Words and Deeds
lanny smith
2022 Lent / Psalm 23; Matthew 26:6–13
• Proverbial statements:
• Talk is cheap.
• Actions speak louder than words.
• Our experiences tell us these statements carry a lot of truth.
• It is critical that disciples of Jesus have words and deeds that are congruent. What we say we believe is reflected in what we do.
• We see this in a beautiful story from John’s gospel set in the hours leading up to Holy Week.
• We have spent these past weeks preparing for Easter. And as we prepare our hearts and minds, we must also learn to put our faith into action.
• This story in Jn. 12 gives us a stark contrast between words and deeds among Jesus’ disciples.
• There are beautiful, costly deeds and cheap, meaningless words.
• It begins with a beautiful act of love.
Beautiful Act of Love
John 12:1–2 NLT
1 Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him.
• In the previous chapter, Jesus had raised Lazarus from dead.
• Now a few weeks later, Jesus returns to Bethany prior to the Passover.
• No surprise that the community would turn out for a banquet in Jesus’ honor.
• Lazarus, along with Jesus, are honored guests.
• Martha demonstrates her love by serving.
• We learn about Mary’s beautiful act of love as Jesus’ disciple:
John 12:3 NLT
3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.
• There’s a lot to unpack here.
• The focus on Mary’s act of love. The essential oil is somewhat secondary but important.
• Cultural touchpoints.
• She had a jar (other gospels say it was alabaster - very expensive). It held about a half-liter.
• Nard - viscous essential oil made from spikenard. Found at high altitude in N. India and Nepal. Very, very expensive. Highly concentrated.
• We have to speculate why Mary would have this. Dowry? Investment? Family heirloom?
• Her act of love is over the top. Complete. Unselfish.
• She is “in the moment” and willingly demonstrates her love with more than the oil. She stretches the boundaries of her culture’s limits by loosening her hair in public and then using her hair to wipe his feet.
• (I think it’s likely that the oil was applied all over Jesus. The focus on the feet was to bring to mind that she was anointing his actions as symbolized by his feet.)
• John, who was there, recalls that the fragrance filled the whole house. Clearly, no one would have missed this part of the dinner.
• There’s another proverbial statement we’re familiar with: “No good deed goes unpunished.” Or, at least uncriticized.
Cheap Talk
John 12:4–6 NLT
4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.
• Judas speaks out (perhaps for the many in the group).
• He knew the cost of everything but could not see the value.
• Year’s wages = 300 denarii. How did he know that? No idea. But that’s the value he could see in what happened. Clearly, he was deeply offended by this act of love.
• As usual, cheap talk is usually critical of someone else who is doing something.
• His plan would have been to take something that didn’t even belong to him and give its value to others.
• In v. 6, John tells us parenthetically that Judas was a thief. He took from the combined resources of the disciples.
• Again, we see a contrast being drawn. Judas’ words of “benevolence” don’t match his thieving deeds.
Preparation
• Jesus interprets Mary’s actions. The text never says if she fully understood the value of her gift of love.
John 12:7 NLT
7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial.
• But Jesus attaches great significance to it.
• This oil would serve as part of preparing his body after the cross.
• Some reflections:
• The scent of the nard must have followed Jesus everywhere for the next week.
• He would be constantly reminded in a visceral way of what was coming.
• His disciples would have Mary’s testimony of love literally in their senses.
• Mary walked around for quite a while with the reminder of her act in her hair and on her hands.
• Judas would have his words and his betrayal in his face every time he got close to Jesus.
• The details in the story help us to join the disciples “in the moment.” But I’m not nearly as concerned with the type of oil Mary used or its monetary value.
• We fall into Judas’ trap when we do this.
• What is critical for our understanding 2,000 years later is putting our words and beliefs into action.
• To love Jesus extravagantly, without limits, without concern for public opinion. Especially in this season of preparation for Easter.
• The original purpose of Lent was to teach folks who were preparing to confess Christ and be baptized.
• It is the same today.
• Next steps.
• Finally, we want to give you a small object for to focus on this coming week.
• Vial of oil with lavender scent. How will you use it? To serve as a reminder to let your actions speak louder than your words.
