The Land and Preaching: John 12:1-8

The Book: "Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair...But Judas Iscariot...said, "Why...?" Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it...for the day of my burial." - John 12:1-8

The Land: Bethany was a favorite destination for Jesus. In addition to Mary, Martha and Lazarus, it was home to Simon the leper and several prominent Pharisees. For this reason and its close proximity to Jerusalem, Jesus chose Bethany as his base of operations for the week
before Passover.

In this week's lectionary text, Passover was yet six days away. Jesus' friends had prepared dinner for him. True to what we know about the two sisters, Martha served the gathering and Mary lovingly anointed Jesus' feet. Despite the protest by Judas as to the wastefulness of the act, Jesus defended Mary, accepted her act as preparation for his death and burial, and in doing so, fulfilled messianic expectations.

According to Mark's gospel, Judas departed immediately and returned to Jerusalem. Judas
sought out the chief priests, recounted the events in Bethany, and committed to the act of betrayal. Delighted, the chief priests now had the solution to their problem.

The Preaching: Several lessons from the land can inform and enrich preaching on this text. The obvious lesson is that we all need "our Bethany" where friends meet, dine and find sanctuary. Like Jesus, we too must have our places of retreat and rest.

Equally, we find in Mary (named in John's gospel but anonymous in Mark) a lesson in discipleship. Both Mary's comprehension of the moment and her extravagant generosity stand in stark contrast to Judas' disillusionment with Jesus and his greed. While Judas is still sadly remembered with disdain, Mary is the disciple to be praised. May the fragrance of her sacrifice fill church sanctuaries around the world this coming Sunday!