"Transformation through Cleansing"

John 12:1–8 ESV

1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

Introduction

This week marks a shift in our Lenten journey. We have been focused on the transformative power of Christ in our lives as we devote ourselves to him through repentance, perseverance, faithfulness, and deep relationship. Now, we begin to look toward the cross in a more vivid way.

We meet Jesus and his disciples in Bethany, a town just two miles outside of Jerusalem. He has gone to the home of his friends, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. In the previous chapter, Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead, and now, they are all celebrating together as they prepare for the Passover. Lazarus is reclining with Jesus along with the other disciples at the table while Martha is busy getting the meal together. It is in this moment that Mary appears with a container of an expensive perfume called nard. She kneels at Jesus’ feet and anoints him. Of course, Judas complains about this because of the great expense of pure nard. But the question for us is why would John, Matthew, and Mark place this story just prior to the events of Holy Week. What is its significance? What is the transformative action that is happening in this story that points us to our own transformation that is found only in Christ?

Today, we are going to explore exactly how this story gives us insight into the cleansing power of Christ as we are sanctified and draw closer to him.

1. Our cleansing takes place in an act of humility. (vs. 1-3)

Everything that happens in this text is with the cross in the background. We know that Jesus’ death and resurrection are only a few days away. Those who were with him in the moment did not know these things yet. Our vantage point in relationship to the next week gives us deep meaning to the actions of Mary and the disciples in this moment.

In all of the gospels, Mary becomes a prototype of how we are to be as disciples. We see this especially when Jesus is at the home of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. We remember the story. Martha is busy preparing a meal for Jesus and his disciples while Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet learning. This is provocative because women were not allowed to sit at the feet of a rabbi to learn from him. This was only reserved for the men who followed the rabbi. Yet, Jesus welcomes Mary wholeheartedly as she takes the position of a disciple to eagerly learn from the rabbi. Martha complains that Mary is not doing what she was supposed to do by helping her prepare the meal. To which Jesus responds,

Luke 10:41–42 ESV

41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Martha’s complaint of Mary mirrors the complaint of Judas in our text for today. His complaint is more self-serving than Martha’s but the result is the same. Both actions of Mary point to a greater and more important outcome later.

In the case of John 12:1-8, Mary’s act of humility prepares Jesus’ body for burial by anointing his feet. When a body is prepared for burial, it was the Jewish custom to begin with the feet and work up the body. But it also points to the actions of Jesus in John 13 when he washes the disciples feet. Jesus humbled himself in that moment to do the work of a servant for his disciples. The actions that he takes by going to the cross is a work that he does for the benefit of his disciples and all of humanity.

This act of humility to place oneself in such a vulnerable position is something that is part of the very character of who Jesus is. We see this when Paul quotes the Christ Hymn in Philippians 2:5-7

Philippians 2:5–7 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

The humility and self-emptying of Jesus is part of the cleansing action that takes place in our own discipleship. James reminds us in James 4:10

James 4:10 ESV

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

We cannot be cleansed of the stain and power of sin unless we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus. This is revealed to us most vividly in the sacrament of baptism when the waters cleanse us of the stain of sin and call us forth into a life of holiness and righteousness. Baptism is the first step in our lives as a Christian to be in a deep and intimate relationship with God. The extravagant nature of Mary’s humble and costly act points us to the eventual cost that God places on having a relationship with us. The cost of Jesus with his life so that we might have life is the hallmark of what it means for Jesus to be the life-giver. Just as he raised Lazarus from the dead, so he raises us from our death in sin to new life by giving his own life on our behalf. Our response to this amazing gift that has been given to us is nothing less than humble acceptance and obedience by giving all that we have and are to him in worship and praise.

2. Holding on to the old self prevents sanctification. (vs. 4-6)

Judas is the counter example of Mary’s act of devotion. His self-serving attitude that will eventually lead him to turn on Jesus and betray him shows us what happens when the transformative power of Christ does not truly take hold in our lives. Judas had been with Jesus from the beginning. He spent three years witnessing the same acts and hearing the same teachings as the other disciples. Yet, it is Judas who does the ultimate act of betrayal to Jesus. For centuries, scholars have tried to figure this out. Some have suggested that maybe Judas thought that he could force Jesus into being a political messiah that he and the others had hoped. Jesus continuously tells them that his mission is not to be a king in Jerusalem but to be a ransom for many. John’s explanation is more to the point in John 13:27

John 13:27 ESV

27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

Because of Judas’ selfishness, Satan entered him and used him to try and destroy Jesus.

There are many who go to church every Sunday and participate in various activities of the church who are used in the same way. We do not like to speak about these things, but when we hold on to the old self, it leaves the door open for Satan to use us against Christ. That is why we see hostility in the church at times. Satan will take any opportunity that he can to try and destroy congregations and whole denominations. We can see that happening right now before our eyes. For decades, we have had leadership within the United Methodist Church who have thought it more necessary to appease the ways of the world than to follow Christ. By doing so, Satan has used that opportunity to manipulate people by holding onto the sin that makes them feel necessary.

Holding onto the old self, the sin nature, and not allowing the Holy Spirit to fully change and sanctify us enslaves us to sin. Paul tells us in Romans 6:6

Romans 6:6 ESV

6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Judas may have well thought he was doing the right thing. We do not know that. What we do know is that whatever Judas’ motivations may have been, they were not done with a sense of humility. They were done out of a selfishness that held onto the sin nature that led him to distrust Jesus and not put his whole faith in him. That left open the opportunity for Satan to use him to counter God’s plan. But in the words of Joseph to his brothers who tried to kill him:

Genesis 50:20 ESV

20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

We must let go of the old life of sin and live fully into the sanctified life that has been promised to us through Christ.

3. Jesus’ death will spread the fragrance of God’s sacrificial love to the world. (vs. 7-8)

As the fragrance of the pure nard filled the air and spread throughout the whole house, it is a reminder to us of the effects of Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus is clear that the actions of Mary are in preparation for his burial. It is not just an act of humble sacrifice but also an image of what is to come. The death of Jesus is connected to the sacrifices of the law. John is making this clear in this scene. When we go back and look at the offerings that are laid out in the law, there was mention of the pleasing fragrance to God. Throughout Leviticus and Deuteronomy, sacrifices that are made in many circumstances were described as having a “pleasing aroma to God.” Paul picks up on this language in Ephesians 5:1-2

Ephesians 5:1–2 ESV

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for our sin is the example that we look to as those who are followers of Christ. The incredible and extravagant sacrifice that Mary displays as she pours a bottle of perfume worth almost an entire year’s wage upon Jesus’ feet pales in comparison to what Jesus does for us. The fragrant offering that he provides on our behalf brings us into right relationship with God. It allows the Holy Spirit to come into our lives to bring peace and righteousness to our hearts. Christ’s death on the cross means something more than the cruel and barbaric actions of the religious elite and the complicit Roman government. It was God’s plan to bring us to a place to be his beloved children once again.

Jesus’ response to Judas and the other disciples in the attempt to make the sacrifice of Mary somehow and abandonment of reaching out to those who are poor is an indictment on the attitudes that some have trying to make Jesus’ death into an example of oppression by those in power. It belittles the work of Christ on the cross. Jesus’ words to Judas are the words that Jesus would have for those who try to say that Jesus did not die for the sin of humanity when the biblical witness is contrary to that view.

Instead of spreading a message that is contrary to Christ himself, we are to spread the “fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” according to Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:14. He goes on to say that “we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are beings saved and among those who are perishing...” Our lives are to be a witness to the power of Christ’s saving work through the cross. Just as Paul went throughout the Roman world to take the message to all, so we are to be that pleasing aroma that fills the world with the love that Christ has shown us. We are not to back down from this great honor but live into it everyday.

The example that Mary gives to us is a reminder of our continuing work to make sure that all people know of Jesus. Our actions are to be a pleasing aroma to God. There will be times that it will not be to those who are perishing as Paul describes them. Those who are apart from Christ unless they have a heart open to the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit will not see us in a pleasing way. In fact, they will think we smell more of a dung heap. But to God and to those that are made alive in Christ, the message we proclaim is the pleasing aroma as we walk in love as Christ loved us.

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, God has the power to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That power was displayed in Jesus when he went to the cross to die for the sins of humanity. We who have given ourselves to him must fully trust in him and remove the old self through the power and work of the Spirit sanctifying us. We must be willing to give up the life we once lived and the comfort that it may have brought to us and put on a life that is filled with the fragrant sacrifice of Jesus that cleanses us.

As in the words of the hymn, “There Is a Balm in Gilead”:

“There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole; there is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul.

If you can’t preach like Peter, if you can’t pray like Paul, just tell the love of Jesus, and say he died for all.”

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray:

O Lord, you are our balm in Gilead. You have made us whole and healed our souls. Grant us your grace today that we may go forth into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit to tell the love of Jesus and say he died for all. In Christ’s name. Amen.