John gives us a beautiful story full of symbolism as Jesus now sets his face towards Jerusalem to face betrayal torture and brutal death.

Mary and her siblings Martha and Lazarus were close friends of Jesus and shared love, laughter and hospitality with him in their home. Mary loved to listen at the feet of Jesus and on one occasion was rebuked by Martha for not helping her in the kitchen. However, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better part, the main thing being to be with him.

The sisters had previously witnessed the miracle of Jesus raising their beloved brother Lazarus from the dead and they are hosting a meal. In today’s reading Mary is once again at the feet of Jesus in a radical act of pouring expensive spikenard oil from an alabaster jar, (used for anointing a dead body), onto Jesus feet and massaging them with her hair. Spikenard has stress relieving properties to bring calm as well as use for burial.

Mary emptied her jar and herself for Jesus in an intimate act that was very radical as women would only let down their hair for their husbands or in mourning. Mary gave Jesus all she had, her costly perfume, her physical extravagance, her vulnerability, skin to skin contact, touching, soothing, embracing. A Sabbath of skin, salt, sweat, tears, perfumed feet, unbound hair. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and Mary worshiped Jesus. She knew in her heart that Jesus needed to be extravagantly loved at that time and she provided for his need. Judas, however, asked why the oil was not sold and the money given to the poor? He didn’t say this out of concern for the poor because he fiddled the books. Jesus replied, echoing Deuteronomy 15:11, that we will always have the poor (therefore be openhanded). Jesus identifies with

the poor as refugee with nowhere to lay his head, betrayed, rejected, a man of sorrows. He is also Priest, King and Prophet to be anointed. Mary saw all of this paradox with her heart. She was fill of gratitude.

Jesus knew he would not be around for much longer and accepted Mary’s gift offering as a blessing and blessed her too.

Jesus had been tempted in the wilderness to feed the world but knew that man shall not live by bread alone but by the word of God. He came to show the way of God’s radical and abundant love for us as the servant king, and would soon be washing his disciples feet and instructing us to do the same, to love one another as it is by this we will be known as his disciples.

John does not give us a Last Supper to remember but the image of Jesus bent down washing the dirty feet of his disciples, a towel around his waist. Imagine if in our Communion Service we said the words ‘ on the night before he died Jesus washed his disciples feet. Do this in remembrance of him’?

Mary knew the importance of living in the moment and grabbing the opportunities in front of her. It is tempting to save things for a rainy day but we come into the world with nothing and go out with nothing. Let us celebrate the gifts that God has given us in this world for this world and give abundantly while we can to those in front of us here and now.

Let us spread our fragrance as Mary did, permeating our homes, streets and communities with our unique God given beauty. May our hearts and homes be like that home in Bethany and May the Lord Jesus make himself at home in us.

Angela Stewart, Lay Minister