, caused the Jewish leaders to consider Him to be dangerous. So much so, they began to make plans to kill Him: “Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. Instead he withdrew to a region near the desert, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples” (John 11:54).

Under such menacing circumstances, Jesus received an invitation from the family of Lazarus, a man whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Despite knowing the risks He went to a small village near Jerusalem, a place called Bethany, the name of which means ‘house of the poor’. John describes the scene: “Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (John 12:1-3).

Nard is a kind of perfumed oil, therefore, those who were around the table were very surprised. The perfumed oil was so expensive it would normally be applied sparingly with a few drops to the head. The pure nard was exceptionally highly-priced oil, because it was scented with Himalayan spikenard, a plant very rare and difficult to harvest. Mary poured this luxurious oil abundantly, not on Jesus’ head, but on His feet. The extravagant quantity of oil poured on Jesus’ feet would have cost, in today’s terms, perhaps several million yen. So one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot, objected: “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” (John 12:5).

Judas considered Mary’s act as a complete waste. At first glance we too probably think it was extravagant. If it was only to show her reverence to Jesus, Mary could have applied several drops sparingly. Instead, she poured all of it over Jesus’ feet. But here, we must pause to ponder, and investigate the more profound meaning of her action.

2. A Sacred Waste

In order to understand Mary’s actions, we need to turn back to John, Chapter 11. When Lazarus was laying sick, Mary and Martha, his sisters, sent word to Jesus, asking Him to save Lazarus. Yet when Jesus heard the message, He was on the other side of the Jordan river, where He stayed for another two days. So when Jesus arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had been dead already for 4 days. But, Mary was convinced that He came too late: ” When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32).

She was so sad and depressed that she could not stop from complaining. In facing death, we, as human beings, feel completely powerless and hopeless. By seeing her weeping Jesus was deeply troubled and moved in spirit, Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. (John 12:39-44).

Mary, having witnessed the marvel, was filled with astonishment and joy. Lazarus, who was once dead, was now raised from death!! So his sisters were seeking, by the best possible means, to show their gratitude to Jesus. Martha prepared meals and served the guests. As for Mary, she decided to offer her most precious commodity, nard. Perhaps she had been storing it little by little with the purpose of using it for her dowry. But now, she not only poured all of it on Jesus’ feet, but also wiped his feet with her hair.

At that time hair was considered the most important part of woman’s body. It was out of question to wipe someone’s feet with it. But she was thinking about nothing else, but giving thanks to Jesus, who brought her brother back from the dead. The price of oil had no value compared to her priceless love and gratefulness. Yes, love knows no boundaries, and its incalculable. So we might call such an act, a “sacred waste”.

3. Faith leads us to act beyond commonsense

Jesus accepted and appreciated Mary’s extravagant conduct, which seemed nonsense and a waste to others. However, in Judaism, anointing with oil was reserved for the nomination of a king. It was also used for a funeral, where the body of the deceased person was covered with perfumed oil and wrapped in a burial cloth. So, Mary’s conduct was interpreted this way, “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me” (John 12:7-8).

Despite His reply, the disciples did not understand that Jesus was under a difficult and stressful state of mind due to the threat of imminent death. At that very moment, the warrant for his arrest was already being issued, and the Jewish authorities were looking for his whereabouts (John 11:57). Mary’s comforting and therapeutic presence with Jesus during this precious time, was no doubt immensely helpful to him.

I will now read today’s invocation verses from John, chapter 12:24-25, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

These are the words which Jesus uttered just after entering Jerusalem, during Passover. Jesus was arrested on the Thursday of the week, and put on the Cross the next day, Friday. Through the metaphor of a seed, Jesus teaches that his death will bring new life, because it produces fruit, a symbol for the community of faith. Jesus’ death creates new life for the community. Jesus’ ultimate act of service is the gift of his life, so the community is called to follow Jesus and serve one another with the same kind of love.

He would die so others may live. But, he did it for us. And the fact that Jesus healed the disabled and the ill on the Sabbath was also considered outrageous behavior at the time. For example, the case at the Bethesda pool: “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat” (John 5:10). We don’t understand why He did it on the Sabbath, because a delay of one or more days would be nothing for the healed man who had been waiting for 38 years.

But Jesus dared to do it on the Sabbath. The same situation occurred with the blind man. These were challenging acts, which offended the Pharisees, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” (John 9:16). To such behavior and seemingly deliberate acts of provocation, the explanation might be in this verse: “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4).

Love does not allow us to wait. Love pushes us to act immediately. Mary offered perfumed oil on the day before Jesus entered Jerusalem. If she had missed this opportunity, she would not have another chance. I decided to become a pastor and quit my job at the age of 50. Others advised me to wait until the official retirement age of 60. Because, by then, my children would be financially independent, and I would have no responsibility as their protector. But I couldn’t wait. For I thought, if we did not make the decision at this precise moment, we will never do it.

Mary offered the best thing she possessed. And it was something she could do. Whenever we do some favors for others we often expect something in return. But, real love can be found only through the way we act. Being altruistic for example, and practicing benevolence without expecting rewards. Tithing to the Church is one example, because the Church does not recompense in any practical manner. It is a free-will offering. Jesus criticized the Pharisees, who were so proud of their behavior and their perceived commitment of faith, “I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get” (Luke 18:12).

No, our donations don’t give back any awards, nor decorations. To non-christians, it might seem like a waste of money. But the Lord appreciates such acts of ’sacred waste’, and rewards us with His own extraordinary generosity. The reading from the book of Malachi puts these thoughts into perspective: Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it” ( Malachi 3:10).

At the end of the speech I am going to present you with an example of one who conducted her life in a manner of ’sacred waste’, a psychologist who dedicated her life to people who were suffering from leprosy. She chose such a way of living through a decision to commit herself to care for those who were suffering from this illness. It might seem a foolish decision, because these people were not actually infected with the disease in her immediate place of living. Nevertheless, such thinking, eventually led her to work with them, as if she bore this mission as her cross.

People who do not have faith tend to think there is no God, or divine peace in this world. But regardless of such a point of view there are those who sacrifice their life for others, as Jesus did. By laying aside our striving for advantage, security, and pleasure, we can serve God lovingly and freely. So, let us too, live a sacredly wasting life in Jesus Christ, by doing good things for others without expecting anything in return.