The three rose flowers in our garden, exposed to the summer heat and humidity looked colourful and thriving. The rose bushes have a protective ability to nurture the flower to stay true to its nature even in hostile conditions. The rose flowers remained elegant and fragrant even in such trying conditions.
I was moved to read the act of a woman who poured a costly perfume upon Jesus, while Jesus was reclining in the home of Simon the Leper, after His visit to the temple at Jerusalem (Matt 26: 6-13).
I suppose that Jesus was the focus of this woman during that festival of passover at Jerusalem. Amidst the festivity, merchandise and the ceremonies attached to the occasion, a woman perceptively drew the attention of His disciples and others present in the house, to Jesus by honouring Him with her gift of love!
This woman broke the convention of a woman normally expected to stay physically away from a Rabbi. I presume she could have been listening to the teachings of Jesus in the temple (Matt. 21:23). One teaching of Jesus, that stood out during His discourses in the temple on one such occasion was, 'The Scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the seat of Moses.....But the greatest among you shall be your servant...'( v 2, 11).
By pouring out a jar of costly perfume, this woman symbolically revealed her serving heart.
The disciples of Jesus were 'indignant and said, why this waste'? (v8).
The faithful followers of Jesus considered serving as a waste! They viewed that act of self giving of this woman materially, 'For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor' (v 9).
The disciples even at that critical time, while Jesus was preparing for His ultimate self giving at Golgotha, stayed preoccupied with materiality. An offering of love and a symbolic act of worship as a follower of Jesus, became a 'waste' ! There was no rejoicing over one more person becoming a follower of Jesu!
While this group of disciples were counting the money 'wasted', another disciple, Judas was bargaining with the chief priests, 'What are you willing to give me to deliver Him (Jesus) up to you'(Matt 26: 15)!
The disciples present with Jesus at that time and Judas absent from them were equally preoccupied with material gain and the 'mammon' of the world (Matt 6.24)!
I remember a sacred experience I had while working with Professor Malathi Jadahv in the Child Health Department of Christian Medical College in 1981. She was away as a visiting professor overseas for three months. On her return she asked me to accompany her to deposit a large sum of money she received as honorarium from the overseas assignment to the hospital account. She was doing it because she received the salary from CMC for the three months. Although the honorarium was seven times more than the salary she received, she deposited the money to the hospital account as it was what many professors practiced at that time, when they received a honorarium for the service they rendered to others. The salary of a professor at CMC Vellore at that time was only one third of what a medical intern gets now. For Dr Malathi, to be content with her salary and not enticed by a large honorarium she received surprised and intrigued me. It was during the two and half years when I worked with her I got to know how she lived beyond the lure of money or anything which had only a material significance. Her life was lived with faith in God and sharing the love of Jesus to people in need. It was she who would give money to the resident or the nurse to buy a meal for the parents of a child admitted in the children's ward.
It was one occasion, when I saw the words of Jesus of Nazareth in action, in the life of a lowly and humble follower of Jesus, '..where your treasure is, there will your heart be..' (Matt 6. 21)
I am aware that it is ordinary now-a-days for professionals to be focussing on wealth creation. It is now a practice for professionals to join for online courses to get trained in this 'art and skill'.
I wonder whether those who volunteer to 'empty' themselves to serve are on the decline and those who pursue wealth creation are on the increase!
I like the way Jesus diffused the intense reaction of the disciples by His response, 'Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed for me....she did it to prepare Me for burial' '(Matt 26.10, 12) !
It was one instance when the disciples had an opportunity to enter into the heart of the occasion, when a woman poured out the perfume on Jesus! It was an act of being thoughtful towards Jesus, who was in His preparation for a painful experience of enduring the cross and crucifixion!
That woman felt and responded to the state of transition that Jesus faced in His life! The disciples failed when the hour of awareness was most needed. They were like the five women who had no oil for the lamp, when the bride groom arrived. A mind to think, heart to feel, love to share and kindness to demonstrate were missing in the attitude of the disciples towards Jesus. Instead, they thought and felt materially and brought a distraction to the sanctity of the occasion by referring to the poor at that time.
I wonder whether the disciples were genuinely concerned about the poor ! When a multitude was following Jesus to listen to Him, His disciples came to Jesus and said: 'The place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they .... buy themselves something to eat. But Jesus answered, You give them something to eat. And they said to Him, shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat' ? (Mark 6:33-44). The disciples felt distant from those who had no food to eat. They suggested that the people fend for themselves. They attributed so much weightage to 200 denarii to 'spend' for food! They treasured their money and did not mind many going hungry!
What we encounter when Jesus was 'anointed' for His burial was the repeat of mindset when called upon to feed the multitude!
They felt distracted by the cost of the perfume and the poor, when they were to be in a solemn occasion, when a woman discerningly and symbolically prepared all present in Simon's house to affirm Jesus of His mission and participate with Him in His preparation for Golgotha!
I wonder whether the disciples behaved like the Levi and priest in the parable of the Good Samaritan ! They had a ritual to do in the temple and could not become present to a wounded person to bring healing and restoration. The Good Samaritan became present and brought the healing touch to the wounded person.
I wish the disciples had sensed that Jesus was a 'wounded healer' present with them in the last phase of His earthly mission to bring His calling into fruition at Golgotha! I wish they were open to receive the self giving ministry of a woman, similar to how the wounded person received the ministry of the Good Samaritan !
Jesus was likely to have been wounded carrying the care of the mission of Golgotha. The disciples were also wounded people who were by then aware of the Crucifixion and Jesus no more being with them !
This woman came to minister to Jesus and the disciples. Jesus received the ministry. The disciples missed the blessing of the ministry due to their materialistic view of the symbolic act of the woman! They missed to remember that a ' a true worshipper worships in truth and spirit' in which case, such a person brings his or her best offering to God. What else except the best of hers, this woman could have offered to Jesus, when Jesus had become her saviour?
This is the risk for the followers of Jesu of Nazareth. They miss the wood for the tree!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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