Will the Poor Always be With Us?
I attended worship yesterday at Orinda Community Church, one of the congregations I am considering as a site for my Field Education next year. The lectionary text that was the focus of the sermon was John 12:1-8. This has been a text that has perplexed me for a while. Here is the text:
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them* with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii* and the money given to the poor?’ 6(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it* so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’The line that I have struggled with is the very last sentence. I have actually had conservative friends use this as a justification for reducing or eliminating government programs that help people in need (think health care reform). When I read the rest of the Gospel stories this comment just seems out of character for Jesus. What happened to the self-sacrificing Jesus who tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves? As I have pondered this over the last 24 hours a few thoughts have entered my mind. Did Jesus know what Judas' true intentions were and used this reply to shut him up? I wonder if this statement indicates that there should be a balance in our lives between helping those less fortunate and taking care of ourselves? This thought reminded me again of the concept of serving others from our overflow. Jesus would certainly need to fill his own cup with things that would keep him going like food and spiritual connection to God and it is possible that this act of Mary washing and anointing his feet helped him to recharge his batteries and fill up his cup so that he would be better able to continue his work.
I also read that anointing the feet would be the first step in preparing a body for burial after death. This scene has a definite sense of foreshadowing of Jesus' death. Was this story just a literary device used to tell the readers that the death of Jesus is coming and to remind them that he should be revered as the son of God?
I like the parallel scripture in the Hebrew Bible that is lifted up by Pastor Foster McCurley -
Deuteronomy 15:11:
“Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I (the Lord) therefor command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’”
I would be interested to hear your take on this scripture. Does a different verse jump out for you? What do you like about it and what troubles you?
With Peace,
Leslie
posted by Leslie @ 2:03 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Leslie, you are really exploring all that seminary has to offer! I'm so impressed. Hoping all is going well in your decision for MiT. blessings...
Hi Leslie,
I love this text. It is so provocative on so many levels. I read a book called The Woman with the Alabaster Jar. It views this scene, which appears in all of the gospels (Matthew and Mark record the woman anointing Jesus’ head while Luke and John record the anointing of Jesus’ feet.), as a gesture of hieros gamos or sacred marriage. Song of Solomon also mentions nard or spikenard (1:12) as an element of the sacred ritual of hieros gamos which, apparently during the Hellenized world, was enacted to signify a deep spiritual union. It wasn’t traditionally Jewish, instead it was Roman pagan. The woman would have been a very intimate partner of Jesus to touch Jesus’ feet in the way she did since Jewish men and women weren’t known for their public displays of affection. Anyway, there is a lot more to say about that, very interesting stuff… makes you wonder how many faith traditions Jesus and his followers espoused.
Judas’ comment may have been made to thwart what he considered a pagan rite. He was also likely horrified by the woman’s forwardness. Jesus, true to his nature, welcomed all people and all expressions of faith through his response to Judas.
Jesus also made a similar comment in Matt. 9:14,15 regarding fasting. His disciples didn’t fast while John’s disciples and the Pharisees did. Jesus foreshadows his death using a wedding metaphor. He alludes to the celebration of life – his life. There will be time to fast later, just like there will be time to take care of the poor later (His reply to Judas in John’s gospel acknowledges the existence of the poor and our responsibility for their well-being).
As for my personal understanding, I think your idea of the necessity of balance in one’s life is a big part of this text’s message. I also think Jesus was trying to get people to move beyond their insular views of what is right and wrong to a much more expansive view. There is no right or wrong, only things that evolve us and things that devolve us. It seems as soon as someone questions Jesus on the law, or what people should be doing, he sidesteps the question to reveal a deeper truth. Love is the only motivation for authentic action, not dogma or “supposed tos”. Love is huge and will not be boxed in – it manifests itself in different ways depending on the contextual situation and relationships. In my reading of the text, I believe Jesus did exactly as love required.
Thank you for the opportunity for reflection. I hope you had a wonderful break. See you in the morning!
Love, Bonnie
I too have always struggled with this passage.
I think where I am with it today (and this will most certainly change) is that I wonder if this was a way of illustrating the importance of not only being able to give, but also to receive. And, not just to receive that which we think we should be given, or that which we want to be given, but to receive what the giver wants to give. There is something holy about the act of giving and receiving when it is done in the purest way – like the intimacy shared between lovers, the gift from a young child to a parent, receiving gifts from the garden and tenderly caring for the garden in return. I wonder if Jesus didn’t want to cheapen the holiness of that moment of giving and receiving by attaching a monetary value and associating it with something that was not relevant at that moment.
There will always be suffering in the world, there will always be needs, but that is not what was important at that moment, and I wonder if that is what Jesus was perhaps wanting to convey.
My thoughts.
Love,
Linda H.
I too have always struggled with this passage.
I think where I am with it today (and this will most certainly change) is that I wonder if this was a way of illustrating the importance of not only being able to give, but also to receive. And, not just to receive that which we think we should be given, or that which we want to be given, but to receive what the giver wants to give. There is something holy about the act of giving and receiving when it is done in the purest way – like the intimacy shared between lovers, the gift from a young child to a parent, receiving gifts from the garden and tenderly caring for the garden in return. I wonder if Jesus didn’t want to cheapen the holiness of that moment of giving and receiving by attaching a monetary value and associating it with something that was not relevant at that moment.
There will always be suffering in the world, there will always be needs, but that is not what was important at that moment, and I wonder if that is what Jesus was perhaps wanting to convey.
My thoughts.
Love,
Linda H.
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