Learning to See

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 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.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” (John 12:1-8, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
As we slowly but surely approach this time when Jesus will suffer his passion, we switch to John's gospel today to help us get our hearts and minds ready for the tumultuous awe-inspiring events that are about to unfold.

John starts by describing a scene that, initially, appears anything but awe-inspiring. It is, rather, very intimate. Mary anoints Jesus' feet with a very expensive perfume, and wipes them with her hair. (There is no reason to suppose that this is another telling of the scene we find in Luke 7, or that the woman in either case was Mary Magdalene; "Mary" was by far the most common girl's name, first-century Jews.)

Imagine you are Judas, watching the scene. It's been quite a time the last week or two, because Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead, and there's been a huge fuss about that—some thinking that Jesus can do no wrong, and others that he's the most dangerous man on the face of the earth. We're not sure what he's planning next but here we are, nearly in Jerusalem, and everyone's getting excited because it's almost Passover time and if God is ever going to act to free his people then Passover would be the obvious time to do it…

And now, suddenly, this woman seems to be going crazy. Letting her hair loose as if she's trying to seduce someone. Someone like Jesus! Some mistake, surely. What's she up to? People will talk. Jesus really should have more sense. He ought to realize what people will make of all this. And that smell—perfume that good must have cost a year's wages! Doesn't she know there are poor people around here who could live on that money? Doesn't she realize we're all poor anyway and some of us could use a bit of a bonus after all we've been through… Anyway, Jesus doesn't need his feet washed in that stuff. He must be embarrassed. He probably wants her to stop but is too kind to say so. Maybe one of us had better say something… Maybe it had better be me. I seem to be the only one with any sense at this moment. Alright, then, here goes…

And you suddenly realize, as you live within the character of Judas, that you have got it all very badly wrong. The trouble is, Mary has seen something you hadn't seen, something that the original Judas probably never did see. Learning to see that is what living with Jesus and his story is all about.


PRAYER:
Lord, help me to be humble enough to see what you are seeing, even when all my instincts are telling me the opposite. Help me, particularly, to understand what your suffering and death was all about.


WHO AM I?
I am Tres Sansom, and I'm sure you'll be glad to know that I will not be writing any devotionals next week. Do the Happy Dance! You will be free of me for an entire week. :)