Thinking Like Mary

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 

Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions.

So, Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” 

The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him. (John 12:1-11)

What to make of this Gospel reading from John?  Who is this Mary, and why is her hair down?  No respectable woman would appear in public with her hair unbound.  She’s the sister of Martha, but some have thought her to be Mary Magdalene.  She cannot be both.  Who provided the costly one liter of perfumed oil used by Mary to anoint Jesus’ feet?  How does the author of John know what Judas was thinking?

We are supposed to think like this Mary who was unembarrassed or self-conscious about her love for Jesus – that she was one of his followers.  We are Christians, so we should play the part without reservation even when we expose ourselves to criticism or mocking caused by Church teaching or its serious failings such as the handling of priest sexual abuse of minors.

Even though Judas’ motive for concern about the oil (worth 300 days of wages) was suspect, we are supposed to care about the poor.  Judas’ remark makes us more conscious about that needed care Jesus commanded us to address: “You always have the poor with you.”

The source and exact value of the perfume is unimportant, and the story may be contrived simply to highlight Judas’ character, or lack thereof – the betrayer.   All (or most) of us are capable of Judas-like behavior betraying people’s trust in small or large matters or paying little or no mind to the plight of the poor.

It's a good time to think about Jesus’ anointing by Mary, the poor, Judas’ betrayal, and Jesus’ death on a cross especially the reaction of his friends and followers, such as running away or staying close by and standing by him.  Which option do we prefer?

Deacon David Pierce