Lecture

Who were these sisters, Mary and Martha? I suggest they were theologians and prophets. Now, let's explore what is arguably the most important moment in their lives, the raising of their brother Lazarus. This story is found in John:11, and its significance echoes in chapter 12 when Mary anoints Jesus with perfume.

The scene is one of confusion and then despondency. Illness does that to a family. Mary and Martha send word to Jesus about Lazarus's illness, but with firm confidence that Jesus can heal him. Meanwhile, the disciples of Jesus are focused on the potential showdown in Jerusalem. And Thomas brashly declares, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16 NRSV)

Jesus comes to Bethany, and Martha goes out to meet Him, and their dialogue shows Martha's deep understanding of theological concepts and Jesus' assumption that she can go even deeper. The conversation starts with evidence of Martha's faith. “If you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). And she goes further, testifying that Jesus can even now make things better, suggesting that she believes He could bring Lazarus back to life. But Jesus does not go down that conversation path. Instead, He goes further into the doctrine of resurrection itself. Martha confesses that she believes in the future, end-time, bodily resurrection of the dead, when Lazarus will be raised. Pharisees believed this, while Sadducees did not. So clearly Martha had training somewhere, perhaps in her synagogue, perhaps with Lazarus. Jewish women sat with men in the synagogue. They weren't divided into a separate section. And they would hear Scripture read every Shabbat, and they likely went to temple frequently, as Mary and Martha lived close, maybe less than an hour's walk from Jerusalem.

And then Jesus offers Martha the most profound theological truth. He is the resurrection and the life. Believe in me, He says, and you will never die. Martha is tracking with Him, and she professes Him Messiah, Son of God, who has come into the world. This is similar to Peter's confession, or Nathanael's declaration, “You are the Son of God . . . the King of Israel” (John 1:49).

How do we miss this when we think about Martha the disciple? I think it is because we tend to see Martha in a different scene, one where she hosts Jesus and asks Him to make Mary help her. We have understood her to be distracted, flustered, missing the point, and yet in that short story in Luke, it is likely that Martha is managing an event for many guests. Hospitality was an important virtue, and Martha wanted the family name to be upheld. Mary could help her manage the meal. And this, of course, is in sharp contrast to Simon, the Pharisee, who offered no such hospitality. Luke tells that story at the end of chapter 7.

So Martha is clearly not disinterested in theology. She's just misjudged her priorities. And from her response in John's gospel to Jesus' words about her brother, we can see that she clearly did refocus on Jesus' theological teachings.

Well, let's return to Bethany, that small village about two miles from Jerusalem on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives. After Martha greets Jesus, so Mary now greets Jesus. She falls at His feet in worship and she testifies, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” And Jesus is filled with compassion, and He raises Lazarus.

So we fast forward just a bit. Jesus is facing His passion. He's back near Jerusalem for the Passover, and the gospel of John tells us about a dinner celebration held in Mary and Martha's home in Jesus' honor. Mark and Matthew both speak about this dinner happening in Simon the leper's house. And this may be a reference to Mary's father who's now likely deceased. John tells us that Mary took a pint of pure nard, which is an expensive perfume, and she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Matthew and Mark declare that she anointed Jesus' head.

Now, her actions are understood in two different ways by those present at the meal. Some of the disciples are upset at what they judge to be wasteful, and they rebuke her. John tells us specifically that Judas Iscariot was upset. The disciples see Mary's actions as perhaps an overly extravagant act of hospitality. Too expensive to shower on a guest, even a guest of honor like Jesus. They seem to be angry with Mary, so they publicly shame her by calling her out as having bad priorities. Did she not care for the poor? Was she showing off the fact that she even had such expensive perfume? Was she calling attention to herself?

Mary doesn't explain herself or defend herself. And if any disciples at the meal were pleased with her generous outpouring of love, they kept it to themselves. But Jesus speaks and does not keep silent. Jesus responds with praise and blessing for her and a sharp rebuke to the other disciples. Jesus explains that she gets it. She understands what this week will hold for Jesus, that He'll be beaten, scorned, mocked, and killed. Now, He has said so on several occasions, and she believes Him. So she anoints her Messiah, her king, and at the same time prepares His body for burial.

Let's look more closely at the anointing, for it has at least three layers of meaning or nuance, including a focus on Jesus' kingship, on His burial, and on His servant's heart. Jesus says, “When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial” (Matthew 26:12 NIV). Now, from these three gospel stories, we know that at some point in the meal Mary gets her oil and she pours it over Jesus' head and also on His feet. Her actions are an anointing.

What sort of person anoints, and what sort of person is anointed? In Psalm:23, it is the Lord who anoints, and the psalmist says, “You [Lord] prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5 NIV). And in the Old Testament, it is often a prophet who anoints. The prophets Samuel and Elijah did this to the ancient kings in Israel. Mary's anointing not only calls to mind the anointing of Israel's kings but is also done in preparation of Jesus' burial. This is part of His kingship. This is part of His coming into His kingdom.

But Mary of Bethany knows that this will be a gruesome death. This is not a video game that keeps violence at a distance. And this is not heroic self-control on display by Jesus. No, this is a battle of good and evil that will be played out on a real body, Jesus' body, the feet of which she has lovingly anointed and wiped clean. Mary has already bathed and wrapped her brother's body. She knows what death is.

Not only does Mary anoint her Lord as king, she also anoints His feet. Now anointing feet is not unheard of, but we usually think of washing feet after they get dirty from travel. But by washing, anointing His feet, she shows devotion, and she foreshadows Jesus' washing of the disciples' feet that we find in the next chapter of John's gospel.

This event of washing the disciples' feet is often celebrated in Holy Week on Maundy Thursday, a meal during which Jesus gets up from the table, acts as the servant to His disciples. He takes off His outer clothing that symbolizes His free status, and He puts on a towel around His waist. He's about to get wet and dirty. He's doing the job of a servant.

He went to several disciples before coming to Peter. Though he has seen the others washed, yet Peter says, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet” (John 13:6)? And Jesus responds more or less, yeah. And then Peter says, “You will never wash my feet” (John 13:8). But Jesus teaches him that he must accept His washing for Jesus was modeling for them the way they should act towards each other. Jesus says, “I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15).

Mary anointed Jesus, signaling her belief that He was Israel's king and preparing Him for burial. But Mary knows in some sense that the cross leads to the resurrection as much as she saw Jesus raise her brother Lazarus and knew that Jesus told her sister that He, Jesus, is the resurrection and the life. She's eating with someone, Lazarus, who was once dead and is alive again. So when she anoints Jesus for His burial, I think she has some sense that the grave cannot hold Him. And by anointing His feet, she foreshadows His teaching to the disciples that they must serve each other. And so, as Jesus declared, as we preach the gospel, we remember what Mary has done. And can we also go and do likewise? In our next session, we'll turn to Paul's letters and consider two of his female co-ministers, Phoebe and Junia.