2004-03-28 Lent 5C - The Judas Trap New.lwp - Page 2 of 3
Mary must have been very happy that night. Jesus was here. Lazarus was here - he had been
dead, and was alive again! Her heart must have been bursting with joy and gratitude. She must have
wanted to do something to show Jesus how she felt. And then maybe she remembered that perfume she
had already bought and hidden away for the day they all knew would come when Jesus would die. And
in that moment realized that this night could be the last time they would all be together - why not trust
that God would provide, just as Jesus taught? And why wait until he was dead to anoint his body? Why
not do it now?
You know, I think we forget the truth that all that separates any of us from eternity is just one
heart beat, one breath - which means that when we meet, we might want to treat each other as if it were
the last time.
Maybe no one who was there - except Jesus thought what Mary did was appropriate, but it
didn’t matter. I think it must have felt wonderful to Jesus. Can you put yourself in his place? You’ve
been doing God’s work in the world. You know God has called you to this ministry, but your religious
leaders are planning to have you killed. You’ve walked hundreds of miles in the hot sun on the dusty
roads of Galilee and Samaria and Judea. You’re homeless and poor and more often than not you’ve
slept out under the stars - but somehow you got by - thanks to God’s goodness and the generosity of
strangers and friends. Your best friends don’t understand you. You know it will all be over soon and
you will die a horrible death. And here, among your best friends, you are tired and weak and worn.
And now imagine someone who loves you, someone who would do anything in her power to
keep you from suffering. So tell me - how does it feel to have that person massage your feet with oil and
wipe them with her hair?
I think Jesus needed that moment.
Well, let’s fast forward from Bethany to here and now. It’s 2000 years later. The poor are still
with us. We have two Americas, two Essex Counties, two Montclairs. 1 in 5 children in America are
poor. Just this morning the New York Times reported that the plan to battle AIDS is bogged down
with shortages of money and battles over patents - and all of this keeps drugs from reaching more than
90% of the poor people who need them. Even One Great Hour of Sharing giving is down.
The poor are with us. How can this be in a world where experts say there is enough for
everyone? How can that be 2000 years after Jesus came to bring not just life but abundant life? And
could it be that Christians - especially WE in the so-called first world have fallen into the Judas trap?
You know, Judas said all the right things. He talked about wanting to help the poor - but he
was really interested in getting his own needs met.
And we might wonder if we in America do the same thing. Look at the religious books that
make it to our bestseller lists: The Purpose Driven Life; The Prayer of Jabez (“Oh Lord, increase my
territory); they market a Christianity of prosperity and self-fulfillment.
And think about how some Christians - and I know some - have taken what Jesus said here
and interpreted it to mean this:
“Poor people are hopeless. We will always be stuck with them. Jesus said so.”
Somehow, I don’t think Jesus said so.
First of all, you can’t take a few lines out of scripture - you have to take the whole word of
God.
Maybe what Jesus said, if you put it into contemporary “street” would sound more like this:
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