I really want you to know that our Gospel text for today was extremely famous in the life of the early church.
As a matter of fact, the same story is recorded in “some fashion” in each of the four gospel accounts.
“Basically” it would seem that there are “two versions” of the same occurrence; one found in the synoptic gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke and the second version, of the self-same story – found in John’s gospel. The structure is the same but it is the details that vary.
I think the attraction to the narrative was the “great love shown toward Jesus.” It was a “radical love,” “over the top – love,” “intimate love.”
In the version of the gospel text for today from John’s Gospel, we hear that “a certain woman” was named Mary, and she was the sister of “Martha and Lazarus.”
In John’s sequence of events, this is “the last event” before Jesus enters Jerusalem for what will be his last time on the weekend we call “Passion Sunday” or “Palm Sunday” or “Donkey Day,” around here…
Bethany is “a small community” within actual walking distance of Jerusalem. It was the “home town” of Lazarus and his sisters. Lazarus being the one whom Jesus raised from the dead…
It was that act…the raising of Lazarus that was the “final straw” for the Judean authorities and elites…
The gospel writer records them as saying: “What are we to do?” “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation!”
And then, John adds…from that day on they planned to put Jesus to death…
A further notation tells us that – Jesus then “no longer walked openly among the Judeans but went from Bethany…to a town called “EPHRAIM” in the region-near-the-wilderness.”
But as the Passover Festival once again draws near, so Jesus for the third time – also draws near to Jerusalem. Three times for emphasis sake, three times so we do not miss it, three times so that we ultimately remember.
But John, the Gospel writer learned the fine art of book-ending passages from the gospel writer, Mark.
So prior to our text for this morning we are told: “anyone who knew where Jesus was should let the Judean elite authorities know, so that they might arrest him!”
And then, immediately following our text for today, we are again told: “When the great crowd of Judeans learned that Jesus was there…the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many Judeans were deserting and were believing in Jesus.”
All of this is essential background to make sense of Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet.
Again, just so you are aware it was “a normal custom of hospitality” in elite homes for the host to have his slaves wash the feet of guests.
Mary’s action took this “common custom” to a whole new level.
She performed the action herself.
A woman would never touch a man in public and only her very own husband and children in the privacy of their home.
A woman would never allow anyone other than her immediate family to see her head of hair.
The cleaning of feet was never done with perfume – especially the amount mentioned here…which would be worth a year’s wages for a peasant laborer.
And as you may remember it was prophet’s, priests and Kings that were anointed in Israel.
Obviously, as a household that had connections with the elites in Jerusalem, Mary would have been “very aware” of “the plans underway” to have Jesus arrested and executed.
And more importantly, she would also know the form of execution “would hopefully be” by the Romans, since that method is used not just to kill the person and everything they stand for, but also to wipe out “any future hopes” of a “continuing movement” by its followers…
So Jesus says, “Leave her alone…for she bought the perfume for the day of my burial.”
Jesus and Mary were on the same page.
What she did with shocking intimacy was to show to Jesus her loyalty and her trust in him. It may have been a great impropriety, but it loudly and clearly told Jesus where she stood.
And she sided with him.
Amen.