John 12:1-8
I know that the area, we are returning to this evening comes just before the death and resurrection of Jesus. It may seem that our timing is not exactly right but that is what happens when you preach through a whole book of the Bible. Things don’t line up exactly with the events on the calendar.
But tonight we are returning to the subject of Jesus death. Death is not the favorite subject to speak about. It is something that most of us would rather avoid. However, there are times in which all of us are able to minister to those who are dying. I believe hospice care is an important program in which Christian people can minister to others who are facing death. We often think about Jesus ministering to those who are facing death but in tonight’s text we learn some things about those who minister to Jesus before his death.
Many refer to the dying process of going through a wilderness experience. It is a time of in which a person can struggle with their dignity and even their faith. In this morning’s text we had the Sanhedrin looking for a way to stop the ministry of Jesus. They believed that the only way to stop Jesus was through taking his life. I was not Jesus’ time so the text tells us that Jesus no longer moved around publicly but he withdrew into a area that was desert. It was not the place most people would go looking for him. As Jesus approached his death he seems to go to a place that most people would avoid. I believe the desert described his life at this time. It was uncomfortable and even preparing for his death was uncomfortable.
As a Jew, Jesus would be familiar with the wilderness. The children of Israel had wondered in the wilderness for over 40 years. God had brought them out of Egypt. He had rescued them from the armies of the Pharaoh. God had opened the Red Sea and allowed to pass on dry ground. He fed them manna and quail. God gave them water and provided for all their needs but this was while they were trying to live in the wilderness. God had a greater home for them. He was going to give them the Promised Land.
However, this generation of Jews became set in their ways while they were out in the wilderness. God had told them that something greater was prepared for them on the other side of the Jordan River. Spies were sent into the Promised Land but only two spies, Joshua and Caleb came back with a good report. The other spies told the people that the risk was too great. Therefore, the people died in the wilderness because they did not trust God to move into the Promised Land. God was their key to escaping the wilderness. But instead of trusting God and seizing the opportunity they stayed where they were in the wilderness.
We will die in the wilderness if we are not willing to take risks for the Lord. We must step out in faith and do extraordinary things for him. When we take a risk for the Lord, he often gives us opportunities we never thought we might have. God doesn’t want us to live in the wilderness but he wants us to enter into the Promised Land of his kingdom. When we enter into the Promised Land life becomes exciting and satisfying.
We are told that next to dying, public speaking is about as stressful. I sometimes stand before people and I think what am I doing here? What makes you think you have anything to say to these people. Several years ago I returned to Michigan for my parents 50th wedding anniversary. My parents did not want any gifts but they did ask me to preach on Sunday, while my sister Sally was to sing. Not only did they as us to take part in the service, my father also told my sister what to sing and me what text to preach on. My sister was to sing the "Holy City" and I was to preach on the "Holy City" as it is found in the book of Revelation. These are sometimes things you sing about or preach about to give hope at a funeral but I wasn’t sure how to use them for a collaborative time.
I did my work and I got everything prepared. I had preached at my home church before so that wasn’t giving me to much trouble. I also knew that there were going to be lots of people I did not know and people who did not know me there, so I was feeling OK. However, as I was visiting with those who came to the open house, I learned that many of my relatives and other acquaintances were coming to the service. I was a nervous wreak throughout Saturday night. I began to think that I wish I had chosen a different text. It isn’t easy preaching on Heaven and Hell and the importance of being prepared to meet God. It was an important message but wasn’t an easy one considering the audience.
But as I began to preach I looked and first I saw my friend Bruce. I often consider him my personal elder. He is the one person I can open up to and share what is going on. I can complain and wine and he won’t criticize me but is the type of person who builds me back up. Just knowing that he was there gave me encouragement.
Another person sitting in the audience was a black Baptist preacher. George worked for my dad for a number of years and when I went to seminary, he went back to school and became a Baptist preacher. I was thrilled to hear an Amen now and then and soon I felt the Holy Spirit taking over. As my Baptist preacher friend was leaving, he told me that it is good to always be a little nervous, because our nervousness will cause us to trust God a little bit more. How true that statement is. There are situations we find ourselves in that we need to step further out in faith. We often find God in the places where we are the least comfortable.
Helping a person who is going through a difficult situation is never easy. There are times in which we are forced to leave our comfort zones for some time to give care and hope. I believe that there is only one way we can really be of benefit to God’s kingdom and that has to do with our relationship with Jesus Christ. This evening’s text is about those who are risk takers but they take the risk, not because of their own strength but because of their love for Jesus Christ.
But it is also a story about those who take a risk because they watched as Jesus took a risk. Jesus inspired them to action. The word on the street was that Jesus was being sought and a price was on his head. In chapter 11:57 we read, "But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone found out where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might arrest him." Jesus and all his closest friends knew that as soon as he left the wilderness, he would be putting his life at stake. But Jesus did not remain in the wilderness because he knew that wasn’t the will of God. Jesus knew that it was God’s will that he enters into Jerusalem and there gives his life. Jesus had to leave the wilderness in order that we might be able to enter the Promised Land. Jesus had to believe that God his Father would bring him to life after he had experienced death.
It was also going to be a risk for any person who associated himself or herself with Jesus. However, for several of these people they knew that things were going to get difficult for Jesus but because of their love for him they were willing to minister to him as he approached his death. They were willing to go through this difficult part in Jesus’ life, even putting their own life on the line so that they might be able to minister to him.
There are 4 individuals who I would like to look at tonight. Three respond to the risk Jesus is taking by giving Jesus care. While one other sees Jesus risk taking as something that is foolish and unnecessary. One serves Jesus the way she knows best by taking care of his physical needs. Another serves Jesus by giving Jesus strength by staying at Jesus’ side during his time of need. Another takes a great risk by showing her complete love and devotion to Jesus. However, one is called a disciple but his purpose is to use Christ only for his benefit. The story consists of the characters we have been talking a great deal about during the last several weeks. Mary, Martha, Lazarus and Judas are not becoming an important part of the final days of Jesus’ life on this earth. They all respond to him in different ways but I think they teach us a great deal about how God can use us to give help to others in their time of need.
Jesus goes to the home of Martha. As so often occurs when Jesus is present, Martha is busy in the kitchen preparing him a meal. Martha sometimes gets a bad rap because of an incident where she was critical of her sister Mary. It was at another time when Mary was spending lots of time with Jesus and Martha was complaining in the kitchen about Mary leaving all the work to her. You may recall that Jesus chided Martha at that time but this time it is different.
Martha has prepared a feast for Jesus. Maybe part of it came out of her gratitude for all he had done by bringing Lazarus to life. Or maybe she knew deep down that this would probably be the last time the four of them would all be together. Martha was always a gracious hostess. She was probably known for her excellent cooking. She might be taking a risk feeding a fugitive but she loved Jesus and this was her way of showing it.
There are many Martha’s in the church today and I’m glad they are here. If there were not Martha’s there would be little care given to people in need. Martha’s are the type of people who are willing to help clean up after those who are sick and dying. They are the ones who are quick to bring meals and take care of the children of a person in need. You might not offer to many words to the sick and the dying but you can tell by their actions that they love people and they are willing to serve anyway possible. Their role is important within the church because they maintain the church by taking care of the people of the church. When you do it the least of these my brothers and sisters you do unto me, Jesus said. Martha is a good example.
Along with Martha, there is Lazarus. We don’t read much about Lazarus other that the fact that he was sitting at the table with Jesus. One might think that he was of little importance because he was doing nothing but maybe his presence was what gave Jesus an extra measure of encouragement. Jesus had entered the last days of his life. He had told people of his impending death but very few truly understood what that meant, but Lazarus knew. Lazarus knew what it was like to die. He knew what it was like to suffer. Lazarus knew what Jesus was experiencing as he faced his own death.
The Jews were planning to kill Jesus and Lazarus invites him into his home. He treats Jesus like a quest and he doesn’t fear the Jews because I don’t think Lazarus feared death any longer. I believe Lazarus presence gives Jesus comfort.
Many times that is how we can best help someone who is dying. We only need to be a presence. Someone who does not fear the future but is willing to sit and hold a hand. They may not know you are in the room with them. But God call us us to be a presence in a person’s life. You only need to sit quietly.
One of the largest hospitals in the country is St. Mary’s hospital in Rochester. It is one of the few hospitals that charges you to pay when your park your care. There are thousands of people who come to that hospital. People come from around the world. Some are looking for hope and for others it becomes the place where they will take their final breath. It is a place where there is a constant struggle between life and death. Although it is a facility where there are people with great medical skills for healing, the ones who really give hope are the family and friends who are just present. Their presence gives people assurance because they are the only ones who truly loves the person in need.
Lazarus was a true friend. Being present with Jesus as death approached may not seem important but it was very important to Jesus. When voices were calling for the death of Jesus, I’m sure he remembered a friend who cared.
Then there was Mary. This woman was willing to get out of her comfort zone and she did something that would have been scandalous in that day. As Jesus was at the table with all these other men sitting around with him, Mary takes a very costly bottle of perfume and pours it on the feet of Jesus. She then lets down her hair and wipes up the excess perfume with it.
First there is the cost of the perfume. The cost was nearly a year’s wages. Money that she would have had to save for years. Money she undoubtedly would need to live on at sometime or another. However, she takes this valuable perfume and anoints a man who is soon going to die.
Then there was the issue of the act itself. In some Middle Eastern Countries today, things are not much different than they were during the time of Jesus. When I lived in Kalamazoo, I would at times work for people from the Middle East. They would place their wives and their daughters in a room by themselves because no other man was to see them. Oftentimes when they were in public they would cover their face only showing their eyes.
In Jesus day the only who was allowed to see a woman with her hair down was her husband. But Mary in the presence of all these men lets down her hair and uses it to wipe the feet of Jesus. The very act must have shocked all of those who were present. I’m sure many were disgusted with what took place and I’m sure there were those who were glad that Judas spoke up. They were probably in agreement with him.
Judas in response to Mary’s actions chides her and he calls her action a waste. He seemed to be concerned about the plight of the poor. However, Judas wasn’t all that concerned about the poor nor was he concerned about the dying. John tells us that Judas was nothing more than a thief. Judas never cared for any one other than himself.
Jesus responds to Judas by saying, "Leave her alone. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me." Jesus is saying this was not suggesting that we not help the poor. He was saying that the poor will always be a part of this world and we will always have opportunity to serve them. The problem of the poor would never be resolved until Christ’s return.
What Jesus was pointing at was although the poor will always be around, he himself was not always going to be present. Since, he was about to face death, it was more important for Mary to show her love towards him than even the poor. When we face the enemy of death it is the most difficult battle in our life. It often comes to us when we are most vulnerable, often when we are older and weak. Those facing death have a greater need than those who are facing a life with little or no resources.
Mary took a great risk by doing what she did for Jesus. People may have been critical of her the rest of her life. But Mary was showing a greater respect for Jesus than even for her own life. She was showing Jesus the dignity that he deserved in his death. She was willing to pay a year’s wages and stake her reputation on Jesus. She believed that Jesus was worth the risk. Judas of course shows no dignity for the life of Jesus because he was willing to sell him out for 30 pieces of silver.
A few years ago, one of America’s biggest department stores tried marketing a doll in the form of the baby Jesus. The advertisements described it as being "washable, cuddly and unbreakable," and it was neatly packaged in straw, satin, and plastic. To complete the package, the manufacturer added Biblical texts appropriate to the baby Jesus. To the department store executive, it looked like a sure-fire winner, a real moneymaker. But they were wrong. It didn’t sell. In a sign in a prominent display window, it read, "Jesus Christ Marked down 50%. Get him while you can."
Jesus death was a great act of love. He was willing to give up his life for all of us. But in our day and age we place such little value on life and many people don’t recognize the value of his life. There is very little respect given to human life. But today’s lesson shows us the importance of giving dignity to those who are dying.
Martha served the one who was about to die; Lazarus sat in his presence; Mary took a risk by showing her love in a way that many would deem inappropriate. Judas served the dying by selling him out for 30 pieces of silver. How about us is every life important even the life of those who are dying? Is the old person confused and dying just another worn out man or woman? Was Jesus Christ just another sacrificial lamb?
May God forgive us for the way we have treated him and human life. May we realize the importance of every human life. May we be willing to transcend our human comfort zones in order to show true love to those who are more important than even the poor, those who are facing the final battle. Those who are about to enter their eternal home. Amen
