Holy Week/ Tuesday: expressions of love

Tuesday: the anointing at Bethany

We move from public notice to a more private moment.
Jesus is the welcome guest of friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus at Bethany -
just 3km from Jerusalem. Here, among friends, he can rest... and it is here, while
at dinner, that Mary offers a gift of extravagant love, anointing Jesus' feet
with costly perfume. It is a foreshadowing of the anointing oils that will be used to
prepare his body for burial at the end of a tumultuous week...

READING/ John 12:1-11
1Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised 2There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, from the dead.
5‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ 
6(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.)
7Jesus said,
‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 
8You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’
9 When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only
because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10So the
chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, 11since it was on account of him
that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

MUSIC MEDITATION/
Having read our bible passage for this Tuesday of Holy Week, our reflection today is
by way of a meditation using music...

'Said Judas to Mary' by Sidney Carter

sung by Neil Moylan.

REFLECTION/ If God Does Not 
If God does not weep,
then there is no love deep enough
to touch the pain.

If God does not get close,
then there is no love real enough
to meet our brokenness.

If God does not touch,
then there is no love earthy enough
to value our humanness.

If God does not need compassion,
then there is no love tender enough
to endure our pain.

If God does not walk on,
then there is no love restless enough
to witness the truth.

If God is not anointed,
then there is no love ready enough
to die.

If God does not know pain,
then there is no love broken enough
to comfort our world.

If God does not know death,
then there is no love potent enough
to bring resurrection....

PRAYER/

Lord Jesus, 

what look was on your face

as you felt the cool balm of perfume douse your feet, 

and the tender tickle of hair caressing your soles?  

Lord Jesus, 

what look was on your face 

as the friend you knew so well knelt at your feet 

and anointed your body? 

Lord Jesus, 

what look was on your face 

as you realised this perfume had been used once before 

on the body of dear Lazarus? 

Lord Jesus, 

what look was on your face 

as Judas raised his voice, Mary’s gift was questioned, 

and your reverie reviled? 

Lord Jesus, 

what look was on your face 

as Passover came ever nearer 

and love’s final expression neared its moment? 

Lord Jesus, 

what look would be on your face 

as Holy Week commences once more 

and still the world struggles to live your expression of love? 

Lord Jesus, 

what look is on our face 

as the cross looms at the end of this week 

and we walk once more in your holy passion? Amen.