Jeremy L. Berg

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)

The actions, words or posture of a person’s heart can change the temperature or alter the climate of an entire room. We have all been in a classroom or board meeting or family gathering where one individual’s outburst of anger fills the room with a thick and heavy air of awkwardness and tension you can cut with a knife.

We have also probably experienced a time when a cold room of despair filled with the fog of fear is suddenly lit up by a warm and loving presence walking in the room and bringing some sunshine with them. If climate change is a problem in the natural world, it is an opportunity in the realm of relationships and community. We each have the potential to change the climate of any room or relationship or situation for better or worse.   

In the story above, the beautiful, loving action of Mary literally (and figuratively) fills the entire house with a sweet smelling fragrance. It’s the smell of pure nard, but also the aroma of humble service, sweet surrender, and whole-hearted worship. Mary fills the room with her spirit of reckless abandonment and audacious devotion to Jesus, which also raises some eyebrows. Jesus loves the aroma Mary’s act has spread throughout the house, as it points forward to Jesus’ sacrificial death. Thomas Keating captures a deeper symbolism in Mary’s act:

“What her lavish gesture symbolized was the deepest meaning of Jesus’ passion and death. The body of Christ is the jar containing the most precious perfume of all time, namely, the Holy Spirit. It was about to be broken open so that the Holy Spirit could be poured out over the whole of humanity—past, present, and to come—with boundless generosity.” 

Meanwhile, another person at the table is exuding a different aroma—a foul smell stinking up the dinner party. Let’s turn to Judas Iscariot and his particular aroma, or “vibe,” as the kids say today. The author wants us to notice the stark contrast in heart attitudes and motivations. John also wants us to connect Mary’s washing of Jesus feet here with his act of washing his disciples feet in the next chapter. Judas objects, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” Sounds like a reasonable enough question. Sounds like a discussion many church boards have while finalizing the budget.

But is Judas just being frugal, looking out for the bottomline, trying to steward resources well for the sake of the poor? Hardly. “[Judas] 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” (v. 5-6). Yikes. “Leave her alone,” Jesus then says.

Beware of those who talk a religious game, but whose hearts and motivations are impure. Beware of those who talk about cutting wasteful spending and increasing efficiency, while really serving their own self interests. Beware of those who claim to be looking out for the poor while taking away the costly perfumes or other resources needed used by those on the frontlines of mission trying to care for Jesus in the disguise of the poor, the stranger, the naked, and the hungry. “Whenever you did not do it to the least of these, you did not do it to me” (Matt 25). 

Judas is a flawed character in the Gospels; not wholly evil, but a conflicted man being tossed to and fro, teetering between the power of the sinful nature and the influence of Jesus. In this scene, he fills the entire room with the toxic aroma of selfishness and greed and religious hypocrisy—all under the guise of righteousness and responsible bookkeeping. He fits the mold of those who “honor me with their lips, but whose hearts are far from me” (Matt 5:18). Judas is calling bad, good; and good, bad” (Isaiah 5:20).

Jesus rebukes him for calling Mary’s good act of worship a bad waste of resources. And only Jesus, who sees into his heart, knows that his would-be good attempt at cutting costs and increasing efficiency for the sake of the poor, is really a sham and trying to rob Jesus of proper worship by a tender-hearted woman. He doesn’t just rebuke Judas; he stands in protective solidarity with the woman and gives a firm, “Leave her alone!” Who are the vulnerable people in our world right now whom we need to come around with a bubble of Kingdom protection, and say, “In the name of Jesus, leave them alone!”

As Kingdom people, we need to tune our noses to the sweet aroma of the Kingdom in our midst. As Kingdom people, we need to sniff out religious hypocrisy and deceitful scheming being done in the name of Jesus in these times. Most of all, we need to examine our own hearts, smell our own spiritual armpits, and ask what fragrance we are bringing into the spaces we inhabit.

This Wednesday begins the season of Lent—a period of 40+ days in which we are invited to examine our hearts, humbly repent and try to get a whiff of Jesus’ cruciform love and world-healing sacrifice. Let God apply some divine deodorant to cover up the unredeemed parts of us; or, better, to help us live more fully into the baptism-bath that once washed us clean and gave us the sweet fragrance of new birth.

This Wednesday many people will be walking around with ashes smeared on their foreheads. It’s a vivid reminder of many things, but for our purposes here, let the ashes remind us this year that we all still have the residue of sin’s stench on us. Somedays we smell like Mary, and other days we smell more like Judas. Therefore, we daily need to turn our thoughts and behaviors and attitudes over to the cleansing power and sweet-smelling breath of the Holy Spirit.

“To those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?” (2 Corinthians 2:16)

Join us in the circle Sunday evenings at 5pm this Lent Sunday at MainStreet Covenant Church at St. Martin’s By the Lake.