On Well-Spent Waste
Rev Dr Mark Porizky
John 12:1-8
3/25/07
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it.
Jesus said, "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial.
The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."
I
have a running battle in my head over Joshua’s future wedding.
It was spawned by a discussion a friend of mine had with his
father-in-law before his wedding to his daughter.
The father-in-law said that he would give the couple $40,000 dollars that
they could use however they wanted to: wedding,
honeymoon, or a down payment on a house. Their
choice.
What
would you choose? If the money was
their an elaborate wedding celebration would you have the celebration or use it
more practically to invest in the future?
A
big party or a down payment for future needs.
Which would you choose?
Me?
Its cake and punch in the fellowship hall followed by a closing on my new
house in Mystic later that day. The
bride could find something lovely, yet sensible, at Macy’s.
The honeymoon could be a shopping trip up to
I
have often assumed that I am on the side of the angels on this issue, believing
that by doing what is reasonable I’m also always doing what is right. But as I
read this Scripture story about Mary’s encounter with Jesus, clearly faith in
Jesus Christ must be an extravagant faith, a faith that is not always so
practical, a faith that is sometime elaborate, dare I say, even waste-full,
Why?
Because Jesus rarely seems practical.
In fact, Jesus often seems to celebrate a lack of reason.
In
today’s Scripture, Jesus’ coming crucifixion hangs in the air.
Jesus’ enemies are circling at the gate.
The reasonable thing for Jesus is to hide in Ephraim. His return to
The
disciples have questions for Lazarus. What is it like to die? What is it like to
be reborn? While they are visiting, Martha throws a dinner party in Jesus'
honor. Every guest is glad to be there. They are at the same table with Lazarus.
Once dead, he now looks more alive than ever. And they are at the same table
with Jesus of Nazareth, who has raised the dead man. Only God can raise the
dead, but Jesus looks like a real person. Then, in the middle of an already
extraordinary setting, Mary takes out a vessel of expensive, perfumed oil—used
only on important occasions. Mary quietly moves behind Jesus, anoints his feet,
and begins to wipe the excess with her hair.
Friends,
Judas speaks for us all in this passage. His is the voice of reason and
practicality. Judas asks why the perfume had not been sold and the proceeds
given to the poor. It is a good question. The perfume was worth three hundred
days' wages. If you figure minimum wage at $6.40 an hour, then the puddle at
Jesus' feet costs over $15,000. Is it any wonder Judas was shocked? What would
be the reaction if your next church treasurer's report included a $15,000 charge
for perfumed oil? What if the only explanation given was that someone wanted to
show their love to God?
We
are more practical than this. We are clear-thinking people who weigh
alternatives and do what is logical.
We
are reasonable in the way we give. How do we buy gifts? We want to spend a
respectable amount, but we do not want to go overboard. What will others be
spending? If they spend $25, then we would be embarrassed to spend only $15 or
get carried away and spend $50.
We
all even love reasonably. Have you listened to a twelve-year-old discussing her
love life? "You find out if he likes me, then I'll say if I like him, but I
do not want him to know that I like him until I find out if he likes me."
It sounds childish and familiar. We love the people who love us back. We follow
Christ at a reasonable distance. We want to be Christians, but we are not
fanatical about it. We venerate moderation.
The
problem with Judas' practical approach is that it kept him from true
discipleship. Judas' betrayal did not begin on the night of the Lord's Supper.
It began with a calculating way of life that could not stand or understand the
impractical life of Jesus.
Judas’
betrayal of Jesus is not singular, only on the night of his death.
Part of Judas’ betray of Jesus was to live a careful, practical faith
when Jesus calls us to live extravagantly?
Not
many people see Jesus' way. The people who go too far in the extravagant
direction are eventually called "saints." The
heroes and heroines in Scripture are at their best when they live out their
faith excessively, irrationally, abundantly: Noah building an ark without a
cloud in the sky; Abraham packing up everything he owned and heading for God
only knew where; Ruth going with her mother-in-law when common sense said to
stay home; David picking up five smooth stones and heading out for a a fight
when all the smart money was on Goliath; Hosea searching for his wife with a
love that made no sense for a woman who had become a prostitute; Joseph marrying
a woman whose child was not his; the disciples dropping all they had to follow
Joseph's stepson; Zacchaeus giving half to the poor, when a third seems quite
sufficient; Stephen dying when he could have rotated off the diaconate; Peter
and John announcing to those who imprisoned them, "We cannot but speak of
what we have seen and heard." They were not meeting the expectations of
others.
They
did as God directed, no matter how it appeared. Paul said it for all of them,
"We are fools for Christ's sake."
There
have been other fools for Christ: Saint Francis, giving up his material goods,
taking his place with the poor; Martin Luther facing prison and announcing,
"My conscience is captive to the Word of God...God help me. Here I
stand"; Lottie Moon, preaching the gospel in China, praying for someone to
respond; Dietrich Bonhoeffer returning to Germany from the safety of an American
seminary to suffer with his people; Rosa Parks sitting on a segregated bus,
refusing to move, though it would be easier to head for the back of the bus;
Desmond Tutu, challenging the powers that be, when he knows it still may cost
him.
Fools
for Christ are not practical. They do not live a reasonable life, but an
abundant one. We may not feel we are
capable of such extravagance, but wouldn’t a little well-spent waste be a
faithful gesture every now and then?
We
are called to the same abundant life as those fools. God invites us to
extravagant faith in Jesus. Mary's love was uncalculating. She wholeheartedly
spent her life savings on one gesture of love. She did not carefully weigh the
alternatives. She did the unthinkable. A respectable Jewish woman would never
unbind her hair in public. Mary was too caught up in loving Jesus to be
concerned with her own scandalous behavior.
I
suspect we are most like Jesus when we do not carefully weigh the alternatives.
Jesus said that the kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. After seeing
the treasure, nothing else matters. Everything must be sacrificed. It is not
logical, but it is the gospel.
God
has extravagant possibilities for each of us. God calls us to love unreasonably.
Jesus said that the Christian faith is like a great party. Common sense says,
"Throw parties only on birthdays." An extravagant faith throws parties
for no reason at all. Common sense says, "Grow beans and onions."
Faith grows flowers, too. Common sense says, "Love your friends, the ones
who will love you back." Faith loves enemies, no matter what. Common sense
says, "Share the good news when it is convenient." Faith spreads the
gospel like a crazy farmer throwing seed every direction. Common sense says,
"Be kind to those who can help you." Faith says care for the least.
Common sense says, "Love until you can say `I've done enough."' An
extravagant faith says you can never love too much. Common sense says, "Be
good like Martha. Do what others expect." Jesus Christ says we should live
like Mary. Do what God expects.
When the practical complain, and they always do, Jesus defends Mary. He
is grateful for Mary's impractical love, for Jesus was not practical. The
temptation in the wilderness was to be a practical savior—to feed the people,
to be famous, to rule the world. After the feeding of the five thousand the
crowd wanted to make Jesus king. It was practical. On the night before he was to
die, Jesus wanted his friends to know how much he loved them. The practical way
was for Jesus to make an announcement. Instead, he took a basin and towel and
washed their feet. Peter said something close to "This is not
logical." Jesus' love is beyond logic. You cannot follow Jesus and do only
what is practical. If we follow Christ we will not calculate what is easiest or
what will look best.
How
long has it been since you did something impractical because you believe in
Jesus? When was the last time you did anything foolish for Christ? Mary thought
about her gift for the rest of her life. She could have used the money in a
thousand different ways, but she would have missed the assurance of Jesus that
she had found the better way.
Chances
are Mary discovered that the love she found was worth everything she gave.
Chances are, we would, too.
In
Bill
and Ted undertook their movie journey under the guidance of a shades-wearing
alien from the future named Rufus. What made Haifley, a humble water-department
supervisor and nonartist, start collecting toothpicks and inviting the ridicule
of his neighbors by building
"God told me to do it," he says.
According
to Haifley, God not only commissioned the work one day as Haifley drove his
pickup truck through San Dimas, but showed him how to do the spiky hair and
crown of thorns after five years of indecision. God even gave him a title for
the piece: The Gift.
Haifley
would make a good candidate for straitjacket tester, you might think, except
that his bright eyes and uplifted smile make him look like the sort of man you'd
want for your child's soccer coach. And the Toothpick Christ is doing no harm,
hanging there in bristling serenity. Haifley says he believes God is using him
to inspire people. And, by the
way, that’s exactly what the Toothpick Christ is doing, inspiring people who
have heard of it and sit in Haifley’s garage admiring it.
Could
it be that God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, really told him to do it?
Is it any crazier than Jesus commending a young woman for dumping a
year’s worth of scented fragrance on his feet?
Every
once in a while I wonder if I wouldn’t live a little closer to Jesus if I just
lived a little more like Mary?
If
you feel the same, and you so choose, know that you have Jesus’ blessing.
What
to do? Well, if God is telling a
water supervisor to start collecting toothpicks well, then, just listen.
God will have an extravagant message for you.
Maybe
God already has.
Will you pray with me now?
St.
Andrew Presbyterian Church, Groton,
Web Site: WWW.SAPC-CT.ORG
Office Email: OFFICE@SAPC-CT.ORG
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