Mark 14: 3-9
What do you want to be when you grow up? This is a question we ask children and
teenagers all the time. Some adults are
still asking this question. Think for a
moment what your answer to that question was when you were 10, 11, or 12 years
old? Did your dream come true? Were you encouraged by your parents and
teachers to reach for the stars? Did you have cheerleaders along the way who pushed
you to try harder, study, do your homework, or accept that first job to learn a
work ethic?
If you had asked me that question as a child, I would have
told you I wanted to be a Marine Biologist.
I didn’t really know what that meant but I loved the beach and thought
dolphins were pretty cool! Needless to say this was not my cup of tea in
reality. I don’t even like cleaning out
fish tanks now and science was not my best subject in school. As I got older I thought maybe I would go
into counseling. I liked listening to
people talk and all my friends said I gave good advice and Psychology was
pretty interesting- Not very useful in and of itself, but I enjoyed it. All along the way I was told I could be
anything, as long as I worked hard, studied and made responsible decisions.
Not everyone is as lucky as I was though. Some people seem to hit a road block and get
knocked down every time they dared to dream.
We don’t have the money for you to go to college and you’re not smart
enough to get a scholarship, what makes
you think you would ever be successful anyway.
School is a waste of time, just get a job; but not that job it’s not for
boys or girls can’t do that kind of work.
Are you stupid, why would you ever think you could do that, know your
place, no one will ever accept you…… seeds of doubt and a desire to maintain
the status quo are too strong for many to escape or even explore what God is
calling and gifting them to be.
The woman in this story may have felt that way. She is first and foremost a woman. Marginalized by the society she lived in with
no authority, no rights and little to no say in how her life would turn out to
be. She is in the margins again as she
walks into the room and interrupts a meal between Jesus and his male companions. She shouldn’t be there; all the men stare at
her, irritated by the interruption. I
can hear her thinking—ah man, what am I doing here. What if Jesus gets mad or won’t accept my
gift? But she gathers up all her courage
and takes out a small jar of sweet smelling oil. She breaks it and pours it on the head of
Jesus.
This gets a reaction alright- the men at the table begin to
murmur, criticize, scold, rebuke- what an idiot, stupid woman, such a waste, we
could have fed a lot of people with that money, how dare you waste all that
money!
Jesus stops them though.
Jesus knows the importance and significance of her actions even if she
and the disciples didn’t. The verses
prior to this story are of the Pharisees and chief priests plotting to kill
Jesus and the verses after are of Judas deciding to volunteer to betray
Jesus. Jesus knew his days on earth were
numbered. One of the translations called the anointment “a beautiful thing”. Her gift was accepted after all, even
praised. Even though the other men at
the table didn’t appreciate what she had done; Jesus did and that was the only
person who mattered.
Anointment in Biblical times served several purposes. Kings and prophets were anointed to set them
apart for God, make them sacred, give them power and ability to do what they
were called to do, people were anointed for healing, celebrations and yes, for
burial.
Jesus was anointed for his work on earth at his baptism and
here, just days before his crucifixion, he is being anointed again for the next
task- his death, resurrection and eternal place as King of all creation. The
Legacy of Jesus will forever be remembered and the legacy of this unnamed woman
will forever be a part of that story.
The complaints of the disciples may have felt like legitimate
ones. We are called to care for the
poor, the marginalized, the sick, the spiritually and physically needy and
Jesus never tells them it is not important but they were blind to the big
picture. Jesus wants them to understand
that worship and service go hand in hand.
The two are never separate. We
serve because of Jesus; not because we want to “win souls” or get kudos from
our fellow church members and community.
We serve because we love and we love because we are loved. That is worship. That is what this woman’s
act of worship meant. Her worship was
service.
We are called through the love of Christ to risk taking
mission and service. The jar of nard
cost a year’s wages- costly to anyone but she was willing to risk her wealth
for Jesus even before she knew he was willing to sacrifice his life for
hers. How much more should we be willing
to risk- knowing the abundance of his love?
She was willing to risk ridicule to worship Christ- but the act of worship
wasn’t for the bystanders and the naysayers- it was for Christ. And Christ knew
the true meaning of her worship and praised her for it- putting the rest to
shame and forever cementing a place for her in this story. Her legacy would remain forever.
Like Jesus, we have each been anointed through our baptisms
to serve God in this life. Our call is
to serve Christ- each of us will do that in our own unique way. The legacy of the woman in the story today is
not only what she did for Jesus but by her willingness to be bold, vulnerable
and to risk offering everything she had for Christ. It took courage to walk into someone’s home
uninvited. It took a willingness to be
vulnerable- not knowing if her gift would be accepted or if she would be
criticized for it. It took fearlessness
to offer an item of such great value.
What do you want to be when you grow up is the question we
ask children. They look to their heroes,
their skills, and their life situation to dream big. As we age the question changes to the one
addressed by our scripture today…focus shifts from the future through the eyes
of a child to the present. Not what do
you want to be- rather what do you want your legacy to be?
This is entirely dependent on how you live in the
present. We see the legacy of this
woman, of the disciples, of the others who followed Jesus. The woman in our
scripture had no idea the impact this sacrifice would make but she acted out of
love.
What will your legacy be? Will you be remembered as the
scoundrel who turned your life around when you entered into a relationship with
God? Will you be remembered as the
person who always showed compassion to others?
Will it be one of someone always willing to go the extra mile for
others? One who was never ashamed of
their faith willing to share it boldly with others? Will it be of someone willing to welcome
others into a life with Christ and his community of believers?
What will your legacy be?
What will the legacy of this church community be? What will Christ
remember about us? What will the people
we leave behind remember?
Now is the time to decide.
There is no time like the present.
If you have thought about this question and you aren’t sure you like
what the answer is- now is the time to fix it.
If you have wandered away or maybe never felt your heart warm with
passion and love for Christ- now is the time to return to Christ, repent, start
over.
Our past does not determine our future. Jesus likes spending time with people who
make mistakes. Jesus loves people who
are honest in their faith and in their doubt.
We little information about what
the disciples were like before they met Christ.
We have no idea what this woman’s history was before this moment of
worship and service. What we do know is
how they were changed by their relationship with Christ. This is the legacy they leave behind.