John 12:1-8
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 them 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 for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."
There's alot more going on here than a typical footwashing.
The practice of footwashing is one that generates all sorts of conversation...and in many cases, resistance...in some cases judgment.
During Jesus' earthly days, it was a normal act of hospitality. When you entered a home, a servant came forward to wash the crud (and of course, we can only begin to imagine the quantity of crud accumulating on the feet) from the feet. It wasn't seen as an act of love or intimacy... it was akin to when we say to our guests nowadays: Here, may I take your coat?
In this week's lesson,the scene portrays much more than hospitality...even much more than serving another.
Look at the images of Mary anointing Jesus' feet:
There is an outpouring of intimate love as Mary anoints Jesus' feet. The fragrance of the oil blends with the display of love so deep that there is no regard for what others may say or think...and the scene is overflowing with Jesus' tender mercy in the presence of the extravagance of Mary's unfettered humility.
Not only has Mary knelt at His feet...not only has she cracked open the jar and let the precious oil flow... she has also let down her hair down.
The long flowing hair may have been one of Mary's sources of pride... For a woman in that time to let her hair down was an invitation into physical intimacy. Now, "letting your hair down" conveys surrender of conventions of all sort...a time when we let our heartfelt desires run free....at least for a while.
So...what would it mean for you to let your hair down in Jesus' presence?
How would you take whatever is lush, lavish and precious to you and use it in the most intimate way to express your love for Christ? What would it look like if your love of Christ overrode all sense of what is the "proper" use of the resources at hand?
How about when you are in the presence of others as they "let their hair down" in gestures of adoration of Christ? Do you bask in the love permeating the room? Or do you, like Judas, find yourself judging what is going on...perhaps even seeing it as an affront to your own intentions and motives?
These are not easy questions to ask...or to answer. But it is yet another example of the gospel's capacity to "afflict the comfortable" even as it comforts the afflicted.
May you be blessed these days as you "let your hair down" in His presence.
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