An Easter Message

Daily Holy Week Reflections by Hayley who is currently on placement with us whilst training to be a Licensed Lay Minister in the CofE.

John 12:1-8 - Jesus Anointed at Bethany

12 Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate[a] with him. 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar[b] of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages.[c] It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.

7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

9 When all the people[d] heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. 10 Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, 11 for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.

Reflection:

Just imagine the scene. It’s part of the build up to the events leading to Good Friday. Jesus is at Bethany with some friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. People flock to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man he raised from the dead. You can imagine the curiosity. ‘Who is this man Jesus, who has the power to raise people from the dead? Also, ‘Lazarus, really raised from the dead. This I’ve got to see.’

The tension is rising rapidly. People had deserted the leading priests to follow Jesus because of Lazarus. So they not only wanted to kill Jesus but Lazarus too (vs 11).

Yet, there is this moment of peace, a dinner served in Jesus’ honour by some friend of his. Mary, the same lady who had on a previous occasion sat at Jesus’ feet to listen to him teach, much to the annoyance of her sister, pours expensive perfume on Jesus’ head and wipes his feet with her hair. She was preparing him for his burial. Ministering to Jesus if you like, out of her thankfulness for what he had done to her. Yet it drew condemnation from Judas Iscariot.

Sometimes, doing the right thing is not easy and even people you would not expect criticism from may not approve. However the good news is Jesus is Lord over all. He examines our hearts and knows our motives. It’s his approval that really is important.

Heavenly Father, please fill us afresh with your love and help us to make the right choices in our daily lives. Amen