John 12:1-11
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.”
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.
The Passover is near, and so too is Jesus’ hour. The home of Martha and Mary in Bethany was always a place of welcome and refuge for Jesus, and with his life increasingly under threat he chooses to enjoy a meal there with his friends.
This time spent with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus takes place very soon after the pivotal scene of Lazarus being raised from the dead. This is the “sign” that brings many to believe in him, many to flock to him and others to plot his death.
But Mary’s action of anointing his feet with costly perfume causes friction. Judas, who was also present, objects to such extravagance,
Mary was able to be extravagant and generous; she was not held back by the opinions of those around her. Jesus on the other hand defends Mary, and links her action with his coming death and burial.
When Jesus mentions his burial, this is confirmation that his end is coming. Yet Lazarus’s presence at the table confirms that death does not speak the final word. The sweet smell of Mary’s perfume counters the stench of Lazarus’s tomb. Life and death, wholeness and corruption remain contrasted throughout both scenes.
Shortly after Mary’s action, we will see Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, in a similar act of love and humility. Mary’s wiping of Jesus’ feet prefigures the time when he will wipe the feet of his disciples, thus revealing her as a model disciple; for the washing and wiping of feet expresses a unity with Jesus, and reflects his command.
The mystery of salvation is whether we will accept absolute and unconditional love and, if so, will we allow it to envelop us wholly. How would we feel if Jesus knelt in front of us and washed our feet?
And are we able to reflect Mary’s generosity and God’s goodness to us, by how we share our property, our goodwill, our love and our forgiveness with others. Something to ponder this Monday of Holy Week.
Amen.





