Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and were asking one another as they stood in the temple, ‘What do you think? Surely he will not come to the festival, will he?’ Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should let them know, so that they might arrest him. Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary 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. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (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.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’ John 11:55-12:8
Some of the other Gospels don't identify the woman who anoints Jesus. John identifies her as none other than Mary, sister of Lazarus and Martha. I'm not sure how accurate that might be, but it makes a good story as Lazarus' family was so grateful because Jesus raised him from death, a foretaste of Jesus' own resurrection. That's pure poetry which John's Gospel is famous for. What it leaves out for me is the anonymity of the other gospels. A woman, a sinner and possibly an outcast and foreigner, anointed Jesus. All too neat if it is Mary. Throughout the Gospels, it is the foreigner, the outcast, the women and sinners, who understand Jesus and do the right thing. Listen to that truth, our truth today, that the right things, the Jesus way is often done by the anonymous unknown person, who knows how to love.
Wondrous Creator, you make each star different from others
and we use those same stars to find our way in night's darkness
teach us again, Lord, how to do the loving thing at all times.
Today, we look to our leadership, but they have lost their way
the right families in their tidy homes scorn the foriegn-born
and forget how to show love to those who are strangers here.
Open our hearts, dear Jesus, to the needs of those around us
let us be joyfully anonymous and happy in our service
so that your light and love might shine through us today. Amen.
