Meditation on Matthew 26: 6-13 for Morning Watch Worship.
In some accounts, as in John’s
gospel, she is named. John writes that
it was Mary, sister of Martha, who
poured the oil on Jesus' feet, preparing him for burial. But in Matthew’s version, written before the
Gospel of John, we do not know who she is…she is unnamed. Yet her expression is bold, faithful, and
extravagant.
During Lent, Morning Watch
meditations will be focusing on different characters in the Gospels who have
had encounters with Jesus. People;
perhaps close friends or unnamed persons, who were forever changed because of a
powerful encounter with the Son of God. So
often we focus on Jesus – his actions, his message, his life – that we overlook
the extraordinariness of the ordinary people he chose to be around; or who
chose to be around him.
In this scene, it goes both
ways. The woman was probably a
follower…since they were in a home at what was probably a more intimate, close-friends-only
setting. I bet she chose to be around
Jesus and at the same time, he too chose her.
Obviously –as we know - Jesus wasn’t too picky about who he associated
with. For goodness sake, he was at a
leper’s home! Who wants to be hanging
out with a leper? In those days, it was
not cool. He chose tax collectors and
insignificant fishermen to be his disciples and buddies…traveling with them,
teaching them about the Kingdom of Heaven, dining with them and literally
spending every waking hour in their company.
In all the Gospels we see that Jesus chose the people who would never
get chosen by anyone else. Women
included.
What must it have been like to be
this woman? Surrounded by stinky men all
the time. Silently listening to their
bickering and arguments over who is the greatest? And especially in this scene, where she is
reprimanded by her offering of extravagant love…. I wonder how she felt? What she did was more than just a nice
gesture. This unnamed woman perhaps
understood more than anyone in that room what Jesus was about to do…the road he
was on and the painful fate ahead of him.
Did she understand why? Who knows…probably not. Heck, we all still struggle with the “why” part.
But she didn’t argue it. She
didn’t deny it and she didn’t betray it.
Rather, she took a big and risky step by coming over and anointing Jesus’
head with this costly ointment. By doing
this, the woman was preparing Jesus for his imminent death and burial. And because she did it, she got scolded and
reprimanded by the disciples who once again, “just didn’t get it.”
I don’t know if you’ve glanced over
the words to the song that we will hear at the end of our worship today. It may be a weird song to play on a Sunday
morning. But something about it caught
my ear when I was thinking about this text and how it applies to us today. I read the lyrics in the viewpoint of the woman
who anointed Jesus’ head, and I hope you will too. The chorus goes,
Don't rest your weight on me now
You're not gonna change me by putting me down
My faith lies deep in the ground
How often do we let other people
put us down? How often do we allow the
world and the mainline-whatever tell
us what to believe and how to act? The
unnamed woman in our story today was obviously a woman greatly moved and
affected by Jesus. And she did what she
felt called to do. She expressed her
love for this Son of God, and in turn for God, in a way that no other person
did! It was self-less and powerful. And when she was criticized, I wonder if she
thought – who are you to judge me? Who are you to put me down for doing what I
feel called to do? For loving the Lord?
What does this woman and her
anointing of Jesus mean to us? Why do we
care? Clearly we don’t really remember
her in any special way. It’s kinda funny
to me that, although Matthew includes this story in his Gospel, he doesn’t even
give her a name! How do you remember
someone who doesn’t have a name?!
Perhaps though…perhaps this woman
stands for the people all over the world who do good and wonderful things in
God’s name who we will never know.
Stories we will never hear.
Perhaps this woman and her extravagant love will remind us to open our
eyes and look for the nameless in our world…. people whose voices are silenced;
whose work for justice are oppressed by the powerful.
In this world of social media and 24/7
news outlets, we hear a lot of devastating stuff that goes on in our country
and in our world. And all too often we
hear Christian voices who do not sound like our own; groups like Westboro Baptist
who claim to be Christian - but are as far from Christ as I have ever seen –
get more airtime than they should. Call
me crazy, but I don’t think Jesus would be in their picket lines. Their message is not the good news he talked
about.
In our story today, Jesus responded
to his angry disciples by saying that the poor will always be around, but he
will not. Jesus did not mean that we
should overlook those who live in poverty.
He was simply saying that, until God’s kingdom is fully here, there will
always be suffering in this world. The
problem of poverty calls for action more extravagant and transforming than
simply putting a band-aid on the problem with a few extra dollars (as the
disciples were suggesting). Jesus
praised the woman’s act of service for him.
And in doing so, he is telling us that when we take an active role in
our relationship with God – when we give to God our love and ourselves
(regardless of what others might say) – then we will be changed. Our changed lives will be remembered. Our changed lives will impact and affect
other lives…rich, poor, powerful, powerless…
And the good news of God will go on…and on…and on…
What
she has done will be told in remembrance of her. The season of Lent is all about noticing God
in the everyday. Listening to God in the
silences and the noises of life. The
season of Lent is about letting go and taking on - in hopes for deeper
relationship and clearer understanding of God’s vision for our lives.
Go and tell the stories no one pays
attention to. Go and tell the stories of
true transformation in God’s name. Don’t
let anyone put their weight of condescending judgment on you. And don’t let yourself be your worst
critic. When you encounter Jesus, do
what this woman did and love him extravagantly. For though she is nameless, she will not be
forgotten. If, like this woman, our
faith lives deep within us, and if we are generous with that faith, neither
will our stories be forgotten. And indeed the
good news of God’s love and grace will spread throughout the world. It will spread on …and on…. and on…. Amen.
You say that I've strayed from the road I walked as a child
You say that my youth and my heart haven't chosen what's right
Don't tell me I'm aimless
Cause I ain't gonna fight
You bury your faith in the book you clutch in the dark
You keep praying I'll hear every word and it tears you apart
Don't tell me I'm faithless
Cause I ain't gonna fight
We both know a place
Where we know who we are
Don't rest your weight on me now
You're not gonna change me by putting me down
My faith lies deep in the ground
If Jesus exists he don't live in the pages we write
He'd say put down your books and come follow me out in the light
Don't tell me I'm crazy
Cause I ain't gonna fight
We both want to hold on
To what peace we can find
Don't rest your weight on me now
You're not gonna change me by putting me down
My faith lies deep in the ground
My faith lies deep in the ground
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