What grabs you? A woman’s demonstration of love for God as scandalous, bold, confident, wasteful, extravagant, costly – or that of a man concerned about a better use of the resources? Here is Mary enacting faith that resonates deeply with what we know of Jesus’ way of abundant life for all – overflowing love in spite of!
In the News
The economic logic shaping our lives is premised on scarcity. Extravagance is illogical! This logic is fed with fear of all sorts, sees us in bed with tyrants, and only understands profit while our world is falling apart. We seem unable to respond to the current dislocation of people running away from the agents of death. The economics of scarcity keeps brainwashing us with complex theories, while the poor continue to be screwed and the rich get richer. Will the economics of personal, autonomous determinist consumption prevail? What chance there is for a wastefully extravagant economy?
Reflection
@table – enacting life overflowing
It is table time round a meal and a conversation, perhaps of hopes and fears. Here at table in this relational space there is intimacy and the aroma of extravagant love. Death and biodegradability is not the final word!
intimacy, passion, and lingering love
Dwell on the anointing: it is full of passion. It is as sensual as it is a vulnerable act in a ‘male’ and pleasure-denying world. What can be more profoundly intimate than wiping the feet of Jesus with one’s hair? Consider what it would have meant for a woman (already marginal and poor) to ‘come out’ in this profound act anointing – pushing the boundaries. Here is an expression of deep love, of life countering death that is not ordinary, but will prove a challenge in the ‘world’ of appropriate behaviour.
give away economics, forgetting cost
The illogic of God’s economy is that it is lavish and free. As this enacting shows, it is overflowing, dramatic, costly and exceeding the limits of reason, necessity and propriety. Is this not what the gospel of full life for all, as embodied in Jesus, is all about? The illogic of grace and love is often slandered and crucified as deviant. The logic of the market is that there is not enough to go around, so slap a price tag to everything. The illogic of the Jesus economy is that there is enough for our needs (not what others tell us we must have) and to be shared. Abundance counters scarcity!
remembering history’s footnote – the poor
‘The poor will always be with us’! Was Jesus alluding to Deuteronomy 15.11, which encourages generosity towards the poor as there will always be some in need on the earth? Whatever and however we read this – it is troubling in the context of God’s economy of abundant life for all here and now! There is much irony and signifying here: the economics of neoliberal capitalism needs the poor to stay poor in order to for the system to remain intact and rake in huge profits. Should the poor disappear the system will collapse!
Prayer
This could be used as the Collect or as part of a prayer of confession.
God-who-loves-abundantly,
like Mary who bathed and caressed the feet of Jesus with costly and fragrant oil,
help us not to calculate the cost of or hold back our love for you
in ways that may be perceived as extravagant, improper or foolish.
May all we think and do this day and every day
grow out of, and pour into, overflowing expressions
of abundant and fragrant love.
Amen.
Questions
- What insights have we gleaned from, and where do we wish to locate ourselves in, the story?
- What does it mean for you to 'pour it all out' on/at the feet of Jesus? How might that be a gesture of trust, faith, and love?
- Reflect on ways that the values of ‘the Jesus way’ challenge the mechanisms of our economic life together. What needs to change?
Action
- Mary's gift releases an aroma that inundates the house as well as senses/minds. Consider one way that you or your community could make real the aroma of Christ this week?
- ‘Leave her alone’, was Jesus’ response to those at the table who were critical of Mary’s act. Consider one practical thing you could do (in spite of what others may say or think) in putting your faith into practice.
Young people
- What is the scent of grace? Reflect on Jesus and his work of generosity and abundance. What would these smell and feel like?
Michael Jagessar facilitates the United Reformed Church’s work on Global and Intercultural Ministries.
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