In a recent study we did of a book by Os Guinness I was reintroduced to a famous speech given by British prime minister Winston Churchill. On the 26th of December, 1941, Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address a joint session of the American Congress.
He was reflecting on the historical situation in the world given America’s recent entrance into World War 2, and the new alliance thus formed between the US and Britain.
Refering to their now common enemies, he raised the question to his congressional listeners: What kind of a people do they think we are? Is it possible that they do not realize that we shall never cease to persevere against them until they have been taught a lesson which they and the world will never forget?
What kind of people do they think we are? He was intimating that their enemies were ignorant of who the US and Britain really were. Whether because of insanity—as Churchill suggested, or ignorance, or pride, Germany and Japan did not really know who they were up against.
For whatever reason, be it the Holy Spirit, or an a.d.d. mind, these words of Churchill came to me after reading the gospel appointed for today—but with a slight twist.
Considering the protagonists in this story I applied a varient of Churchill’s question— and put it in Jesus’ mind: What kind of person do they think I am? Asking of these persons: Do they really know with whom they are dealing?
And consequent to that: What kind of people do they think they are? In light of who they believe Jesus to be? –who do they think they are?
The story catches us as Jesus comes into Bethany, one week before the Passover, one week before he will be in the trial of his life. There he reclines to eat with his friends and disciples, among them, Lazarus who Jesus raised from the dead, Mary and Martha the sisters of Lazarus, and Judas Iscariot.
Not much is said about Lazarus except he is reclining at table with Jesus. That doesn’t tell us much about his relationship to Jesus —but Jesus did raise him from the dead—and that must have some impact.
We later learn that Jesus’ opponents want to kill him as well as Jesus because he is a living testimony to Jesus’ identity as messiah. So though his relationship with Jesus is not explicitly revealed one could assume it was fairly close and awe-filled. but we really don’t know and we leave Lazarus there.
Then we see Martha. And what is Martha doing? Serving.
In another gospel narrative at another time when Jesus and his disciples visited her home, we find Martha again doing the same thing- serving, doing all the work to prepare the meal.
Previously, when her brother Lazarus was dead and buried, Jesus came and he said to her: “I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
And Martha responds: “yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God who was to come into the world.”
That is her response to the question: What kind of person do you think I am? She knows, she confesses, she believes that Jesus is the son of God.
And then to the question: What kind of person do I think I am in light of this? Well, evidently she sees herself as a “busy for God” type of servant.
And in this I think she is the typical Christian. Yes we believe that Jesus is Lord, we live our lives for him, we are saved. And we work for him and his kingdom. And any work we do as a Christian in or out of church, should be a type of worship to God. But it can sometimes be a distraction.
We can get so busy doing things—even good things serving the Lord—that we forget the Lord. I think the devil –using guilt—has made busy-ness for God to be one of his greatest weapons in the Church to destroy the Church.
How often do we see faithful workers in the Church just burn out because they are too busy at church! How often do we skip our prayer time or devotional time because we are too busy—doing good things? How often have we missed church because we are too busy caring for family or other good things?
Remember in that other story when Jesus and his disciples visited Martha’s home?
Martha was doing all the work to prepare the meal and she became indignant at Mary who was sitting at Jesus’ feet doing nothing—just being in Jesus presence and listening to his teaching.
She then asks Jesus to tell Mary to help. And there Jesus commends Mary for choosing the better thing—being in his presence and listening to him. Although it is not in the story, I imagine Jesus patting the cushion next to him and inviting Martha to sit with him a while—but that is my imagination not revelation! Yet I think Jesus does that to us all the time—come sit with me a while—
And so we come to Mary.
As they are reclining, and Martha is serving, Mary gets up, procures an expensive perfumed ointment, goes to Jesus and anoints his feet.
It seems to be just an impulsive great act of devotion and worship directed at Jesus. And it was costly.
First of all it was the lowliest of jobs to wash someone’s feet. it was normally relegated to the lowliest servant. And Mary seems to do this gladly.
Secondly, she uses her own hair to wipe Jesus feet clean. During this period a woman’s hair was important to her—as today. Further—to wear it down in public intimated someone of loose morals, so Mary sacrifices her dignity if you will, to wipe Jesus’ feet. And she seems to do this gladly.
Lastly this was very expensive ointment. The cost was equal to about the yearly wage of the average worker at the time. It may have been her life savings that she poured out on his feet. And this she seemed to do gladly.
Mary seems to be focused completely on Jesus. And she is consistently like that. Remember elsewhere, Jesus commends Mary for choosing the better thing—being in his presence and listening to him. Her focus is that of worship—humbling herself, performing an act of adoration that demonstrates she Jesus as the center of her life.
Her response may have been shaped by Jesus teaching, and what she has heard of him, but certainly it was shaped by what she had experienced when her brother Lazarus was resurrected from the dead. It was there Mary made the faith statement: If you had been here my brother would not have died.
As Lazarus came forth alive, Mary witnessed, with Martha, what Jesus prayed for: That they would see the glory of God, and that by witnessing this they would believe that God had sent him.
What kind of person did Mary believe Jesus to be? In light of that, what kind of person did she think she was?
Accepting the truth of who Jesus is, her response to Jesus is worship—utter devotion– in humility and comprehensiveness of her entire being—all she is and all she has is submitted to Jesus. She wanted above all things to be in his presence, to have her life totally given to him.
This leads us to the last person in this account. When Judas observes this act, he is upset. He sees this valuable ointment being wasted. He says: “why isn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” John then gives us a little insight into Judas stating that his concern was not primarily about the poor, but about keeping his own coffers full.
Judas response is different. He also had been walking with Jesus, he had witnessed all of Jesus had done, all he had taught. But somehow he still did not know who Jesus was.
To the question what kind of person do you think Jesus is?, it would appear that to Judas, Jesus was merely a teacher, a rabbi, but not the Messiah.
For Judas; the question who do you think you are in light of Jesus? he must have thought Jesus was no different from himself. Thus this event was lost on him. It was a waste of money, a lost opportunity to possibly better himself.
What kind of person do you think Jesus is? In light of that, what kind of person do you think you are?
For Mary and Martha, Jesus was Lord, Messiah, God. For Martha though, she sometimes lost sight of Jesus in the business of life. For Mary being with Jesus was her life, nothing was more important.
For Judas, he did not think Jesus evidentially much different than himself. And we know how that shaped his life and where it led him.
A life with Jesus at the center is remarkably different. To believe that he is the son of God, Messiah, that he is the Lord, means we seek after him. We give ourselves, our lives, to him in worship, lives submitted and devoted to him.
But what about us? What kind of person do we believe Jesus to be? And in light of that, what kind of person do we think we are?
The answers to those question might indicate whether we have new life, a distracted life, or no life at all.
Sermon preached by the Rev. Richard C. Marsden
The Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
5th Sunday of Lent
13 March, 2016