Seeker

  6 days before Passover, Jesus shared a meal in the home of his friends Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Martha served it. Lazarus was among other men at the table. Mary's gratitude to Jesus after restoring her brother Lazarus to the household was enormous. Her love for Jesus was overwhelming. She wanted to express it. She could not have chosen a more embarrassing way do it. In an astonishingly intimate gesture Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfumed ointment. Even more shockingly she wiped his feet with her hair.  It was inevitable that criticism would be immediate - the immodesty, the stepping out of her expected role of helping Martha to serve the meal, the waste of expensive assets instead of giving to the poor. Women simply couldn't let their hair down like that in public without being damned by 'respectable' people. You can find the story in  John 12: 1 - 11 . In a previous blog I wrote a reflection on this story and called it 'Th...

Today the church remembers 'Mary, Martha and Lazarus, Companions of our Lord'. I am not sure why Mary's name is placed first for today. Perhaps the order is alphabetical. Mary, Martha and Lazarus were 2 sisters and their brother.   These 3 were friends of Jesus, providing a welcome for him in their home at Bethany near Jerusalem.  John 11: 5 tells us that "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." Much of Jesus' 3 years of ministry was itinerant. With his disciples he walked from place to place, not always knowing where he would sleep. The hospitality of those who would open their homes to him was vital. When the people doing that were true friends then such hospitality would feel very precious. After a hard day, what better than to relax in a welcoming home in the company of the most trusted and loved friends, like Mary, Martha and Lazarus? During a visit to to the Holy Land a few years ago I noticed  a plaque outside the church of St Lazar...

A man's feet, a woman's hands and hair, the wetness of expensive perfume. What's that all about? What's going on?This photo illustrates the following story from John's Gospel: "Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard , anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped him with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it fo...

Five Senses of Love reflection on John 12: 1 - 11 for Monday of Holy Week What does love look like? Love looks shocking. Love breaks rules, as did Mary of Bethany who rubbed perfume on a rabbi's feet and dried them with her hair -  in public. Love shocks when it wastes expensive perfume or destroys a precious body like that of Jesus hung out on a cross to die. What does love feel like? Love feels good to the one who can receive it like a baby relaxing in its parents' care, or like a lover in the arms of the beloved. What does love sound like? Love sounds to Judas like 300 coins, a whole year's wages  spilling to the ground, rolling away and lost - an extravagant waste. Love sounds to Jesus like the sound of friends, of tears, laughter, music and companionable silence.  What does love taste like? Love tastes like the best food and drink, caringly prepared, served and shared. ...

6 days before Passover Jesus shared a meal in the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Martha served it. Lazarus was among other men at the table. Mary's gratitude to Jesus after restoring her brother Lazarus to the household was enormous. Her love for Jesus was overwhelming. She wanted to express it. She could not have chosen a more embarrassing way do it. In an astonishing intimate gesture  Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus' feet with very expensive perfumed ointment. Even more shockingly she wiped his feet with her hair.  It was inevitable that criticism would be immediate - the immodesty, the stepping out of her expected role helping Martha to serve the meal, the waste of expensive assets instead of giving to the poor. Women simply cannot let their hair down like that in public without being damned by 'respectable' people. Tom Wright suggests this is an incident that demands that we ask,  "where are you in this picture?" * So I have to ask, am I  ...

The gospel stories about Mary and Martha of Bethany are among my favourites. Each time I read them I notice something different. I'd love to meet those real women, not the ones presented in medieval art or countless sermons. One of the stories  (Luke 10: 38 - 42)   about Mary and Martha  will be read in churches all over the world tomorrow. Some preachers will be saying, 'not Mary and Martha again!' It can be a challenge to find something new to say about that story. And an even bigger challenge not to fall into some of the theological and political traps for the unwary. It's easy to forget that this story is not a parable, but is about real women who love Jesus and struggle to find their role and true voices in a patriarchal society.  Most of the images in my head of those sisters tend to come from certain well-known European paintings. This African picture interests me because the woman (Mary) sitting with Jesus and learning from him appears better dressed th...

What has Mary of Bethany's Story got to do with the women bishops issue in the Church of England? I think it's relevant because it is one of many examples in the gospels of how Jesus treated women. Jesus' attitude to women is one of the strongest arguments for both women and men sharing leadership in the church. On the Big Bible Project I write monthly about women in the gospels. My post there on 14 October 2012 was about Mary of Bethany. You can read it below (especially if you prefer large font) or you can read Mary of Bethany's Story here. *********************************************** Mary of Bethany was a woman who didn't conform to acceptable behaviour for women in 1st century Jewish society. Had she always been like that? Or was it because of Jesus? It's true she was quiet, but you don't have to be noisy to be rebellious or a bit of a pioneer. The stories about this Mary are among my favorite gospel stories. Mary of Bethany lived with...

What does love look like? Shocking. It breaks the rules of respectable behaviour, like the woman Mary of Bethany rubbing perfume on a male rabbi's feet and drying them with her hair, in public. It offends when it looks like a life wasted, like Jesus of Nazareth hung out on a cross to die. What does love feel like? Good to the one who can receive it like a baby relaxing in its parents' care, or like a lover in the arms of the beloved. What does love sound like? To Judas, the sound of 300 coins, a year's wages, spilling to the ground, rolling away and lost - an extravagant waste. To Jesus, the sound of friends, of tears and laughter and music and companionable silence. What does love taste like? The best food and drink, prepared and served by close friends. The taste of friendship, of family, of belonging. What does love smell like? Expensive fragrance filling the house, creating unforgettable memories of intimacy, but evoking thoughts of death and burial. ...