The Foundation of Discipleship

Based on John 12:1-8

The time was drawing near. Jesus and his disciples have made their third and final journey to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. What is typically one of the most joyous festivals, for Jesus and his disciples, would be a nightmare. There would be the final confrontation with the religious and political powers. There would be the lashes and the crown of thorns. There would be the mocking and the public humiliation of having an entire crowd of people turn on you and call for your execution. And then the horror of the crucifixion. All of this awaited Jesus.

But before this time of trial, suffering and violent death, Jesus and his disciples were gathered at the home of a few of Jesus’ dearest friends: Lazarus, Martha and Mary. We don’t know the backstory but somehow along the way they had become close friends. They loved each other like good friends do. He wept when he encountered Martha and Mary mourning the death of Lazarus. But Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb. He demonstrated his power over death.

And here they are, gathered at the home of Lazarus, having dinner. The quiet before the storm. Lazarus laying with Jesus and the disciples at the dinner table. Martha is serving them as she is wont to do. And then there is Mary, the one who sat at the teacher’s feet to learn from him, the one whom Jesus had said to Martha that she had chosen the better part when Martha told Jesus to tell Mary to come help her serve. It is this Mary who, in an act of deep devotion, anoints Jesus’ feet with nard and wipes his feet with her hair, a sensuous and intimate act.

Mary is the model disciple. She sets the bar. Like I said, instead of helping Martha in the kitchen Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet to learn from him. Jesus said she had chosen the better action. And now Mary anoints Jesus’ feet using nard, one of the choice ointments used on corpses in preparation for burial. This was an act of devotion. But it was also an act of acceptance. Jesus had been saying for awhile that he would be going to Jerusalem to die. The disciples were confused. They weren’t sure how to make sense of it. How is it that the messiah is going to die? It went against their expectation. But Mary trusted that Jesus knew what was going to happen. She didn’t have to understand it or let her confusion or disappointment prompt her to be in a state of denial. She determined to secure a bottle of nard that she would use to anoint his body after he was crucified. And this nard was top shelf. 300 denarii is nearly one year of wages for a common laborer. We don’t know what kind of wealth Mary had access to. But surely this was a significant purchase, perhaps something she had to save up for many months rather than something she could rush to the store and go buy. It took intentionality to get something this expensive. It demonstrated her acceptance, her belief and trust, in Jesus, who is her king.

The demonstration of her love and her trust in Jesus was not subtle. She did not whisper to Jesus her acceptance of his need to die. She did not wink or give a knowing glance at this dinner. She took an action that impacted everyone. If there was already a sense of dread hanging in the air with the anticipation of Jesus’ impending doom, Mary makes it explicit by filling the room with the fragrance of what it will smell like when Jesus’ body is prepared for burial. They will smell this scent again in a few days. No ambiguity here. Mary makes it clear what will be taking place. But not only that, Mary wipes Jesus’ feet with her hair. The scent of nard will go with her wherever she goes. We don’t know how long that scent will remain in her hair. But she will smell it. And anyone in her presence will smell that scent. She will be constantly reminded in the days ahead what is awaiting Jesus and all those around her will remember as well. Jesus’ impending death will be front of mind for all of them because of the scent Mary carries in her hair. Far from hiding this or being discreet, Mary is making it clear that soon Jesus will die. What a powerful witness of her belief in what Jesus said.

What a contrast between Mary and Judas. Mary is demonstrating a deep love for Jesus. She acknowledges and accepts the truth of what Jesus will be experiencing in the next few days. She is acting in an appropriate, meaningful, beautiful way. But Judas demonstrates such disrespect, not only toward Mary but toward Jesus, with his insensitive critique of Mary’s act of devotion.

We don’t need the parenthetical comment the author of this gospel gives us about Judas’ motives and his character as a thief to know that Judas is missing the mark when he critiques Mary’s act of devotion. Judas gives the impression that he is more concerned about giving money to the poor than expressing devotion to the one who is about to suffer and die. Judas, read the room! This quiet dinner with good friends ahead of what will be a horrific week is a time for comfort, solace, rest, affirmation, of intimate love and support. And Judas makes a comment about how that nard could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Come on, Judas. What does he think that nard is for anyway? Does he not believe when Jesus says he is about to die? I wonder if Judas’ craven greed was so strong that he didn’t even get what was happening. Was he this detached from reality? This critique of Mary the model disciple, questioning her concern for the poor, demeaning her act of devotion and love toward Jesus, missing the symbolism of what she was doing, really makes Judas look bad. He is so out of touch.

But why is this story being told? Why did the gospel writer tell us this story about this dinner Jesus has with his closest friends, what Mary does and what Judas says? It is a story that is very human. We can relate to the experience of being with our closest friends for support and solace in hard times. It adds to the drama and passion to the gospel story. We see what a jerk Judas is. But is there a lesson for us?

One is a reminder that Jesus gives us that the poor will always be with us. There will never be a time when there won’t be an opportunity to give resources to those who lack. Those who were raised on the Torah like Jesus was may remember Deuteronomy 15:11, where we read: “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” To say that there will always be poor people is not to mean that there’s nothing we can do to help them or to overlook them as a sad but unavoidable reality of the human experience. No, the point is that the opportunity to give is always available. There is never not a time to give to those who have need. Jesus affirms this as he responds to Judas’ critique that the nard could have been sold and the money used to help the poor. Absolutely that could have been done and there wouldn’t be anything inherently wrong with doing it, although, as the gospel writer reminds us, Judas didn’t care about the poor. He just wanted more money in the common purse that he could take for his own purposes.

But perhaps the bigger lesson is to consider a couple of things. If we ignore Judas and instead focus on Mary the model disciple, what surfaces as we reflect on her action? What does her anointing of Jesus’ feet with that nard suggest about discipleship?

In her action, Mary makes it clear that she believes in what Jesus said, even though what he said is frightening and upsetting. She deeply loved Jesus. And Jesus had told them all that he had come to Jerusalem this last time to suffer and be crucified. Not only did Mary believe what Jesus said, she accepted it and honored it. This extravagant and devotional act was informed by her belief and acceptance of what Jesus had said. Mary wasn’t being dramatic. She wasn’t being sensuous and provocative. She expressed her love and devotion to Jesus the best way she knew how. Her devotion was pure. Her faith in Jesus was unquestioned.

In a word, Mary’s action of anointing Jesus’ feet was a pure act of love. She deeply loved Jesus and she demonstrated it. Is this not at the heart of discipleship? To be a disciple of Jesus is ultimately not about how well you alleviate the suffering of the poor. It’s not about going along for the ride, walking through life with other disciples. Did you notice that not once did we hear from any of the other disciples in this story? It’s like they are simply observing what is going on and likely mystified over the whole thing. But with Mary and her love for Jesus there was no confusion. No denial or wishful thinking that what Jesus said would happen really wouldn’t happen. Her love for Jesus was clearsighted and based on reality. Her singular motivation was love and devotion for Jesus. It is this place of love where Mary lived out her discipleship.

This is the question we are invited to ask. Just how much do we believe in and love Jesus? Is our discipleship firmly grounded on our love and devotion to Jesus or is it grounded on some other foundation? Some people say they are Christians because they were raised that way. Some people say they are Christians because that’s what an American is. Some say they are Christians because they have completely fallen in love with Jesus, what Jesus’ death and resurrection has made possible, the forgiveness they have received, how their life has been completely transformed because of Jesus. Which is it for you? What is the foundation of your discipleship?