Snow Tires and the Cosmos.
/March 29, 2021
Scripture
Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about half a litre of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”
(John 12:2-5 NIVUK)
Snow Tires and the Cosmos.
On Friday my neighbour feared that the first chattering sound of the power tool removing the nuts from my snow tires would upset the balance of the cosmos. He had called over the fence that I was going to jinx us all with more bad weather when he saw me moving my summer tires (too early for him). We laughed, but there are many weird false equivalencies like this that hold us hostage.
Jesus’ last week of public ministry was shadowed by the threat of assassination plots so during the day he appeared in public and retired to the safety of friends’ homes overnight. One night a dinner was held in his honour, his hosts grateful for the restoration of the life of their sibling Lazarus.
Everything was going according to social norms when Mary, the dramatic sibling, overthrew convention and pouring expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet washed them with her flowing hair. The “harrumph” false equivalency brigade pounced. “This is a waste, the poor should be served by the sale of the perfume.” It’s human nature to not be able to hold two seemingly conflicting ideas simultaneously and the “harrumph” boys were incapable of this.
Filled with gratitude, and perhaps sensing his dark future, Mary dramatically expressed her love for Jesus. She was also likely generous to the poor but in this moment the extravagance of beauty, creativity and gratitude was warranted.
This is the last week of Lenten discipline to focus on what’s most important, not what’s most dreary. Serving the poor can go hand in hand with creating great art. Advocating for justice for the voiceless can go hand in hand with writing beautiful melodies and poetry. Let our discipline help us to hold the contradictory with faith and hope.
A Prayer in the Generous Spirit of Mary Washing Jesus’ feet
Lord, why is it that we get jealous so easily of someone else’s perception or sensitivity
or generosity? It’s not only among your first disciples: it happens among us still, often, far too often. We have to admit we ourselves are among the “poor,” for there are so many ways in which we are impoverished. We all need you to recall us to what really matters. Mary is an inspiration to us: we want to be more like her, to take your words to heart, to be more sensitive to what you are doing, and to pour out for you the very best that we have. (Praying the Passion, Ken Taylor, Abingdon)
