Mary or Judas?

Fifth Sunday in Lent, C

March 17, 2013

John 12:1-8

Introduction

Today we are preparing for the burial of our Lord Jesus Christ. In today's Gospel reading, we see Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus, anoint the feet of Jesus, an act which he calls a preparation for his burial. Before the reform in the Christian calendar, the fifth Sunday in Lent used to be observed as "Passion Sunday" in preparation for the Passion of our Lord during Holy Week. But now, Passion Sunday is observed on the sixth Sunday in Lent, making it "the Sunday of the Palms and the Passion of our Lord" or "Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion". In the liturgy of Palm Sunday, the full narrative of the Passion is read out in full--which will be meditated at length during the week. Since this is the last Sunday before Holy Week, let us prepare our hearts and minds all the more.

Excursus: Stories of anointing. According to a widespread but false myth among Christians, Mary Magdalene was the prostitute and she anointed the feet of Jesus with oil and wiped it with her hair. (I am surprised that this myth is not only believed among Catholics but also among some Protestants and born-again Christians--those who supposedly hold the Bible as their sole authority!) But if we go back to the Scriptures, Jesus was anointed by women at least three times in his ministry:

1. In Luke 7:36-50, Jesus was eating at a house of a Pharisee when a "sinful woman" came behind him and "watered his feet with a shower of tears, and wiped them, with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment" (v. 38, John Wesley New Testament). Jesus used this to point out that the woman's love was great (greater than the love the Pharisee showed him) because she was forgiven much (unlike the Pharisee who only needed to be "forgiven a little") (v. 47). The story ended with Jesus declaring the forgiveness of the woman's sins.

2. In today's Gospel reading, John 12:1-18, Jesus was eating at a dinner in honor of him at the home of Lazarus in Bethany, because he raised Lazarus from the dead. This happened on the six days before the Passover, which means the Sabbath, with Passover being on Thursday night. It was the day before the Triumphal Entry on the following day, Sunday. Here, Mary his sister also poured perfume on his feet and wiped it with her hair. We will discuss their further later.

3. In Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:1-11, Jesus was also eating in house in Bethany, but in the home of Simon the Leper. It was only two days before the Passover (Wednesday; the Passover being Thursday evening, which by Jewish recogning is already Friday). A nameless woman (not a sinful woman, not Mary of Bethany) poured perfume on Jesus' head (not his feet). Similarly, the disciples (not just Judas) echoed the sentiment that it was a waste of money. Jesus likewise answered that the act was done in preparation for his burial; and for it, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, what she"--a nameless woman--"hath done shall be spoken of also," in memory of her.

It is obvious how this myth of Mary Magdalene being a prostitute who anointed the feet of Jesus came about--because we do not go back to what Scripture actually says or that we bring with us some intellectual baggage--presuppositions--when we go to Scripture.

We will contrast two characters in the Gospel reading today--Judas and Mary of Bethany.

I. Judas of Kerioth: Money over Master (Pera muna bago Panginoon)

For Jesus, money is more important than his Master. People with a "Judas spirit" are thus:

1. People who are quick to put a price tag on everything. Judas was able to quickly estimate the price of the ointment that Mary poured on the feet of Jesus: three hundred denarii, the cost of more than ten months of wages. But he was also able to give his Master a price tag: thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 21:15; cf. Zechariah 11:12-13), the price of a slave gored by a bull (Exodus 21:32).

2. People who are greedy for gain. Judas said that the ointment could have been sold so that the proceeds might be given as charity (tzekidah) for the poor. But his intent was far from charitable: He "had the purse", that is, he was the treasurer of the Apostles, "and bare what was put therein" (v. 6).

3. People who can exchange the Lord for money. "'What will ye give me, and I will deliver him to you?' And they bargained with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him" (Matthew 26:15-16).

II. Mary of Bethany: Master over Money (Panginoon muna bago pera)

But for Mary of Bethany, her Master is more important than money. People with a "Mary of Bethany spirit" are:

1. People who do not look at the price tag. Because of her faith, Mary did not look on the price tag of her extravagant worship. (I discovered this serendipitously while writing a paper for my MA Linguistics degree. Verse 3 in Greek begins with η ουν μαρια λαβουσα λιτραν μυρου ναρδου πιστικης πολυτιμου, Hē oun Maria labousa litran murou nardou pistikēs polutimou, 'Mary took a liter of ointment, very costly pistikēs nard'. Looking at several English translations, I discovered that the word pistikēs--which is usually translated as 'faith'--is always left untranslated!) For Mary, no price was too high, no thing was too expensive, for her to express her love for Jesus!

2. People who do not take pride in their own works. Mary did not need to blow the trumpet to show her love for Jesus. Meanwhile, Judas gave the veneer of being charitable by pretending to care for the poor. People who do good do not need to announce to the world what they have done; their works do that for them: "...and the house was filled with the odour [scent] of the ointment" (v. 3).

3. People who honor the death of the Lord. Mary herself may have not known it, but her act of pouring of ointment on the feet of Jesus was a preparation for his death: "'For in pouring this ointment on my body, she hath done it for my burial" (v. 12). People like Mary can spare no expense or time because they know the price that Jesus paid for their sins.

(Excursus: When we celebrate the Eucharist, we honor the death of the Lord: "Therefore as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye shew forth the Lord's death, till he come" [I Corinthians 13:26]. People who truly love the Lord will not let any theological, philosophical, or emotional objection hinder them from frequent partaking of Holy Communion.)

Conclusion

For people like Judas, money is more important than the Master. But for people like Mary of Bethany, the Master is more important than money. As we continue with our Lenten disciplines and as we approach Holy Week, the question is: Are we a Judas or a Mary of Bethany?