Scripture: John 12: 1-11

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

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 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.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

Consider:

So much is happening in this passage; everyone named in this passage does, in fact, have a different assumption of Jesus, a different take on what’s happening, and a different agenda for what happens next. I find it really interesting that we have several different perspectives happening at the same time, in the same house, at the same dinner…Mary is being abundant and lavish with her love of Christ, Judas is already on the downward spiral of betrayal and is berating others, Martha is cooking away, perhaps caught in that “doing” cycle again? Lazarus hanging out with the man who just resurrected him (probably still wrapping his head around that!) and the priests are making a death plot.

Not unlike the family Thanksgiving table? It may sound ridiculous, but really, let’s think about how many agendas fill a room at any given time…this scene is probably more similar than we care to admit to ourselves!

So what are we to take from all of this? Who are we in this story? Perhaps a little bit of everyone? I’d love to consider myself Mary in this moment…giving all the best I have to the Lord sitting before me, being fully invested in knowing how precious this moment it. But if I’m being honest, my stinginess might look more like Judas’s reprimand, or my need to please might look like Martha in the kitchen, or my fear of the “other” might even take the shape of a plotting priest every once in a while.

Here’s the thing I know…we will never get it “right” all the time when we are sitting at table with Jesus. We will very likely miss the point entirely, miss seeing the Jesus right in front of us, but our job is to try. Try to be Mary, who showed up fully ready to worship with all she had…try to be the one who sees what is about to happen to Jesus and treasure the moment enough to pour out our very best, rather than worrying about if there will be enough later. The challenge is looking for Jesus at each table we feast, in each room we enter, at each shelter we serve or baseball game we watch or political conversation we engage in. Do we even look when it feels hard? If we don’t, we’re probably missing Jesus all over the place.

Respond:

What is the “alabaster jar” in your life? What costly thing—time, reputation, comfort, resources—might Jesus be inviting you to pour out in love? Where are the hard places to go and actively look for Jesus? Name one today, and actively make a plan to seek out Jesus the next time you’re there.

Pray:

God, we know you are all over the place, constantly bumping into us in the simple, complex, joyful and hard experiences of life. Help us see you each time, so that we may be extravagant in our love for you, through our love for your creation and your children. Amen.

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