John 12: 1-8

A Holy Emptiness

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Lord, who loved us unconditionally,

Just as you gave everything for us, so let us come before you, giving all that we have to you.

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hyme 50장 – I Surrender All

Gifts make us laugh. Because the gift given to me contains the thoughts and feelings of the other person about me. A gift that is appropriate for the season, a gift for the situation, a gift to suit your tastes and preferences is good because it reveals how well the other person understands you and what you need. Of course, these days, it's hard to keep up with your tastes, and the changes change so quickly that you even pay for your birthday with cash. Whether it's cash or a gift, we enjoy receiving from someone.

However, when you receive a gift that is too big, sincere, and expensive than you think, the gift is burdensome. In such a case, it is difficult to know how to react. Such a gift should be rejected, but it is not easy to refuse. The same goes for ministry, as in ordinary relationships. I remember what the professor said when I took his class. "Never accept more than $50 from church members. Even if you help a pastor in a difficult situation, more than $50 is not helpful for the pastor and it is not good for the relationship." The professor emphasized several times during the ministry's ethics class.

If the gift goes too far, it becomes a bribe. It is not easy to distinguish between gifts and bribes, and the British Institute of Business Ethics once announced how to distinguish between gifts and bribes. First, if you can sleep with your legs stretched out after receiving it, it's a gift, otherwise it's a bribe. Second, gifts are not a problem when disclosed to the outside world, and bribes are likely to be a problem. Third, what you can get in an open space is a gift, and what you can't get is a bribe." Do you agree? These days, there are people who sleep well with their legs stretched out even after receiving bribes, so I don't think it's suitable as a criteria for judging bribes. Anyway, when the value of a gift is too great, you think about the meaning, purpose, and hidden intention of the gift.

What does Mary's gift to Jesus mean in today's text? It is a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume. It was worth 300 denarii at the time. At that time, it was equivalent to a person's 300-day salary. Taking the days off, it is equivalent to one year's annual salary. Converted to the current situation in Korea, it would be around 30 million won to 40 million won. That's a huge amount. More than 30 million won worth was poured on Jesus' feet, and the fragrance filled the room. People in the room can enjoy the scent, but that's all. The expensive perfume consumed for that time and space with Jesus cannot exceed that space and time. So Judas Iscariot defined this act as a 'waste'. If it's not a waste, how can we understand Mary's embarrassing behavior?

People can fully misunderstand this perfume pouring incident. Isn't Mary and Jesus a special relationship? If it's not a special relationship, can you pour out the perfume of such great value for such a short time? Could it be a sign of gratitude for raising Lazarus? Even a token of gratitude should be of practical help to Jesus, but wouldn't it have been better to provide funds so that Jesus could use it freely? Then, wouldn't 1 million won or 10 million won would be enough? Even with that much to Jesus, He would know how grateful she was. It's even more difficult to understand when you consider Mary's situation. Mary has to get married in the future, and if she has to start a family, she has this expensive perfume that she can use as a dowry, and I don't think she should be doing this here. Those who could hardly comprehend Mary's behavior also speculate that there must have been other jars of perfume, so that she could fearlessly waste such expensive balm. This is a reasonable guess and judgment. Ordinary people would think like this. Priority is given to what is useful, practical and cost-effective. However, it is impossible to understand Mary's perfume from this perspective. You need a different perspective.

There was a church finance conference for American pastors. A pastor came out and talked about giving gifts directly to God. As the boring lectures continued, the ministers began to yawn. Then, the pastor took a hundred dollar bill from his wallet and set it on fire. And he put it on the ashes and prayed. “Lord, I give this gift to you, only to you.” The sleeping audience was startled. The ministers fidgeted in their chairs, watching the bills burn into smoke, like perfume poured on them. One pastor murmured that it was illegal to burn money. Another murmured, “You have a lot of stuff, so you can burn bills.” Many of the audience looked at the scene with bitter smiles. How would you react if I were to burn bills here? They're all gentle and understanding, so you probably won't say anything, but you're probably thinking, "I dare you," "What the hell." Although not a common occurrence, the burning of money makes us rethink our offerings to God. Why did Mary pour expensive perfume on Jesus' feet?

Not long ago, I heard about people with autism. When you think of autism, you think of overreacting children. It rolls around and reacts violently to even the smallest stimuli. It's an incomprehensible reaction. However, it is said that the reason the children react that way is because the input is different. The perception of incoming stimuli is so different from that of ordinary children. In the case of static electricity, ordinary people feel a tingling sensation. However, in the case of a child with autism symptoms, the pain is said to be a stabbing sensation. When it stings with static electricity, you say “Ouch!”, but the pain of being stabbed with a knife cannot be solved with “Ouch!”. They have no choice but to roll around. No one will ever ask a stabbed person why you roll like that. The output is different because the input is different.

The reason for Mary's anointing of perfume is similarly understandable. Jesus announced your death. Mary did not listen to the death of Jesus in vain. His disciples heard Jesus closer than Mary. But to them, the announcement of Jesus' death had no point of contact. I couldn't accept it, and I didn't want to. Unlike them, Mary accepted the way of Jesus' crucifixion, and she sympathized with the pain and suffering more deeply than anyone else. Because her understanding of Jesus was so different from her disciples, her actions had to be different from those of her disciples.

So, Mary's anointing of perfume is an act of witnessing Christ properly. Mary testified by her actions that she was a true disciple more than anyone else. The Gospel of John testifies of Jesus Christ through the Word. The Gospel of John testifies of Jesus, who was with God in the beginning, who came through the Word, and who created the world. Many times we testify of Jesus Christ with our words. We invite people to believe in Jesus, explain Jesus with our words, and confess our faith with our mouths.

I often think of the density of that word. How dense is our testimony? How faithful are these words? What percentage is the purity? A confession of faith in Jesus Christ is outwardly perfect. Because love and faith have no gaps in their own words. So the horse is charming and beautiful. And the Gospel of John fully conveys Jesus Christ in words. Those words and testimonies come with a greater reverberation when the content is full.

In the Gospel of John, which testifies with the Word, Mary testifies of Christ through her deeds. She can testify of Jesus with her words, but Mary testifies of Jesus with the anointing of perfume. She anoints with expensive perfume that will disappear in an instant, and she testifies before words with her body that He is the Christ and Savior. The time when the perfume was poured, the space where the fragrance fills the room, is the time that most densely reveals the death of Christ.

The moment is so brief that we think about value for money and criticize Mary. But the reality is that the things of real value in our lives disappear in an instant. Let's think about the praise of our choir. The choir rehearses for a long time every week. We practice together on Sunday afternoons, practice on Sunday mornings, and prepare by securing more practice time for Easter praise. However, the choir's praise is 3 minutes, at most 5 minutes. Within three minutes, the chord is dispersed into the air. You will want to keep the beautiful praises of the choir for a long time. But it doesn't last long. Sadly, it disappears with an Amen response. The same goes for organ music. Colorful tones and chords start with the prelude, but disappear with the end. It is stored in memory and cannot be retrieved and used. So the things that are precious to us stay for a shorter time than we think and then disappear.

Every week, beautiful flowers are decorated according to the season. Flowers decorated for worship, sometimes with their fragrance, sometimes with color, and sometimes with their shape, transform the space of worship beautifully. Flowers pour out their whole being, in fragrance and color, in the time of worship. It fills this space and helps our worship, but unfortunately, its beauty does not disappear for long. One week at most.

Worship is filled with such precious and valuable things. But the precious and valuable things that are fully given are soon gone. What will all the precious things remember and commemorate through this worship service? It is the cross and resurrection of Jesus, especially during Lent. And most importantly, the cross was incomparably precious, so-called wasteful, and Jesus emptied his entire being.

The Gospel of John introduces the coming of Jesus to this earth. They say that even though Jesus came to this earth, people did not accept Him. Jesus was a gift like Mary's perfume to this earth. Jesus who came to this earth was a gift overflowing with compassion. As God, Jesus emptied himself thoroughly. He emptied himself and was humbled to embrace all mankind. That is the cross. On the cross, Jesus Christ humbled, emptied, and poured out Himself for the sake of the earth, for us, and for those who rebelled against Him.

Mary's anointing of perfume is the act that most closely follows the crucifixion of Jesus, who completely emptied himself. She poured all of her own on Jesus. Just as Jesus laid himself down for her humanity, so Mary emptied herself thoroughly, preparing the way for her Christ. This is the meaning of the incident in which her perfume was poured out. It's not a case of wasting what you have, it's a case of completely emptying yourself out.

In the Gospel of John, Mary anoints Jesus' feet with perfume. Usually, the balm can be poured on the head or on the feet. When perfumed oil is poured on the head, it is to make him a king. Pouring oil on the feet prepares them for death and burial. Mary pours expensive perfume on Jesus' feet and wipes it with his hair. This is a priceless act of dedication. She pours the most expensive perfume and washes the feet of her Jesus with her own hair. So we sometimes describe her act as worship itself. Because she responds by giving her whole being to her God's sacrificial love for her salvation. Jesus, rejected by the people, is served by Mary with generous devotion, without regard to her expense. Thoroughly emptying her self, Mary serves Jesus most abundantly.

This generous act of Mary reminds us of the various riches found in the Gospel of John. Jesus came to this earth and provided abundance. At a wedding feast in Cana, people experience a shortage of wine. There Jesus makes 680 liters of new wine. How much is 680 liters? More than 900 bottles of wine. It is a wine that will be enough for the participating guests to drink. Jesus gives so generously. On the Sea of Galilee, Jesus feeds five thousand people. They ate and left over twelve baskets of food. Why did Jesus have leftovers? It means that he has given abundantly. After he is resurrected, he gives Peter, who was unable to catch fish in Galilee, a bountiful catch that the nets were too heavy to lift. Jesus, who gave generously, embraces, forgives, and saves by emptying himself enough on the cross to embrace even those who forsook and did not accept him.

Mary's anointing of perfume reminds us of how generously Jesus emptied Himself. It also shows how much we need to empty ourselves in order to walk the path of discipleship. There is something called Moral Injury. It means that we live in a society that is morally damaged and desensitized to moral action. The case of Mary's perfume makes us look back to see if there is any Spiritual Injury. It asks whether you are deeply feeling the crucifixion of Jesus, accepting it properly, and whether you are walking the path of the disciple correctly.

The reason why the world is harsh, lacks forgiveness, and lacks love is that our spiritual damage does not properly accept the cross of Christ. For us, Mary shows the way of her disciples with holy emptiness. Because of the holy emptiness of Christ, and because of the disciples who follow it, there is abundance in the earth. I sincerely hope that all of us who walk on the path of Christ's cross will meditate deeply on the holy emptiness during the Lent.