SERMON 73 - SUNDAY 13 MARCH 2016

Sermon at St. John’s Parish Church, West Grimstead   -  Passiontide Sunday – Morning Worship  – Sunday 13 March 2016

Isaiah 43: 16-21; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8

May I speak in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

This morning’s Gospel reading from John is one of my favourite pieces of scripture as it reminds me of that wonderful oil painting by the Spanish artist, Diego Velazquez (1599-1660), entitled “Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” – a couple of copies of which I have brought with me for you to look at:

What appeals to me about this story and painting is that it indicates that Jesus really did enjoy visiting his friends – and especially his very good friend Lazarus, whom he had already raised from the dead, and his two sisters Martha and Mary.

You will recall that earlier on Martha and Mary had looked after Jesus on a previous visit when Mary had spent her time at Jesus’s feet listening to him whilst Martha was getting stressed out in the kitchen and elsewhere attending to the preparations and serving of food. Velazquez might very well be portraying that earlier visit in his painting but in today’s gospel reading the two sisters again seem to be taking up their established roles in Lazarus’s household – Martha the busy woman pottering around the kitchen preparing and serving the food whilst her sister is again seated at Jesus’s feet listening to him and, we read, anointing him with perfume made from pure nard.

One of the reasons why I love Velazquez’s painting so much is that I have spent a considerable amount of time studying it and contemplating its menaing and message because it so encapsulates the story.  Here we see Martha busy with a pestle and mortar on the kitchen table grinding herbs or spices surrounded by garlic, herbs, fish and eggs – preparing a meal for Jesus.  We see Christ reflected in a mirror in conversation with Lazarus and Mary (and presumably Judas if this relates to the visit described in John.  It leads me to wonder on the contents of the conversation and even more intriguing what is it that the old lady is whispering to Martha in the foreground?

In John’s account we are told that it is this Mary who is anointing Jesus with nard whereas other Gospels suggest that it might have been Mary Magdalene or even the woman whom he had saved from stoning – from where we have been given the impression that it was a woman of dubious repute. John is clear that it is Lazarus’s sister Mary who broke open the perfume and wiped Jesus’s feet with her hair.

Having done some research into nard I have discovered that pure nard comes from a flower to be found in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal or northern India and was much prized in the Middle East for its use in embalming and, we learn from the Old Testament, in worship in the Temple at Jerusalem.  It might also be broken open at a wedding and was, therefore, probably in Mary’s possession to be used on her wedding day. She chose to break it open on this occasion – a symbol of worship and also to foretell Jesus’s impending death.  It has been suggested that the value of such a jar of nard would, in today’s terms, equate to about £30,000 – an enormous amount. No wonder Judas was eager for it to be sold and placed in the apostle’s treasury!

This is the first time that Judas Iscariot is mentioned other than in the passing list of disciples. Judas was clearly trusted by Jesus and the others as he was, effectively, the treasurer of the group “he held the common purse”. At first glance he appears quite altruistic saying that such an expensive item would provide enough money, if sold, for resources for the poor.  Indeed this does seem to be good philosophy especially as Jesus had declared that he had come for the poor. After all had not Jesus told the rich man to sell all his treasures and give them away to the poor if he wanted to enter the kingdom of Heaven? But John tells us that Judas’s motives were far from altruistic. He doesn’t beat about the bush. He tells us that Judas was a thief and suggests that he dips his hand into the common purse from time to time.

Jesus’s response is very telling. He says simply “You will always have the poor with you but not always me.”

He is absolutely right. Even in today’s modern world we find immense poverty existing – even in our affluent western world, here in the United Kingdom despite all our riches and technologies.

The lesson, I would suggest, that we can learn from this passage is that in all things we should always put Jesus first.

Jesus tells Martha that Mary is doing just that by spending her time and energy, and her money, on Him.  He is also telling this precise same thing to Judas – that time and money spent on and with him is precious.

In today’s very modern world of speed, instant gratification, ambition, problems and difficulties, cyber friends and egotistical postings we can so easily forget the mystery which is God, and in a moment I would like to share a poem with you that I was given only just a few days ago at a Chaplains’ Gathering which, I think, reminds us of that mystery.

We are now well on our Lenten journey – following Christ’s journey to the Cross on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Today begins the period known as Passiontide which will take us through to Palm Sunday next week and into Holy Week.

Jesus trod that long and painful and at times extremely lonely road to Calvary.

Today as we walk on our own individual journeys of life we are not alone as he was.  We will never be abandoned as he was.  We will never have to suffer for our sins the way he, without sin, was made to suffer and die; because, his death and resurrection freed us from having to suffer and die alone.  He gave us the promise of everlasting life by his ultimate sacrifice upon the Cross.

What an amazing act for all of us – Jews, Gentiles everyone.  In the context of this we see how Mary’s sacrifice of her precious jar of nard is so fitting – honouring the person who could offer so much more to her and family and all of us.  She was anointing and acknowledging the importance of God’s incarnation.

So as we continue to make the Lenten journey together let us reflect on the almost incomprehensible mystery of God’s presence and grace so that we all make the journey together not only with ourselves but also our great and wondrous saviour, Jesus Christ.

Let me now share that poem with you

Primary Wonder

Days pass when I forget the mystery.

Problems insoluble and problems offering their own ignorant solutions

jostle for my attention, they crowd its antechamber

along with a host of diversions, my courtiers, wearing

their coloured clothes, caps and bells

And then

once more the quiet mystery

is present to me, the throng’s clamorous

recedes: the mystery

that there is anything, anything at all,

let alone cosmos, joy, memory, everything

rather than void: and that, O Lord

Creator, Hallowed one, You still

Hour by hour sustain it.

Denise Levertov

Amen

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