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March 25, 2007
Scripture: John 12: 1-18
Title: "An Act of Love and Grace"

I have decided that travel brings out the best of us and I say this tongue in cheek. As many of you know, Mike and I went down to see my grandmother who is in the hospital and on our way back to Kentucky, we ran into a little change of plans.

Our plane was delayed on Thursday to the point that we had to stay in a hotel on Thursday night and then fly out on Friday morning. We were flying a well known airline that doesn’t assign seats but assign boarding lines: Line A, Line B, or Line C. In the perfect world, when the gate assistant says that we will begin boarding the plane, people calmly walk to their designated lines and wait for their turn to board the plane.

Well, let’s just say that didn’t happen in Baltimore on Friday morning. Mike and I were sitting at our gate, reading and we looked up and saw that a line was already forming for boarding, even though the plane that we were supposed to take was nowhere near the gate.

And then the plane comes into sight and parks at the gate. Then it is a mad rush to get into our boarding lines. Mike and I don’t want to be left out so we pack up our books and go to stand in line.

We walk over and see that the lines have sort of snaked their way and now have become one line. We asked what line are you in. The gentleman says line B. We look over and see another line has formed under the sign A. So we walk over and stand in line.

All of sudden, a man says, “That’s not line A. This is line A. You are not in a line. We were here first.”

Then another man who is in front of us, says to the gentleman, “You are not in Line A. This is line A. We have been waiting in this airport for over an hour. You are in the wrong line.”

And then, they start to argue what line is actually Line A. Voices begin to get loud. People are looking and staring. Tension is high. It became a me first argument.

The loud speaker comes on: “Now boarding line A”. And the rest of us in the two line A’s wait to see who is going to win this argument.

The lines came together and we all boarded the plane. No problem.

Mike and I pick our seats and settle in for our last leg of our flight. The flight attendants start their spiel about safety, life vests, and exits. And then the flight attendant turns to those who are in the exit seats and explains that if they are going to sit in those seats, they have to agree to help if there is a crash. “You need to be able to move the door which weighs 50 pounds, throw it out, and then stay. You have to help everyone off the plane first before you can leave. Do you accept this responsibility?”

Everyone agrees to this responsibility. The flight attendant walks away. And then I notice that one of the gentlemen, who were so concerned about what line was actually line A, was sitting in the exit row. I leaned over to Mike and said, “Do you think he really will?” Mike looks up from his book and says, “Will what?” “Do you really think he will help everyone off the plane if there is an emergency? Do you really think he will stay? Do you really think he would stay, and maybe sacrifice his life, if he had to for the sake of all of us on the plane? “Do you really think he would give the ultimate gift for those of us on this plane?”

Flashes of that “me first” argument go through my mind and I send up a little prayer, hoping that I would never have to find out the answers to my questions on this trip.

What would you do for the sake of others? What would you give for the sake of others?

Those are the questions that John wants his readers to think about as he writes this story.

The disciples have been on a roller coaster of emotions for the last couple of weeks during our story in John today. Jesus received word that Lazarus is ill and he waits a few days. Then he decides that this traveling group of disciples needs to go to Judea to see Lazarus. And the disciples say, “Jesus, man, we have just come from there, and the people wanted to kill you. Why do you want to go back?” Then Jesus says that Lazarus is dead. Their good friend has just died.
They go to Bethany where Lazarus has been in the tomb for days and Jesus raises him from the dead! Emotions are running high! They are tired from the traveling and now their friend who was dead is now alive. And talk begins about killing this Jesus. It is a roller coaster journey!

And now, we find the disciples and Jesus sitting down to a meal with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in celebration of this great miracle, in celebration of Lazarus who is now with them again, and in celebration of their friend Jesus.

Mary brings out this costly perfume in response to this extravagant gift that their family has been given, the life of their brother. She humbles herself in gratitude and washes Jesus’ feet and wipes them with her hair. She shows compassion, hospitality, and generosity to a friend, a savior, a Messiah. She knows that she can never repay Jesus for the life of her brother, but she can show appreciation and generosity.

And then Judas speaks, “What a waste! That could have been used to help others! What a waste!”

And Jesus says, “Leave her alone. She did something amazing for me. You will always have the poor, but I will not always be here with you.”

This is the part of the story where I am not so sure that I like Jesus. He seems to brush off the poor, to minimalize their existence through this phrase. We have to remember that Jesus is speaking to an audience who would have recognized this phrase and its implications. When Jesus speaks, he uses part of a verse from Deuteronomy and we are only hearing a part of it and it is out of context.

The verse says “Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.”
By using this verse, Jesus reminds the disciples and renews their requirement to help the poor but also it shows that it is acceptable to show gratitude to each other. There is always a motive for our actions, whether good or bad. Mary shows what it means to show a true expression of selfless love through the anointing while Judas uses a front of caring and concern although he is only really concerned about the money.

Jesus is reminding them that we are called to care for all people, including each other and to think about what our actions are really saying about our relationship with God. Who are we really concerned about?

Jesus knows that his time is limited with the disciples and he knows that Mary has shown him the care of God through that one simple act. Jesus knows that Mary has recognized what it means to be a disciple, to truly understand the nature of Christ’s ministry, sacrificial love and she responds in kind while Judas is saying the right things but acting a whole other way.

Jesus knows that everyone, including us, is seeking an anointing of God’s blessings and God’s mercy in their lives and we receive these blessings and mercy through each other. We show Christ’s love through our actions for the poor and for each other. We don’t need to think about the cost or if our money is really going to the right place. We are called to respond because we have experienced the sacrificial love of God and now we act out of that experience.

The author of John is setting up a contrasting picture between Mary and Judas. In Mary, we find true friendship. In Judas, we find false relationship. In Mary, we find faithful obedience. In Judas, we find legalistic piety. In Mary, we find a gift that is given out of love. In Judas, we find words apart from love.

The author of John is showing us that we have been given an extravagant gift through Jesus Christ and he asks how do we respond in kind? Will our words be empty and spoken apart from love? Or we will lavish God’s creation with the expensive perfume that fills the world with grace, peace and mercy? Will we stand in line and give into the “me first” argument or will we humble ourselves in gratitude and compassion and show that compassion and gratitude through our actions?

“Hospitality, compassion, and generosity do not exist in the abstract. The true essence emerges, not through thought or good intent but by doing.”

We have been given an extravagant gift through Jesus Christ. How do we respond?

May we always show love and grace to all in everything that we do. Amen.

Rev. Heather McColl
Midway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

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