❖ Video
❖ Audio (Message)
How Much Do We Love Jesus?
John 12:1-8 (Fourth Sunday of Lent )
Mari Ikeda
Today, if reading in order, would be the time for the “Theology of Disability and Interdependence” series, but with Easter coming up, I decided to continue with the series on the Gospel of John. I did so because if we read the passages in order, we would read the Palm Sunday passage just in time for Palm Sunday. For those of you who have been looking forward to the disability series, please wait for next month.
The title of today’s message is the question, “How much do we love Jesus?” I believe this is the question this passage asks us. It is difficult to answer the question, “How much do we love?”, but it is also a question of how we should show our love for Jesus.
Now, since this is a short passage, I would like to read it as a whole. It is from the Gospel of John 12:1-8.
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
A. About this passage
1. An episode shared by all four gospels
Let me first give a little explanation about this passage. It does not have much to do with the content, so please listen only if you are interested in biblical knowledge.
The episode of a woman anointing Jesus with costly perfumed oil is recorded in all four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It may be said that it was such a well-known episode. However, each record is slightly different, and a comparison of their contents suggests that Luke’s record of the event may be completely different from that of Matthew, Mark, and John. John’s record seems to be the most similar to Matthew’s record. If you are interested, please compare the respective passages.
2. Value of “a pint of pure nard”
Another explanation on this passage, which I would like everyone to hear because it is very important, is about how much the value of “one litra of pure nard” was. (In English, it is translated as “a pint,” but “one litra” is the original unit of measurement.) First of all, one litra is about 330 grams. It is about the same as a small pet-bottle. Obviously, this is an amount that could not be used just to apply it to Jesus’ feet. And this perfumed oil is said to be worth three hundred denarii in terms of money, which is roughly three million yen in the modern sense. One denarii is equivalent to one day’s wages for a laborer, so 300 denarii is equivalent to 300 days’ wages for a laborer, which is roughly 3 million yen. Mary used up such expensive perfumed oil all at once for Jesus. The important point of this passage is whether to regard this as an insane waste or a heartfelt act of worship.
Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples, saw this as a clear waste. Let’s read verses 4-6 again.
B. Judas and Jesus
1. Why was Judas going to betray Jesus?
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
Judas was chosen as one of Jesus’ disciples because he must have initially adored Jesus. It is also likely that he took on the role of treasurer because he was trusted for his ability to manage money. But although we don’t know the details because it is not written in the Bible, at some point he had a change of heart and began to cheat as treasurer, eventually betraying Jesus. It could be said that Judas was simply blinded by money, but it is likely that he was disappointed in Jesus in no small way. He may have selfishly expected that he would be socially successful or financially rich if he followed Jesus, and then became disappointed when he realized that he could not expect such returns from Jesus.
To such a man, Mary’s action must have been incomprehensible. Using three million yen worth of precious perfume for one person seemed like a waste. Judas did not understand one important thing. He did not understand that Jesus was so precious to Mary. Because Jesus was not that valuable to Judas.
Would we also consider Mary’s action to be a waste? Perhaps it is easier in our general sense to identify with Judas than with Mary. But, as Jesus told Martha in another passage, “Mary has chosen what is better.” (Luke 10:42) Mary is teaching us what it means to show our love to Jesus.
I will speak again later on about Mary’s action. Before that, let’s consider the words that Jesus told Judas. Let’s read verse 8 again.
2. Social actions cannot replace worship.
8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.
Mother Teresa worked in the slums of India taking care of people who were dying on the streets, but she never missed her worship service every morning. Henri Nouwen, whom I often quote, wrote about his visit to see Mother Teresa. Nouwen wanted Mother to understand the many problems he was having, so he kept talking to her for 10 minutes. When Nouwen finished, Mother said to him, “If you spend an hour a day worshipping your Lord and then do not do anything wrong in your heart, you will be fine.”
Injustice abounds in our society, and there are many people in every age and in every country who need help. In this context, realizing God’s love and aiming for a better society is essential for those who have come to know God’s love, and it is indeed the role God has given us. But we are sinful and self-centered by nature, and we easily forget what God’s love means to us. It is easy to lose sight of or misunderstand the love God has for us and the love He has for those we are trying to serve. And before we know it, our gratitude to God turns into discontent, we become tired and burnt out, and we hurt the people we are supposed to help.
God has taught us, “Love the Lord your God. And love your neighbor.” Loving God and loving our neighbors are two inseparable things. But without loving God, it is difficult to truly love one’s neighbor. Conversely, when we love our neighbor as a result of loving God, our love for our neighbor also becomes our worship of God.
This is even more evident when we consider Mary’s action, so let us now turn our attention to Mary and Jesus. Let’s read verse 3 again.
C. Mary and Judas
1. Why did Mary take such a bold action?
3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
The extraordinary high value and large quantity of the perfumed oil Mary used is as I mentioned at the beginning, but there are other points in this action of Mary that are surprising. First, while it was customary at the time for perfumed oil to be poured over the head normally during festivities, Mary here poured it over Jesus’ feet. Furthermore, it was also unusual for Mary to use her own hair to wipe those Jesus’ feet.
Jesus said this about Mary’s behavior. Let’s read verse 7 again.
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.
At first glance, these words are puzzling. Because Jesus’ burial is still a long way off. But Mary may have really foreseen Jesus’ death and made such a bold action.
At this point, it was clear that Jesus’ life was threatened by the Jewish leaders. In fact, the disciples tried to stop Jesus from approaching Jerusalem because it was dangerous. Mary too must have been well aware that if she entered Jerusalem, Jesus could be arrested and killed.
Then Mary had just experienced the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection of her brother Lazarus from the dead. I think Mary was beginning to understand that Jesus had the power of God and was beyond death.
Given this context, we can imagine that Mary in this scene felt that Jesus was willing to risk himself and give his life, and that this was her last opportunity to show her heart for him. Mary literally fell down before Jesus and used the finest perfumed oil freely, pouring it on His feet instead of on His head as usually done. Perhaps she wiped the oil with her own hair rather than a towel because she wanted to show her personal trust in Jesus. Even though others may have condemned it as wasteful and immodest, I believe it was important for her to do this at this time. What she showed through this action was a heart of respect, trust, gratitude, and love for Jesus that cannot be expressed in words, and can never be expressed enough in money or material things.
2. What does it mean for us to act like Mary?
Can we be willing to follow Mary’s example? To act like Mary is not something we are forced to do, but to willingly and gladly offer our best to Jesus of our own will. It is a state of overflowing respect, trust, gratitude, and love for Jesus that compels us to do so, just as Mary did. It is not something that we want and work hard to obtain, but something that is possible only through what Jesus has done for us and through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Our joy begins with the conviction that Jesus is God Himself, who gave His life for us. And to know and trust the person of Jesus personally is a path that leads to an everlasting hope that is worth spending our lives for.
How sure and willing we are of that can be seen by how much we value the time we spend with Jesus in our daily lives. To others, it may seem like a waste of time, money, and energy. But confiding our thoughts to Jesus, asking for guidance, giving thanks, and praising Him is something worth putting everything else aside to continue. We will never know for sure until we try it ourselves, but it certainly is the fuel that keeps us alive.
I would like to add one last thing. Unlike Mary, we cannot see Jesus in visible form, nor are we about to part with Him. So what exactly does it mean for us to practice what Mary did to the best of her ability at this particular time in this particular situation? It seems contradictory, but I think it means to serve someone we can see as we serve Jesus. It means discerning what is necessary to bring God’s love to the person in front of us and doing our best to fulfill it. Jesus Himself said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) Remember, as I have told you today, the power to love and serve others is not in us. The power is only in Jesus who loved us and gave his life for us.
How much do we love Jesus? How are we demonstrating it in concrete actions? Even in the worship time that follows, please spend time with Jesus, focusing on the one-on-one relationship between you and Jesus.
(Prayer) Lord Jesus, what You have done for us is so great that it would take us a lifetime to give You thanks. You have changed our lives. You have also wanted to continue to walk with us. Please help us to listen to your voice and follow you. May we continue to walk with you in our joys and sorrows, never losing hope and joy until the last time we are called by you. Pour out your Spirit on us weak people and guide us. We pray in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Summary
The greatest joy and hope given to us is to be confident that Jesus is God Himself who gave His life for us, to trust in Him, and to live in gratitude to Him. How confident we are of this is shown by how much we value worship (personal worship, not Sunday services) in our lives. No social activity can replace worship. But if we make worship our highest priority, we can turn every social activity into worship. Loving God and loving our neighbor are two in one, but it is by loving God that we can truly love our neighbor.
For Discussion
- How much do you think you love Jesus? How do you show it?
- Why can we not truly love our neighbors unless we love God?