2004-03-28 Lent 5C - The Judas Trap New.lwp - Page 1 of 3
Author Kurt Vonnegut is widely known, but not for being a preacher, and so I was surprised to
learn that he had once preached from this text from John. He began his sermon with these words:
I am enchanted by the Sermon on the Mount. Being merciful, it seems to me, is the only good
idea we have received so far. Perhaps we will get another idea that good by and by - and then
we will have two good ideas. What might that second good idea be? I don’t know. How could
I know? I will make a wild guess that it will come from music somehow. I have often wondered
what music is and why we love it so. It may be that music is that second good idea being born.
We have already heard Robert Britton preach on the first good idea - being merciful.
Empowering poor people through programs like Self-Development of People is one of the best ways to
show mercy that I can imagine and strengthens my faith that God is very much still working through us to
build a better world where the poor will not always be with us.
And in a little while we will hear another kind of sermon in Gabriel Faure’s Requiem. Growing
up conservative Protestant, as I did, we didn’t “do” requiems - or Lent either. Ash Wednesday and
giving up chocolate until Easter and prayers for the dead were all things that Catholics did. We knew
better, or so we thought.
But it’s good that we are recovering Lent because it is a season that brings us face to face with
our own death.
When we meet Jesus in today’s gospel, he is almost at the end of his ministry on earth. He’s
been doing God’s work in the world: feeding hungry people, healing sick people, reaching out to all
kinds of people. His ministry was life-giving - he came so we might have abundant life; and yet almost
from the beginning people have wanted to kill him. But he keeps on.
And now - following raising of Lazarus from the dead - a crucial turning point has been reached:
the Sanhedrin, the official Jewish court presided over by the high priest Caiphas, has met and made
plans to put Jesus to death and given orders to arrest him. Jesus, of course, is aware of this and has
been staying with his disciples out near the wilderness rather than walking about in the open.
But now Jesus has decided to go to Jerusalem for Passover. He has come out of the wilderness;
he knows his hour will come - and he’s at peace with it because he’s “leaning on the Lord.” (Story
about Nat Turner who led a slave rebellion and afterward hid in the wilderness for a long time but was
finally caught. A reporter asked him how did it feel to come out of the wilderness. His answer, “I’m
leaning on the Lord,” is the title of a gospel hymn.)
And for right now, it’s Saturday night, and what is important is spending time with his good
friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha who are giving a dinner for him. There is definitely a mood of
celebration - after all, Lazarus the host, was dead and is alive again.
Can you picture the scene? There is a group of friends gathered around the table: Lazarus, his
sister Mary, Jesus, and some others who are not named, among them at least one of his disciples, Judas
Iscariot. Martha, of course, is - what else? - serving.
And all of a sudden Mary is down on her knees with a pound of outrageously expensive
perfume - anointing Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her hair - and filling the house with this most
exquisite fragrance.
Why do you think she did that? We can only guess. But think about Mary and Jesus and their
relationship. Mary sat at his feet while he taught and Martha worked in the kitchen. Jesus wept with her
when her brother died. They were close - maybe even soul mates.
 |
 |
 |