Scripture reading: John 11:38-57.

Sermon text: John 12:1-11.

Fear, or faith: which will you choose? You’ll find both in these passages. As we usually find whenever we read about Jesus, His work brings fear to those who should have known better, while the unlikely people in His life trusted Him with everything. Those who love Him come to trust Him and find He will bring them to unspeakable joy and peace.

As you can imagine, nothing sparks talk like raising someone from the dead. Word spread like wildfire after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, including the few miles from Bethany to Jerusalem. Some of the Jews who had come from Jerusalem to attend Mary quickly traveled back to Jerusalem and informed the Jewish rulers there of Jesus’ work.

The Jewish authorities, already furious with Jesus for His teachings recorded in chapter 10, found themselves almost speechless now. If Jesus could raise a man from the dead, what would keep Him from raising the people against the Romans? The Sanhedrin, dominated by the priestly party called the Sadducees, had struck a fragile balance with the Romans: The Sadducees ran the Temple, the Pharisees ran the people, and the Romans collected the taxes demanded by the emperor. Any threat to Roman rule would bring the fury of the legions on Judea.

The Sanhedrin didn’t take long to gather to discuss the situation. “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

Can you believe this? A man had just revealed He possessed the power to raise the dead after He had already shown the ability to heal the sick; His interpretations of the Jewish Scriptures revealed a new way of relating to the God who had chosen their nation as His people. Instead of praising God for revealing Himself as a loving Father who cared about the sick and the poor, these men worried more about losing their “place” of power! If this Man could cast out demons, couldn’t He surely overcome the Romans?

Caiaphas’ reply sounds like the ultimate in cold-blooded realpolitik: “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”

St. John explained that Caiaphas “was high priest that year.” Although the Mosaic Law appointed the high priest for life, the Romans appointed high priests at their own discretion. Still, Caiaphas, as the high priest, could well have been offering himself as the sacrifice for the nation. The spiritual leader of the nation would protect the nation from Rome’s anger by giving himself to the Romans.

In case you his readers assumed Caiaphas’ willingness to save his nation, St. John explained the truth. “He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” Caiaphas never intended to sacrifice himself; he intended to hand over Jesus to the Romans. “So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.” Somehow, the Jewish authorities would pin the blame for any uprising on Jesus.

Can you believe this? You’d think the high priest and members of the Sanhedrin would know the Scriptures well enough to see their Messiah had come. You’d think the Jewish leadership would recognize their promised Ruler.

In case it hasn’t occurred to you, I have a horrible suggestion: Perhaps they did — and chose to kill Him anyway out of fear of the Romans. Rather than trust God to work through their Messiah, the Jewish leadership gave in to fear instead.

Now, we come to the story of Mary. After a tale of fear, we really need a story of faith.

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at the table.” If you read the accounts of this family, this all sounds right. Lazarus, as the host, would have eaten at the table with Jesus. Martha, of course, did what Martha always did: she served.

What about Mary? What about the sister who had sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to every word He said? “Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” While Jesus ate, Mary took her most precious possession and gave it to Him.

This ointment, “pure nard,” was incredibly expensive. Judas Iscariot, a man who knew his expensive items, pegged its price at “300 denarii,” or about a year’s wage for a typical worker in Judea. I did a little research on this by going to the Web site of Saks Fifth Avenue. I’ve been in Saks; it looked ritzy to me. The most expensive perfume on Saks’ site costs $3,000, or far less than most of us here make a year. In other words, this perfume cost more than anything carried by Saks Fifth Avenue.

Judas’ indignation at this “waste” of perfume — anointing Jesus’ feet! — spilled out in an embarrassing outburst. “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” Just as he did with Caiaphas, St. John told us Judas’ true intent. “He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.” Judas saw Mary pour a year’s worth of income on his Master’s feet and couldn’t believe she hadn’t simply given Him the money.

Jesus wasn’t the least bit duped by Judas’ greed. “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

What do we see in Mary’s action?

Keep in mind that as a woman, Mary (and Martha as well) lacked any social safety net if they remained unmarried and childless. When Lazarus died, they lost their sole income. Mary’s nard would have provided for them for years. Yet, Mary spilled this expensive ointment over the feet of her Lord. She trusted that God would provide for her and her family as she sacrificed her financial future to show her love to Jesus. Loving Jesus led Mary to give her heart and life to the One who could take care of her regardless of what life threw at her.

Fear, or faith?

Let’s not delude ourselves. Many of us today find ourselves in the priests’ shoes. We see Jesus, the One who can heal the sick and will one day will raise the dead as He has before, and we want so desperately to believe in Him. However, we fear that trusting Him will lead us out of our comfort zones. Some people are comfortable in their sin; they don’t want Him to forgive their sin and bring them into the Church, His body on earth. We fear that following Jesus will lead us to commitments we don’t want to make. We fear that trusting Jesus will lead us to love people we’d rather continue to despise. We don’t want to trust Jesus to cleanse us of our sin; we don’t want Jesus to release us from what we know, even if we’re miserable where we stand. I’ve come to realize there’s comfort in misery if you’re afraid to move to new territory.

We need to understand a key fact: Trust in Jesus will always lead us somewhere we’ve never gone. Jesus didn’t come to make us comfortable; He came to redeem us from sin and make us part of a new Creation. We’ll have to trust Him to enter that Creation, and He will never take us anywhere He cannot protect us or provide for us.

Instead of fearing what Jesus will do to you, you should trust Him to take you to places beyond anything you can imagine. Love Him enough to take Him at His word. Trust Him to cleanse your soul and send the Holy Spirit to guide you in life. Trust Him to put you in a family of believers who will help you grow in your faith, in your knowledge of the Scriptures, and in your love for the Father who sent His only begotten Son to die for you and rise again for your salvation. Trust Him to remain with you in this life and work to prepare you for the eternal life to come.

Then, trust Jesus to call you to assignments you think you can’t do. You’re right; you can’t accomplish anything Jesus calls you to do. Don’t let that scare you, because Jesus can always use the obedient to accomplish tasks beyond our capabilities. You have permission to read ahead in St. John’s Gospel, specifically chapter 14 verse 12: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”

Which will you do? Will you let fear paralyze you and cost you the greatest relationship you’ll ever experience, a relationship with your Creator? Or will you follow Mary and believe in the One who will never abandon you? Fear, or faith. Most will choose fear. I encourage you to choose faith and join Jesus and His people in the greatest life you could never imagine.