Sermon Tone Analysis
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Are You a Human Being, or a Human Doing?
John 12:1-8
Think about that sermon title for a moment: Are You a Human Being, or a Human Doing?
Today’s
Scripture tells about another tale of the Mary and Martha saga.
But before we get to Mary and Martha, let’s
look a little closer to home.
Our society is given to what some sociologists call, the norm of work devotion; in
other words, it’s our norm to be devoted to our work.
Devotion to work is a good thing, usually, but what some
families cry for is a more balanced approach to work - and the rest of life.
For many folks today, and maybe
ourselves in our more productive years, the philosophy of our families was "work should be the central part of
our existence."
Sociologists call this "the norm of work devotion."
That's how we prove ourselves worthy of
our job, by making it the "uncontested central focus of our lives.
Our very identity and sense of value have
become tied to our productivity," one sociologist says.
To some degree or another, our gainful labors are or
were a top priority in our lives, by necessity.
But to what degree?
The norm of work devotion, though, can also be a negative thing.
It may take too much time away from
family, or the work or job wears one down and loses its joy, reward, or satisfaction.
But, if you substitute other
words for "work," you get some thought-provoking forms of devotion to think about, some of which can be
positive, or can go either way, depending on how the devotion plays out.
For example, how about "the norm
of parenting devotion”?
Probably a positive, unless it becomes smothering.
Helicopter parents hovering over
their children’s every move, or tiger moms, renowned for pushing their children too hard and interfering with a
child’s normal development, depending on what normal is, are common devotions in today’s society.
Or what
about the norm of golfing or fishing or hunting or having a devotion to any other favorite activity?
Or the norm
of bar-hopping devotion, or sports-betting devotion or social media devotion?
That’s a big one for today.
We
are all devoted to something.
What are you most devoted to?
Devotion to whatever could go either way,
depending on what we're willing to spend, sacrifice and ignore in order to engage in it regularly.
Now, how
about this one: "The norm of Jesus devotion"?
Got a story… Ebenezer Bryce was a legendary Utah cattle rancher who used to pasture his herds on
land that is now Bryce Canyon National Park.
The canyon is famous for its spectacular sandstone rock
formations, carved over the centuries by wind and water into shapes that resemble castles and cathedrals.
Few
visitors can stand on the canyon's rim, gazing out over the Creator's work below, without feeling a sense of awe.
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Bryce was one of those people who could; who could see the vistas without a sense of awe.
Someone asked
him, once, what it was like to have spent his working life in a setting of such overwhelming natural beauty.
The cattleman looked out over that awe-inspiring scenery and replied, "It's one heck of a place to lose a cow."
When we focus too much on work, we lose our capacity for wonder, for inspiration, for pause to contemplate
what is really important, for the moment.
Now, consider our gospel for the day, in which Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, during a dinner
in their home with Jesus and the disciples as guests, anoints Jesus' feet with "a pound of costly perfume," and
then wipes them with her hair.
That sounds like Jesus devotion.
What's more, it's in line with Mary's behavior
during another visit from Jesus.
Luke 10:38-42 tells that during that time, Martha, busy with hospitality tasks,
complained to Jesus because Mary, instead of helping her sister with the work, was sitting at Jesus' feet,
listening to what He was saying.
Martha’s norm is work and hospitality, Mary’s norm is devotion to Jesus;
she’ll get to the work later.
In both that incident and this one, Jesus defends Mary's choice.
In Luke’s story, Jesus says to Martha
that Mary "has chosen the better part" (Luke 10:42).
And here in John, after Judas says that the perfume should
have been sold and the money given to the poor, Jesus says to him, "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."
So in both of these cases, with Jesus putting His stamp of approval on Mary's behavior, we'd have to conclude
that her Jesus devotion is a positive thing.
Now here is a troubling question?
Is every effort we make, that is encouraged by our devotion to Jesus,
a positive?
Many pastors, myself included, have heard from married parishioners, who complain that their
spouse is so involved with what's going on in the church that they are "never home."
In some cases, such
spouses have thrown themselves into work for the church, not only at the expense of home life, but also
to avoid home life.
The stay-at-home spouses might argue that their mates could use a bit more marital
devotion and a bit less Jesus devotion.
Frankly, many pastors have the same problem; too much devotion to
church unravels their home and their marriages.
So, if Jesus devotion is not just participating in the necessary and many church endeavors, what is it?
In
recent years, some Christians have defined Christianity as "a practice," usually involving a set of disciplines,
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including prayer, Bible reading, meditation, Sabbath keeping, tithing, hospitality, deeds of charity and other acts
of discipleship.
Those are good things to be sure.
Yet, anytime we reduce faith to actions alone, we're flirting
with the notion that we must do something for God, before God will do anything for us.
And what kind of a
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