“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 12:1-8

So, our question this Sunday is “What is Discipleship?”
Let me ask you another question: What does discipleship smell like?
That may sound like an odd question, but let me explain. The anointing of Jesus occurs in all four of the Gospels, which is rare. Now, they all have some similarities, but they also have some significant differences. IN the Synoptic Gospels (Matt, Mk and Lk), the woman in the story remains nameless. Luke identifies her as a “sinful” woman—but otherwise she remains nameless. But in the Gospel of John, she is identified as Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus—the one Jesus just raised from the dead. The perfume she opens is not named in the Gospel of Luke—but in Matthew, Mark and John it is identified as “Real Nard”. What is Nard? Also called Spikenard, it has a unique fragrance. It was considered so valuable, we would refer to it today as the “gold standard”. The presence of its aroma was an indication that the very best had been offered. We know that this perfume was used in the burial rite – so it was a powerful smelling perfume—this is why we are told in the text that it filled the entire house with its fragrance.

In this Gospel, the gospel of John, the anointing of Jesus comes right after the raising of Lazarus—which is significant. Just six days ago Lazarus was stinking up the place in his death. Of course, we all know that death stinks – both in a physical and in a meta-physical way. But Lazarus was raised, like Jesus will be raised—and Mary is covering up the stink of death (both Lazarus and Jesus) by thanking Jesus with the odor of this fragrant perfume. And it is not just any perfume, but one used for burial—the gold standard for burials.
So, we see here that Mary’s devotion defies both custom and expectations. It defies custom because neither Jesus nor Lazarus are dead. It also defies custom because she used the entire bottle, probably her dowry (because it was so expensive) all at one time. Not only Judas but I imagine all of the disciples would have been upset about the waste of such a precious commodity. It was extravagantly wasteful, like the Prodigal Father was extravagantly wasteful with his forgiveness and love. Her actions defy expectations because she could have anointed Jesus with plain water—washing his feet and drying them with her hair. But cost did not matter to Mary. So, is this what discipleship smells like? Should our discipleship produce such wonderful aromas?

Pastor Dave

“The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). John 1:35-42

“Come and See”
We have the calling of the disciples in this part of John, and specifically the conversation between Philip and Nathanael. Philip, after being called by Jesus, first goes to tell Nathanael about his experience with Jesus. We do not have any of the conversation except for Nathanael’s comment about what good can come out of Nazareth, and Philip’s response “Come and See.” Nazareth was a town with many influences, including many Gentile influences. Even the people in Nazareth reject the message of Jesus—people of his hometown. Nazareth would not have been a good town to raise good, Jewish children, apparently.

But we can learn a lot from this short exchange. First and foremost, Philip becomes the first evangelist, going forward to share what has happened to him in his encounter with Jesus. And, even in the face of severe rejection, Philip persists with compelling words – come and find out for yourself. It doesn’t take a lot of fancy words to invite people to come and experience the good news of Jesus Christ. Simple words of invitation will do – and may speak volumes to those who just need a simple invitation.

My friends, believe it or not, there are people out in our communities who want to hear some good news in their lives, especially existential good news. They are waiting for you and me to share the story – or to give them an invitation.

Let us Pray
Lord Jesus, you invite us every time we come to church: you invite us to hear your word, sing your praises, and receive you in the Sacraments. Help me to be a welcoming presence for all whom I encounter today. Amen

Pastor Dave