"Purposeful Extravagance"
Reading: Matthew 26 6-16
Reading: Matthew 26 6-16
Jesus was in the final week of his life, heading with purposeful determination to the Cross. It was Tuesday night and he was in Bethany. Earlier that day he had told the disciples quite clearly that he was going to die. Despite the spiritual adrenalin of Palm Sunday, it was going to end badly (from the disciples' perspective). Now they're at the home of Simon the Leper, a Pharisee, we think--who had been healed from a dread disease. Simon lived in Bethany--the same home to Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.
The disciples were not in a good mood, especially Lazarus. The disappointment they felt was magnified by having to go to dinner at Simon's. Then the air was filled with a powerful perfume. Following their noses they saw Mary--foolish, irresponsible Mary--washing Jesus feet and drying them with her hair. Their indignation rose and finally Judas said, "What a waste! We could have taken this perfume and sold and given the money for the poor."
Jesus is not amused or rebuked. "Mary has had more faith and vision than all of you put together. She gets it. She knows that I must die and that will be the best thing for all you.
The poor you will always have, but I will do this one time and it will be over. When the whole story is told, Mary will be remembered and honored."
The disciples were really angry at Jesus. They didn't "get it" or they didn't want to. They wanted discipleship without sacrifice (what Bonhoeffer called "cheap grace.") And that's problem with Jesus--he is too extravagant. He calls us to take risks, to take up a cross, to embrace sacrificial servanthood --- and we just think of it as wasteful. But here's the takeaway from the story. Stop identifying with Judas and the disciples. Identify with Mary.
The disciples were not in a good mood, especially Lazarus. The disappointment they felt was magnified by having to go to dinner at Simon's. Then the air was filled with a powerful perfume. Following their noses they saw Mary--foolish, irresponsible Mary--washing Jesus feet and drying them with her hair. Their indignation rose and finally Judas said, "What a waste! We could have taken this perfume and sold and given the money for the poor."
Jesus is not amused or rebuked. "Mary has had more faith and vision than all of you put together. She gets it. She knows that I must die and that will be the best thing for all you.
The poor you will always have, but I will do this one time and it will be over. When the whole story is told, Mary will be remembered and honored."
The disciples were really angry at Jesus. They didn't "get it" or they didn't want to. They wanted discipleship without sacrifice (what Bonhoeffer called "cheap grace.") And that's problem with Jesus--he is too extravagant. He calls us to take risks, to take up a cross, to embrace sacrificial servanthood --- and we just think of it as wasteful. But here's the takeaway from the story. Stop identifying with Judas and the disciples. Identify with Mary.
Purposeful extravagance is never wasteful. It is a testimony.
This devotional is published on behalf of the Church of God of Landisville and its friends. (C) 2009 by Stephen L. Dunn. All rights reserved. To subscribe use the "friends" link of this blog or email coglandisville@coglandisville.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment