She Wiped His Feet With Her Hair Sally R. Joy Green Street UMC March 21, 2010

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1 She Wiped His Feet With Her Hair Sally R. Joy Green Street UMC March 21, 2010 Scripture: Psalm 126 and John 12:1-8 Hymns: # 87 - What Gift Can We Bring ; # Be Still, My Soul ; # Grace Greater Than Our Sin There are three stories in the Bible that deal with visits Jesus made to a family in Bethany. His friends there were Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus. The first of the stories appears in the Gospel according to Luke. It is the familiar tale of Martha, bustling about to get the meal ready and the table set, and Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening intently to all he had to offer. You may recall that Martha came into the room and asked Jesus to tell her sister to come and help her. His response was not what she expected. Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. Mary has chosen the better part which will not be taken away from her. Several years ago, our United Methodist Women presented a play in which we portrayed several of the women of the Bible. Marge Tribou was asked to represent Martha. I got to play Mary. There was significant twittering when I announced that housework never was my thing. Hmmm. Marge got to deliver a wonderful speech about how she understood that Jesus had not meant what he said to her as a put-down and that she knew he truly 1

2 cared for her. I asked Nancy Miner before she left on the mission trip if she had a copy of the script and could provide me with those lines. I ll read them myself this morning, even though I know you d enjoy them more in Marge s voice. "I am Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus.. Our home was in Bethany. The house actually belonged to me. Since I was the oldest, I carried the responsibility of everything connected with household affairs. Jesus came to our home often. When he or any others came, I never had to apologize for a neglected household, untidy rooms or the lack of necessary provisions. I loved my home and was always ready to entertain Jesus and others seeking refuge under my roof. Once when Jesus was visiting, I was upset that my sister, Mary, was not helping me with entertaining and feeding our guests. Mary was not doing anything but sitting in front of Jesus drinking in his every word. I was upset that I had to get the meal ready and fix our guests' accommodations for the night. I complained to Jesus about this. Contrary to what many people think, Jesus did not scold me but rather gave me an affectionate reproof. Twice calling me by name, he told me he appreciated all I was doing to make his visit pleasant but he also told me I needed to take more time to listen to the things he had to say. Too often we allow ourselves to think that Jesus loved Mary more than he loved Martha. Not so. He loved them both and appreciated their differences. 2

3 The second story of this family appears in the book of John and happens when the brother becomes very ill. The sisters send for Jesus, but he does not come right away. Lazarus dies and is placed in a tomb. Three days later, Jesus arrives. Martha is the first to greet him, and she does so with the words: If you had been here, my brother would not have died. Mary has to be summoned to come out to see him. She, too, greets him with those words: If you had been here, my brother would not have died. Jesus has compassion on them and is concerned for their grief, but there has been a purpose in his delay. He commands that the stone be rolled away from the tomb. Martha, the practical one, objects. The stench, she is certain, will be unbearable, and she begs him not to insist. He persists, however, and calls Lazarus out of the tomb to the utter amazement of all those gathered about. The third story, also in John s Gospel, is the one we heard this morning. Jesus is once again sharing a meal with this family. He is the guest of honor and at the table with him is Lazarus, alive and well. Martha, as usual, is serving. Mary obviously is not, since she suddenly appears with a jar of perfume -- a pint of it -- two full cups -- and she pours it on his feet. Then we re treated to the image of her wiping his feet with her hair. Why would Mary have done this? It occurred to me that she had to have been tremendously grateful to Jesus for having revived her brother. She may have felt remorse that she had greeted him 3

4 as she did that day, saying: If you had been here, my brother would not have died. It seemed like a reasonable statement at the time. She knew there was power in his prayers and often healing in his touch. But after all, dead is dead. But it hadn t been. Her brother was alive and she had Jesus to thank for that. Many of you will recall that there is another story in the Bible that tells of a woman washing Jesus s feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, and anointing them with perfume. This one is found in the Book of Luke, and it begins in this manner: Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is that she is a sinner." Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." 4

5 Is it not interesting to read that Jesus answered what Simon said to himself? Simon may have believed his thoughts were private, but Jesus was very much aware of them. Then Jesus told a story about forgiveness, after which he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little. Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" [But] Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." In this story as well, we see both gratitude and repentance. Jesus did not hold her sins up before her. She knew all too well what they were and knew that he and the other guests were also aware of the life she had lived. Mary Parker recently loaned me her copy of the autobiography of Norman Vincent Peale. I m only perhaps three-quarters of the way through it at this point. But in one of the early chapters, he shares stories of his father, also a minister. 5

6 One evening a call came from the madam of a whorehouse in the red-light district of Cincinnati. Norman s mother took the call, and although she was somewhat shocked by the request, she told her husband that in that house was a young woman, nineteen years old, who was dying and asking to see a pastor. Would he please come and talk with her and offer a prayer? Norman s father listened to the request and quickly said: Norman, you come with me. We ll do what we can to help this poor soul through the gates of death. Hearing that, Norman mother was seriously upset. You are not actually going to take your young son into such a place, are you? she asked. I am, he firmly replied. He might as well start learning about the evil in this world. And besides, he said more gently, don t you think it will prevent misinterpretation if I go to that house with my own son rather than going alone? She had to agree with that logic. So they went, and they found the young woman in bed, her face white as a sheet, her hands lying limply on the coverlet. Other women stood around the room close to the walls. Rev. Peale asked her name and where her family lived. She named a little country town in Kentucky and said her family were honorable and upright Christians. But, she said, I am a bad girl...is there any hope for me? Will the Lord forgive me? 6

7 The pastor took her small frail hand in his big strong hands and said, Not a bad girl. Just a good girl who has acted badly. Do you love Jesus, honey? he asked in his gentle, fatherly voice. Oh, yes, sir, she replied, But I have been unfaithful to Him. He asked her if she remembered how He went out to find the lost sheep and if she recalled that Jesus was the Good Shepherd. She nodded. And are you sorry for your sins? he asked. Oh, yes. And do you here and now accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and ask His mercy and forgiveness? I do, she said. Then he told her that she was forgiven and that the Lord was going to take her that very day to be with Him in paradise. Dr. Peale recalled in later years that his father had then offered one of the most beautiful and tender prayers he could ever recall hearing. When Norman opened his eyes, he saw that the other women had tears running down their faces, but on the dying girl s face was a look of absolute peace. And somehow that unholy place had been transformed into holy ground because, in fact, the Lord was there. 7

8 We do not know why there are two Bible stories about women perfuming Jesus s feet and drying them with their hair. The Bible presents two different accounts -- two very different women. And yet we are assured in each of the stories that the love of God was there. Did Jesus love Mary of Bethany more than the woman who approached him at the home of Simon? Differently, of course, since Mary had been his friend for some time. But not necessarily more. And are we able to remember when a thief lifts up his eyes that his pardoned soul is worthy of a place in paradise? God s love is beyond our imagining and it is available to every one of us, no matter who, no matter where. May we be those who share that message with the world. AMEN 8