Good Shepherd Lutheran

The Extravagance of Love – John 12:1-8
As we watch Mary anoint Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume and then wipe it off with her hair, odds are we feel a little uncomfortable. It seems wasteful, decadent, and even sinful in a myriad of ways. It just doesn’t mesh with our ideas about what true discipleship should mean.
For most of us, discipleship is all about good sense and careful stewardship. Selling that perfume could have bought meals for hundreds, maybe even saved a life or two. So, why does Jesus praise Mary for her actions? In fact, He seems to justify what she did by saying that “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
Judas, the Betrayer, seems like he’s the sensible one. Ostensibly he’s worrying about the less fortunate, although the prospect of being able to pocket a percentage of the cash may have influenced Judas’ reaction. But Jesus seems to be putting His personal comfort ahead of the poor, who He’s been so diligently ministering to. Huh?
Jesus, who’s always helping the poor and giving preferential treatment to those in need, accepts and even praises a gift that could have been sold to provide funds to care for those very people. So, Judas seems to be in the right. It’s confusing for sure.
But it’s also clear that this passage isn’t about a lesson in economic justice. It’s a lesson in theological awareness. Mary felt, maybe even more keenly than any other of the disciples, that Jesus’ death was near. He’d soon be arrested, tortured, and crucified.
Her act of anointing Jesus reminds us of the biblical anointing of kings, and it anticipates the time in the very near future when Jesus’ body would have to be anointed for burial. Mary knew what was coming. She knew it wouldn’t be long before she needed to perform that heart-wrenching task.
So, Mary’s extravagance is understandable. How many times have we in our own lives thrown financial caution to the wind when we knew that it might be the last time that we could do something special and meaningful for a loved one? We’re probably not strangers to extravagance when it’s a matter close to our own hearts.
And God isn’t put off by extravagant gifts either. After all, He gave His only Son for us because He loved us so much. Faithful giving is hard to assess by worldly accounting.
Following Mary’s example and following in Jesus’ footsteps isn’t something we can do halfway. Just a few chapters later in John’s gospel, Jesus gives His life for all of us. There’s no more extravagant gift than that.
Jesus gave us the greatest gift of all. His life. And because of that we have the promise of eternal life.
Maybe extravagance isn’t such a bad thing after all. I’m just grateful that He loved me enough to do that for me.