Rev. Don Campbell

THOUGHT FOR TODAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017: THE EXTRAVAGANCE OF LOVE

Six days before the Passover, Jesus was, for the final time, at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Martha, as usual, was serving and Mary, as usual, was at the feet of Jesus. This time she was anointing his feet with expensive perfume and wiping them with her hair. Judas, who was about to betray him and who possibly had plans to make off with the moneybag, objected that the perfume should have been sold a year’s wages and given to the poor (John 12:1-6).

Judas’ argument sounded so plausible, even spiritual. Of course, we know his true motive, because the Holy Spirit has revealed to John what only Jesus knew at the time Judas made the argument.

We should be slow to condemn manifestations of the love of others, especially during times of grief, and Mary seemed to anticipate the great grief that the others would not feel until a week later when Jesus went to the cross.

Driven, perhaps, by guilt, some people actually go beyond their means when planning the funeral. While we should always consider our motive and our means, there is a cost-consciousness that quenches the spirit, causing it to shrivel like a raisin. Mary obviously had the means, and Jesus makes it clear as to her motive.

Jesus once told a disciple, “Let the dead bury the dead. You follow me.” Is there a dual standard? The Jewish custom was to bury their dead on the same day they died, but there is no evidence that the man’s father was even sick, much less dead. The poor, the lost, and the lonely will always be with us, but some things are immediate and must be attended to, or the opportunity is forever lost.

From a purely practical standpoint, the casket, the flowers, the eulogy, and even our presence could be considered a waste of resources, but the human spirit may be enriched by all of these.

We might like to believe that we would not have been sucked into Judas’ criticism of Jesus. Had we been there we surely would have sided with Martha—or would we? Remember when Jesus gave the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, saying to both groups, “Whatever you did to the least of my brothers, you did to me?” We should be slow to condemn final expressions of love, even when they seem somewhat extravagant in our eyes.”