JOHN 12: 1-8
“BITTER REMORSE”

One of my favorite stories by O. Henry, the master of the short story, is called “The Gift of the Magi.”  

A young American couple, Della and Jim, were very poor but very much in love. Each had one unique possession. Della’s hair was her glory. When she let it down it almost served as a robe.  

Jim had a gold pocket watch that had come to him from his father and it was his pride.  

It was the day before Christmas and Della had exactly one dollar eighty-seven cents to buy Jin a present. She went out and sold her hair for twenty dollars; and with the proceeds bought a platinum fob for Jim’s precious watch.

When Jim came home at night and saw Della’s shorn head, he stopped as if stupefied. It was not like he did not like it or love her any less…for she was lovelier that ever. Slowly he handed her his gift; it was a set of expensive tortoise-shell combs with jeweled edges for her lovely hair – and he had sold his watch in order to buy them.  

Each had given the other all there was to give. Real love cannot think of any other way to give.  

That…and more is what today’s gospel reading is about.

At first glance there does not seem to be a whole lot going on in today’s gospel reading…not a big cast of characters…Jesus, Lazarus, Martha, Mary, and Judas Iscariot.  

But let’s take a closer look.  

Those of you who have heard me before know that I believe it is very important to any gospel reading that you place yourself in the story.  

This time, however, I am going to ask you to simply be an observer…an un-named guest, as it were simply invited for dinner.  

Now, what you and the other four guests do not yet know is that Jesus knows the end is very close for Him.  

Jesus going to Jerusalem for the Passover was an incredible act of courage, because the “authorities” had made him in effect an outlaw.Jesus elected to stay at the Home of Lazarus, in Bethany, for two reasons first and foremost, because he loved Lazarus and secondly because of the crowds there was no room in Jerusalem.   

Jesus welcomed an overnight stay with loved ones. When Jesus arrived in Bethany they made him a meal.

It must have been at the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus…where else would Martha be serving but in her own house?  

Now, follow the story….It was then that Mary’s heart ran over with love.  

She had a pound of very precious ointment.  

Both John and Mark describe the ointment with the Greek adjective pistikos (pis-tee-cose)…oddly enough with the nuances of the Greek language; no one really knows what that word means.  

One authority translated the word as “Spikenard”…a scented ointment or perfume imported from the Himalayas in alabaster boxes.  

Still another says it may come from a word meaning the pistachio nut, and be a special kind of essence extracted from it.  

We may never know, but in any event it was a very valuable type of perfume, costing a year’s pay.  

And with this perfume she anointed Jesus’ feet.  

Remember how Judas rudely questioned her actions as sheer waste.  

And how Jesus told them…as plainly as he could…that money could be given the poor at any time, but that a kindness done to him must be done now, because soon the chance would be gone forever.  

Well…that’s the story for today…let’s review the primary cast of characters and see what we have learned…if anything.  

Martha:
Martha was serving at table.
Martha loved Jesus.
Martha was a practical woman.
Martha showed her love by the work of her hands.  

Many men have become who and what they are only because of someone’s loving care for his creature comforts in his home. It is just as possible to serve Jesus in the kitchen as on he public platform or in a career lived in the eyes of men.  

Mary:
Mary loved Jesus above all and her actions teach us three things about love.

(1)         Love’s Extravagance.  Mary took the most precious thing she possessed and spent it all on Jesus. Love is not love if it calculated the cost. Love gives all and its only regret is that there is not more to give.

(2)         Love’s Humility.  It was a sign of honor to anoint a person’s head (Psalm 23: 5). “Thou anointest my head with oil”. Mary would not look so high as the head of Jesus…Mary anointed his feet.

(3)         Love’s Unselfconsciousness.  Mary wiped Jesus’ feet with the hair of her head.  In Palestine no respectable woman would ever appear in public with her hair unbound. That was the sign of an immoral woman, but Mary never thought about that. Mary loved Jesus so much that it was nothing to her what others thought.

There is something else about love here…John says: “The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”  

So many of John’s statements seem to have two meanings…one on the surface and one underneath...many scholars have taken the sentence to mean that the whole Church is to be filled with the sweet memory of Mary’s actions…actions which added to the beauty of life in general that time can never take away.  

Judas:
There are three things in this story about him:  

(1)         Trust: We see Jesus’ trust in Judas.  Jesus knew that there was a traitor within the ranks, yet he tried to touch Judas’ heart by making him the keeper of the purse.  Jesus knew that sometimes the best way to reclaim someone who is on the wrong path is to treat him not with suspicion but with trust. In spite of all Jesus loved Judas.

(2)         Temptation: Judas is an example of one of the laws of temptation.  “Temptation commonly comes through that for which we are naturally fitted.” Judas had a gift for handling money and became so fond of it that he first became a thief and then a traitor for its sake.

(3)         Judgment: Judas shows us how a man’s view can be warped. He saw an action of surpassing loveliness and he called it extravagant waste. He was an embittered man and took on an embittered view of things. Judas shows us that when we find ourselves becoming very critical of others and imputing unworthy motives to them…we should stop for a moment…stop examining them and start examining ourselves.

Are you still with me? Are you beginning to realize what this story is truly about yet?

The meaning and point of this story is some what camouflaged by the examples of love and the small bits of personal insights into those whom Jesus loved…but make no mistake about it…John wants us to know that this is a “Passion Story” about the death of Jesus, a dark foreboding of death.  

Vs7. Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. Vs8. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."  

This was an odd thing to say at a dinner party, where we normally try to keep the conversation light…chatting about family, friends or daily events…normally we do not interrupt the joyful sharing of bread with talk of death.  

This was the way Jesus told them that he was about to be killed. He knew what Mary did not know; she was anointing him for burial.  

John sets the story in Bethany…you may remember Bethany…as the home of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead…there is now an empty tomb in Bethany…the tomb out of which Lazarus walked. And now John tells us that because Lazarus walked out, Jesus must now walk into it. The time is Passover and in John’s Gospel, Passover is death time.  

This story is a theme central to not only John, but to all of the gospel writers…here’s the point of today’s sermon:  

In relation to God and in relation to Jesus Christ…the words and the actions of people have meaning and effects far beyond what they intend…or far beyond that of which they are capable…God uses the words of others far beyond their intentions or capability.   

I need to repeat that:  

In relation to God and in relation to Jesus Christ…the words and the actions of people have meaning and effects far beyond what they intend…or far beyond that of which they are capable…God uses the words of others far beyond their intentions or capability.   

Expressed here is one great truth about life. Some things we can do almost anytime, but some things we will never do, unless we grasp the chance when it comes. We are seized with the desire to do something fine and generous and big-hearted. But we put it off…we will do it tomorrow…and the fine impulse goes…and the thing is never done.  

March of 1985 was one of those times that must come into every life…my father…who was living in Sarasota at the time, died.  

He had been diagnosed shortly after Christmas of 1984 with cancer…a very nasty type of cancer that started in the nasal cavity and spread quickly to other parts of the body…you know the story…how that goes.

I need to mention at this point that Dad had only one great passion in life. And that was the game of golf.  

He lived, ate, and breathed only to play golf.  

All his life, Dad had been a fighter so to him this was just one more little scrap that he could overcome. Throughout January and February dad had his assorted treatments…you know the drill…up one day down the next…but through it all he never stopped playing golf.  

The second week of March he took a turn for the worst and the Oncologist, with a benign since of wisdom, told dad that he probably would never play golf again…it wasn’t her fault…she didn’t know what golf meant to dad.  

Dad simply gave up at that point; as far as he was concerned his life was over.  

Mother called and I went to Sarasota at once...we had to put dad in the hospital…an action very much against his will.  

Now, make no mistake about it…I loved my dad, but I had never seen him like this…giving up…with absolutely no desire to live.  

Selfish as it might be…I was angry at the entire situation and could not understand his sudden resistance to the concept of living.  

After we got dad settled…not a good word…situated... in his hospital room…he started yelling at me to get him out of there and take him home.  

Now understand…all of this had also taken a big toll on my mother’s health and to be honest she needed for dad to be taken care of by others for a few days…so…I told dad there was nothing that I could do, but that my sister would be there (in Sarasota) on Monday…two days away and she would get him home.  

With that I left the room so that Mom could have a few minutes with Dad and waited in the hallway for Mother. I did not return to the room. When Mother came out of the room we went home.  

Well, my sister did come to Sarasota the following Monday, I had returned to Rome on Sunday. Dad died not long after Sister brought him home. It was when Sister called me that I realized…when I left the hospital room…I had not told my dad that I loved him.  

Life is an uncertain thing.

We think to utter some word of thanks or praise or love…but we put it off…and the word is never spoken.  

Let us remember to do things now…as Mary did…for the chance so often never comes again…and the failure to do them…especially the failure to express love…brings…bitter remorse.