Cultivating Lavish Love & Letting Go of Objectifying the Poor

Cultivating Lavish Love & Letting Go of Objectifying the Poor

John 12:1-8

          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."

“It was on the Wednesday that they called him a waster. The place smelled like the perfume department of a mall. It was as if somebody had bumped their elbow against a bottle and sent it crashing to the floor, setting off the most expensive stink bomb on earth. But it happened in a house, not a shop.

“And the woman who broke the bottle was no casual afternoon shopper. She was the penniless poorest of the poor, giving away the only precious thing she had. And he sat still while she poured the liquid all over his head… as unnecessary as aftershave on a full crop of hair and a bearded chin. And those who smelled it, and those who saw it, and those who remembered that he was against extravagance, called him a waster.

“They forgot that he was also the poorest of the poor. And they who had much and who had given him nothing, objected to a pauper giving him everything. Jealousy was in the air when a poor woman’s generosity became an embarrassment to their tight-fistedness… That was on the Wednesday, when they called him a waster.”

-Iona Community, Scotland

“Six Days before the Passover,” Jesus came to Bethany. “Six Days before the Passover,” Jesus came to the house of his best friends, Lazarus, Mary and Martha.  “Six Days before the Passover,” Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead.  “Six Days before the Passover,” was the eve of the day Jesus would ride into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.  “Six Days before the Passover,” when Pilot would declare Jesus “King of the Jews” and hand him over to be crucified.  Just “Six Days before the Passover…”  

There was Martha.  Martha served.  Martha is often overlooked.  Someone had to bring the food to the table.  Someone had to bring the bread to the table.  Someone had to bring the wine to the table.  Martha severed.  Jesus did not overlook Martha. Jesus said of her, 12:26 - “Whoever serves me must follow me. Wherever I am, there my servant will also be. My Father will honor whoever serves me.”  

There was Lazarus.  There he was sitting at the table with Jesus.  Just days before dead as stone in a tomb.  There he was the miracle of miracles.  He was sitting.  He was eating.  He was drinking.  He was alive because of Jesus.  And now, he could spend time with his friend with his sisters, Mary and Martha, serving. 

There was Mary.  Like her sister she served.  She served Jesus.  She serves Jesus with a very expensive perfume.  Maybe Martha and Lazarus knew what Mary planned.  Maybe Martha and Lazarus were as in the dark as the rest of the guest. Either way, to those outside the family opening the bottle seemed wasteful and extravagant.  

Regardless of any anticipation or of any advanced planning, this foot-washing, this anointing, scandalized the guests.  Jewish women were not allowed to “let their hair down” in public.  This sensual act of touching and washing feet would be reserved only for a wife’s husband. It is no more appropriate today for a woman to wash a guest’s feet at the dinner table then it was in this moment in a home in Bethany.  Yet, Mary foreshadows Jesus washing of the disciples’ feet in five days.  Mary demonstrates servitude and love for Jesus just as Jesus demonstrated servitude and love for his disciples.  Mary seems to be the only one in the room that had listened to Jesus predictions about his death.  Mary seems to be the only one to understand when Jesus goes into Jerusalem on the next day, he will only come out of Jerusalem carrying the cross for his execution.  Mary knows Jesus will die.  When Jesus hangs on the cross, when Jesus breaths his last breath, he will smell the nard from this anointing.  Jesus will have the perfume of Mary’s love fill his lungs.  Jesus will know he is not alone in his pain.  And as his body is removed from the cross to prepare to be laid in the tomb, the first anointing of oil shall already have been done. What did it mean for Mary to love and worship a King that was to be crucified?  What does it mean for you and me to love and worship a crucified King?

There was Judas.  Judas put words to the thoughts that we in everyone’s mind. Understandably, Judas was concerned and even outraged at the waste of resources.  The need is so great.  The poor are so hungry.  Why waste the money?  The Gospel clarifies that Judas had little regard for the poor.  The poor were a thing to fix like a broken roof or window or a broken door on a house.  “Fix’em and be done with them, on to the next thing.”  To have the poor among you in such abundance is shameful. Judas will always have the poor among him because he does not share what he has, but seeks only for himself (see verse 6).  Judas is the “anti-Mary”.  He is consumed with self-interest, his own motivations and doubt.  Mary, on the other hand, gives radical service, love and devotion.  

There was Jesus.  Jesus responds like we have learned to anticipate Jesus responding. Jesus quotes scripture.  Deuteronomy 15:10-11, “No, give generously to needy persons. Don't resent giving to them because it is this very thing that will lead to the LORD your God's blessing you in all you do and work at.11Poor persons will never disappear from the earth. That's why I'm giving you this command: you must open your hand generously to your fellow Israelites, to the needy among you, and to the poor who live with you in your land.”

There is us.  Martha, Lazarus, Mary, and Judas teach us about who we are.  They teach us about the how and the why we serve.  They teach us about the quality of our faith. They teach us about the degree of extravagance of our love.  How do you serve? Why do you serve? Do you cultivate lavish love like Martha and like Mary?  Do you serve motivated by devotion to Jesus?  Are our actions of outreach and service rooted in faith?  Is our faith exemplified in extravagant sacrifice and service?  We may not be able to “fix poverty” but that should never prevent us from service to others.

This past year we had an interesting opportunity in extravagant love.  A couple came to our attention that was living in a storage rental space with a two year old daughter and nine months pregnant with a second daughter.   Now, the end of the story of our time with them did not turn out like we wanted.  Yes, the baby was born healthy.  Yes, the mom found a job.  However, the dad left.  The kids and mom returned to Alabama.  If the test of the help is determined by the actions of the recipient, then we have taken our eye off of the ball.  We have missed the mission.  Our mission is our worship and devotion of Jesus.  Did we love Jesus?  Did we worship Jesus?  If our actions on behalf Jesus were the last thing that Jesus experienced before he went to the cross, would what we did help to sustain him through his agony?  

This past week, eleven of us from the congregation represented this church in Frakas, Kentucky, at Henderson Settlement.  Henderson Settlement’s mission is to “Provid opportunities for improving lives through Christ-Centered Service.”  The lives that get improved are both residents of the valley and out of towners who travel into the settlement.  I hesitate to say that the out of towners who travel to Frakas are the mission volunteers and the residence are the one’s acted upon by the volunteers.    It’s each meeting the needs of the other for the glory of God.  As a volunteer from outside the valley, we were given tasks to perform.  Each day we spent time doing our chore between moments of ministry.   The men in our group were given the task of building two shelving unites for the Opportunity Store on site.   The women of our group were given the assignment of providing a beauty parlor for residence of the valley.  They gave both women and men haircuts, hand treatments and manicures.  You may think what a waste.  Why spend so much money and time to travel for such things.  Better to give the money to the poor and let them buy their own shelves and haircuts.  We go because just handing out greenbacks does not build relationships between people.  It’s the talking with shoppers in the Opportunity Store.  It’s sitting with a person getting a hand treatment.  Let me give you just a glimpse of the Jesus we saw. 

I would like you to meet June Cobb.  Her sister died of cancer.  Through tear filled eyes she gave God glory for a room renovation in her home so that her sister had a pretty place to die.  An unnamed man gave God glory for help given to his neighbors.  There are those that came for treatments in the parlor and just stayed.  It was the place they wanted to be.  A gal came into the parlor, her husband had cancer and they moved back home.  They started to build a new home and the cancer once in remission has resurge. She came to be seen and to see friends from mission trips in years before.  Jesus showing up could be something as simple as an old scripture verse written on a piece of paper found in a window sill while cleaning.  Jerry hated the valley and could not wait to leave for college to break the cycle of life.  Yet, he returned to serve God’s people in the very place from which he ran away.  

Novella Lawson and her husband came into the parlor. They are a quiet unassuming grandma and grandpa.   The husband hung around a little and the left to sit on the outside steps to soak up the spring sunshine.  With her husband out of the room, Novella came to Candy with a picture of her granddaughter, Bethany, in hand.  The couple had been married over 50 years.  They had one son who was married with a 16 year old daughter and 19 year old son.  The grandparents lived just up the hill from the family.  Candy started Novella’s hand treatment.  And Novella laid her burden down.  Novella told the story of the last day of Bethany’s life.  Novella had been worried about Bethany who  had stopped eating and was so very depressed because her boyfriend had broken up with her and continued to bully and insult her.  This young woman had suddenly quit her modeling career in Knoxville..  She had been a singer at church and played the piano.  When Bethany came to the house, Novella had made her favorite cake. But she would not eat.   As she left her home, grandma called out “I love you baby.”  Bethany threw a kiss good-by and said, “Papaw is my best friend.” Bethany went home on that August day, using her mother’s gun, ended her life.  Novella, had nowhere to lay the burden of her granddaughter’s suicide down. Novella had to be the strong one for her husband, son and grandson.  Today, she could lay the burden down and let someone care for her.    

How do you serve? Do you cultivate lavish love like Martha and like Mary?  Do you serve motivated by devotion to Jesus?  Are our actions of outreach and service rooted in faith?  Is our faith exemplified in extravagant sacrifice and service?