What an interesting dinner party! We have Lazarus, who had recently died and was
resurrected by Jesus [John 11:1-45]. There’s
Martha, his sister, who had been given the opportunity to define what was
really important by Jesus. Then comes
Mary, another sister, who all along had particular devotion toward Jesus and
insight into His ministry and purpose [Luke 10:38-42]. Simon is there, who had been healed of leprosy
by Jesus [Mark 1:40-45]. The disciples
were present, still not having a clue what was about to happen to Jesus. And among them was Judas, already in the midst
of betraying Jesus, setting Him up for arrest and crucifixion. Jesus must have looked around the room in
amazement at the group that was surrounding Him---so many pieces of an
unbelievable puzzle that had not yet fully come together.
The star of this drama, of course, was
Jesus and the lead supporting actress was, once again, Mary. In the midst of this diverse group having
dinner and interacting with one another, Mary pulls out a vial of very
expensive oil and proceeds to anoint Jesus’ feet, wiping them off with her
hair. This oil was meant to refresh and
to exhilarate and was seen as a high compliment in the Middle East. Judas, who interestingly enough, was the
financial manager for Jesus and His disciples, complained bitterly about Mary
throwing away money for this oil when it could have been used to help the poor. Jesus, in understanding both the heart of
Judas in his betrayal and Mary, in her devotion, used this as yet another
opportunity to help prepare His followers for what was to come. He knew that Mary acted out of a selfless
love, at great financial cost, to do only what she could do. He understood that Mary was using this oil to
anoint Him, not after His death in an act of remembrance, but before His death
in an act of worship and devotion. He
transformed that simple act into one that far transcended the reality of that
moment. He knew that Mary had foresight
about His upcoming death and the meaning of that sacrifice more than anyone
else in that room.
Mary had foresight and acted in
selfless love and devotion, doing only what she could at that moment. We have the value of hindsight, knowing how
Christ died, why He died and what that means for us in our daily lives. What kinds of acts of selfless devotion are we
offering up to Christ, even with our advantage of hindsight? For us, it’s not oil... it's sharing our time,
our resources, and our gifts. .. . all in the name of Jesus. An act of devotion and love toward Jesus can
simply be giving of ourselves, which is miraculously transformed into all that
Jesus asks of us.
As I write this tonight, I realize
that it’s helpful to pray with the imagination of our hearts. The capacity of our imagination can fly off
into wild fantasy and self-absorbing illusion, or it can relate with and sense
reality, God’s presence loving us in and through all things. This latter posture is not self-enclosed or
controlling, rather it’s one of humble, self-emptying receptivity to Jesus’
Spirit.
If we prayerfully place the
imagination of our hearts with Lazarus in this Biblical scene, we can
experience insight and new life in Jesus’ Spirit. “Lazarus” in Hebrew means “God helps.” It’s good to recall that Lazarus was one of
Jesus’ intimate friends. It’s also good
to wonder what was transpiring in Lazarus’ heart at the banquet after having
been raised from the dead and having to die again sometime in the future. It was absolutely more intense than a ‘near-death’
experience. Lazarus DID die! Surely, there was breathtaking gratitude for
his new life, unbounded amazement and fierce loyalty for Jesus—all-powerful love
that “helped” in the middle of death itself.
The food at the banquet must have
tasted especially delicious. The costly
ointment that was used to anoint Jesus’ feet must have carried a particularly
sweet aroma, and seeing Mary’s tears must have touched Lazarus’ heart with an
extra sense of being loved. He must have
carried a new confidence, too, in the face of future dying within Christ’s
love.
Tasting the truth that, with Jesus,
death yields new life, awakens Lazarus’ spiritual senses in the imagination of
his heart. He experiences more of
reality, more of God’s love “helping.”
His seeing, smelling and hearing are more alive.
If we think of events that brought us
to taste death in some real way, we can revisit this Biblical scene as a
Lazarus figure. Perhaps we were dead due
to sin? Perhaps we’re aware of the existential deaths
that we’re asked to embrace this day as we struggle to accept our Christ-like
human limits? The truth that is Lazarus’
can be ours as we receive anew God’s love helping us amid our dyings. The deaths that we’re passing through today
with Jesus’ Spirit can be experienced in hopefulness and with a great
confidence in the power of Jesus’ resurrecting love. May we not choose the hellishness of
self-enclosure amid our fears. May we
turn inwardly, in the imagination of our hearts, to receive Jesus’ care
awakening our senses to taste more life.
During these last few days of Lent, may we open our hearts to the many
opportunities we have, in essence, to anoint the feet of Jesus. Then this
Easter we can shout all the louder, “death where is your sting?” for in
Jesus Christ death dies and yields fuller life! [1 Corinthians 15:55-57]
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