Flaming Mary [Lent 5C]

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson

John 12:1-8

Flaming Mary

It is not easy to take an objective view of today's Gospel. John is about as ambiguous as a 1950's comic book; there is no doubt who is the hero and who is the villain.

But without John's parenthetical statements, there certainly could be. Without the Gospel writer's commentary explaining to the reader that Judas was about betray Jesus and the note describing Judas as a thief, one might be tempted to assign the moral high ground in this story to one Judas Iscariot, rather than Mary.

You might remember that Mary is the sister of Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from the dead in the preceding chapter of John's Gospel. Jesus finds himself at their home not long after that miraculous event. But rather than lead to accolades or some elevated office, Lazarus' resuscitation set off a series of events that would end in Jesus' crucifixion. John's Gospel tells us that the High Priest and the Religious leaders decided then and there that Jesus must die. And so the story today is not a celebratory party as one might expect given the magnitude of the miracle; this is like the beginning of the end.

It was a confusing time. Mary and her siblings were on an emotional roller-coaster: death, grief, and then new life, and then before the smell of death had cleared the air, the fresh threat of death overtook them. The ups and downs were so sudden and so dramatic there was not even time to apply an oxygen mask.

And so Mary might then be excused for her inappropriate behavior. I understand that she is the hero in our story; John is quite clear about that. But also, that might not have been so clear without the Gospel writer's slanted presentation. Neither would it have been clear to any first century Palestinian on-lookers.

Mary was a woman. You probably guessed that from her name. And that is a big part of the problem here. See Jesus was a man. You probably know that too. And in that cultural context, what Mary was doing was not something that was done in a social setting. See, men and women were not to touch publicly; it was taboo. And this was much more than an accidental brush or a clumsy encounter in the subway. It was sensual. She even let down her hair. You can almost imagine those in the house watching her toss her head back-and-forth in slow motion, jaws dropped, eyes wide. This was simply not something that happened. And it was happening.

And then out comes the perfume. Three hundred denarii – which is to say, Mary poured out a year's salary on Jesus' feet. It was an undeniably extravagant act. And though he was the only one to speak up, probably Judas was the not the only person in that house who was stunned by the scene unfolding before them.

It was an anointing: that is the what Gospel tells us. Mary was anointing Jesus. She was not a king; she was not the High Priest. As far as we know she holds no official office or position of power. She is a woman from Bethany. And she sits on the floor anointing God in human flesh.

One scholar points out that, “Anointing with oil or perfume had many purposes in antiquity. For kings and priests, anointing meant consecration for a specific purpose. The sick were anointed as a ritual of healing, and the dead anointed for burial. Theoretically, Mary’s act could have meant any of these things. However, in the trial scenes, John will go on to point repeatedly to Jesus’ kingship. Because of this literary context, Mary’s actions anticipate and enact the notion that Jesus is king.”¹

A woman touching this man. Taking down her hair to wipe his feet. Spilling obscenely expensive perfume on him. Anointing him despite her lack of power and position. Judas had seen quite enough.

In the Gospel tradition, Judas is no stranger to strategic planning. We certainly see this in the conspiracy that leads to Jesus' arrest and death. I think we see it no less in today's Gospel. It was not enough to simply state his disapproval; Judas intends to humiliate Mary by claiming a moral high ground. And in doing so, uses the poor as a pawn in his attempt to shame the one he chooses as his opposition; he might have been better suited for politics than discipleship.

In light of Mary's shocking display, Judas almost appears reasonable. His argument has in it a kernel of truth; but we also see the darkness gathering in Judas. It is hinted at in this story, in his cynical attempt to belittle Mary's unhinged love. And as we approach Good Friday, we see that the darkness only thickens. “We watch in horror at the disintegration of Judas.” says NT Wright, “First, we assume, his devotion has evaporated, then his loyalty, then his honesty towards others (his thieving), then his honesty towards himself (as in the present passage, where he says one thing, no doubt telling himself he means it, while in fact meaning another), then, not long afterwards, his ability to choose good over evil altogether. The downward slope starts gently, but gets steeper. Judas goes on choosing a world which revolves around himself, which then itself deconstructs. Judas symbolizes the way of self-destruction, just as Mary stands for the way of self-giving. Both are costly, but in utterly different ways: 'consumed by either fire or fire'.”²

One day I was having a conversation with a young dad in my last parish. We were talking about tithes and offerings. And he said to me, “Sometimes I think about all the great things I could buy with the money we give to the church.” He then paused and added, “And that is why we give.”

Sometimes I think about all the great things Mary could have purchased with a year's salary – instead of the pound of perfume she laid at Jesus' feet. Both she and Judas made a choice that day. Something was going to consume them. Something always does. Judas was consumed by his selfish desires; and they choked out his ability to love. Mary was consumed by her love for Jesus; and that love choked out her selfish desires. And so she was able to offer and present unto her Lord, her self, her soul and body, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice. She offered much more than some costly perfume.

You probably know the rest of the story: Judas burned out. But Mary's flame still burns.

There is an old story handed down from the days of the desert fathers: “Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, 'Abba as far as I can I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?' then the old man stood up and stretched his hands towards heaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, 'If you will, you can become all flame'.”³

Something will consume you. There are fires all around. And every fire in this world promises to burn you up and burn you out except for one: the consuming fire of Jesus' love. Jesus invites us to fall into that fire – soul and body. And if you will, you can become all flame.

1Susan Hylen: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1582

2Twelve Months of Sundays, 308-9.

3http://www.coptic.net/articles/sayingsofdesertfathers.txt