The shadows lengthen
Commentary
The shadows begin to lengthen as we follow Jesus toward Jerusalem, today via the gospel of John. The conspiracy against Jesus has been launched with the blessing of the wily Caiaphas who argues reasons of expediency (John 11:49-50). Jesus slips out of sight into the wilderness of Ephraim (John 11:54) and emerges only as Passover time nears. He resumes his journey to Jerusalem stopping at the village of Bethany on the outskirts of the city to share a meal in the home of his friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. John's account of this visit is a beautiful blend of love and light mingling with lengthening shadows and encroaching darkness.
In Shadowlands, a recent film, the masterful actor, Anthony Hopkins, plays the role of C.S. Lewis who awoke to love well beyond his youthful years. The film is a sensitive portrayal of Lewis' love for his wife under the shadow cast by her terminal illness. The story is a blend of light and shadows as is John's story of the anointing of Jesus by Mary of Bethany. Her extravagant action is an action of love in the midst of the outer shadows cast by the conspiracy and the inner threat signaled by the presence of Judas. Mary seems to be the first follower of Jesus to perceive what he was up and about. In John's account of the anointing, the light and shadows mingle as they do throughout his gospel.
The act is often referred to as an anointing for burial rather than kingship. Yet the kingship of Christ is a Johannine theme prominent in his account of the trial and passion of Jesus. It was Pilate who unwittingly proclaimed the coronation of Jesus on the cross (John 19:19-22).
Sermon Seeds In The Lessons
Isaiah 43:16-21
In language reminiscent of the exodus from Egypt the prophet proclaims a new initiative of God in history as the world power balance shifts with the defeat of the Chaldeans and the benevolence of the victorious Cyrus opens the possibility for the exiles in Babylon to return to Jerusalem. Verse 19a is the key text. "I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"
The reading is well positioned for this Sunday and bids us to perceive in the death and resurrection of Jesus a new initiative of God in history and celebrate the God who still "makes a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." I think here of Bishop Tutu on the day of new beginning in South Africa clapping his hands and rejoicing with the shout, "This is the day that the Lord has made!"
Philippians 3:4b-14
The epistle to the Philippians contains many memorable texts and any sermon based on a reading from the letter could well begin by citing some of them. There will still be those present in the congregation who will remember the text of the old Christian Endeavor Society, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (4:13). The preacher can cull out other examples. Today's reading contains two such memorable texts, verses 10-11 and 13-14. The former is particularly well suited to this particular Sunday as we near Holy Week. "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead."
What catches our attention is the way Paul links death and resurrection as present as well as future experiences. Paul has already died to many things to which he clung for identity and security, things not bad in themselves but enslaving when we treat them as ultimate: family lineage, ethnic pride, organizational affiliations, public recognition and honors. Paul had his share of what he called "grounds for boasting," the symbols of success in the culture around him. He died to all of them on the outskirts of Damascus of all places.
Our text suggests that this was not a once and for all experience. A former mentor of mine shared with me his reasons for accepting a call to another parish, a call that involved leaving behind a post in which he had accumulated many honors from within the church as well as the community at large. He said, "I have become too dependent on all these things."
John 12:1-8
Keeping in mind the Johannine perspective indicated in the introduction above, there are three homiletical paths that open up. Two of them center on individuals who are part of the story, Mary of Bethany and Judas. A third path is suggested by the extravagant action of Mary and the critical reaction of Judas.
Mary of Bethany in this narrative comes out from under the shadow of her feisty sister, Martha. She does not speak but her bold action speaks volumes. She is no longer the docile and silent listener. Here is a suggestive quotation from the chapter on Mary of Bethany in The Women Around Jesus by Elizabeth Moltmann-Wendel (Crossroads Publishing Company, 1982).
"If Martha has felt the reality of the resurrection, Mary experiences the nearness of Jesus to death, the danger, the anguish which she herself feels in many little anxieties. There is something of her story in the story of Jesus. That makes her free, untroubled and capable of action. She is still tongue-tied. She still seems to be attractive and capable of fitting in with others. But she has become herself and is doing something which no one else has, even the hasty Martha. In doing what she does, she provokes conflict, even with a man, which one would never have expected of her. She is no longer overshadowed by Martha, but at the same time she is no longer under Martha's protection. She lives in an unprecedented independence which she has learned through Jesus. A woman is freed from innate and inculcated patterns of behavior. She learns to be herself, or, as Meister Echart puts it, she learns to live" (p. 57).
Judas is the second character apart from Jesus and he is treated by John with obvious hostility. He is called a thief, a comment that probably reflects the growing odiousness the young church ascribed to him. There is not much that we actually know about him from the gospels. Matthew reports that he committed suicide (Matthew 27:3-10) and Luke reports a dreadful death in a field he had purchased (Acts 1:17-20).
Why he betrayed Jesus is a matter of conjecture and all the theories leave unanswered questions. The real question that challenges us is not why he did what he did, but did the church use him as a scapegoat? The record in the synoptics reads that all the disciples forsook him and fled. Dante placed Judas in the lowest rank of hell. Is castigating Judas a way of white-washing the disciples, even a way for us to avoid coping with the question, "Who crucifies Jesus today?"
In our reading Judas comes across as a humorless character who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. This leads to a third homiletical path involving the extravagant action of Mary and the criticism of Judas. It was an extravagant action considering the tremendous cost of the perfume. But can you put a monetary value on actions of love? Is there not a time and a place for extravagance? Judas represents the dollar and cents kind of second thoughts that often stifle generous impulses.
A story that has made some rounds comes out of a story in Norman Collins' London Belongs To Me. The story is about two characters, Mr. Puddy and Connie, who live at 10 Dulcimer Street in London. Mr. Puddy who lived in an attic was a morose overweight man who could never hold a job for long and enjoyed eating. Connie was an elderly lady who lived in a flat on the second floor and worked in the cloakroom of a night club. Connie was involved one evening in a traffic accident. Mr. Puddy urged her to go to a solicitor and make a claim even though she was not seriously hurt. To her surprise she received 65 pounds. Because without Mr. Puddy she would have nothing, she thought she would give half the amount to him, an impulsive and generous thought. Since she could not cash the check right away she had time for second thoughts. Since the accident involved her and not Mr. Puddy, half the amount would do as a gift to him. But then, she thought, was it proper for a lady to give money to him? Perhaps she would buy him a gift. Later in her room Connie felt a twinge of pain that might indicate something was wrong in which case she would need all the money. Then she got the happy idea that instead of a gift she would make Mr. Puddy a tin of soup for his supper. An even better idea occurred when she thought of adding more water to the soup so there would be enough for her as well. So in the end her expression of gratitude was a can of watered down soup. Well, Judas would understand.
In Shadowlands, a recent film, the masterful actor, Anthony Hopkins, plays the role of C.S. Lewis who awoke to love well beyond his youthful years. The film is a sensitive portrayal of Lewis' love for his wife under the shadow cast by her terminal illness. The story is a blend of light and shadows as is John's story of the anointing of Jesus by Mary of Bethany. Her extravagant action is an action of love in the midst of the outer shadows cast by the conspiracy and the inner threat signaled by the presence of Judas. Mary seems to be the first follower of Jesus to perceive what he was up and about. In John's account of the anointing, the light and shadows mingle as they do throughout his gospel.
The act is often referred to as an anointing for burial rather than kingship. Yet the kingship of Christ is a Johannine theme prominent in his account of the trial and passion of Jesus. It was Pilate who unwittingly proclaimed the coronation of Jesus on the cross (John 19:19-22).
Sermon Seeds In The Lessons
Isaiah 43:16-21
In language reminiscent of the exodus from Egypt the prophet proclaims a new initiative of God in history as the world power balance shifts with the defeat of the Chaldeans and the benevolence of the victorious Cyrus opens the possibility for the exiles in Babylon to return to Jerusalem. Verse 19a is the key text. "I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"
The reading is well positioned for this Sunday and bids us to perceive in the death and resurrection of Jesus a new initiative of God in history and celebrate the God who still "makes a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." I think here of Bishop Tutu on the day of new beginning in South Africa clapping his hands and rejoicing with the shout, "This is the day that the Lord has made!"
Philippians 3:4b-14
The epistle to the Philippians contains many memorable texts and any sermon based on a reading from the letter could well begin by citing some of them. There will still be those present in the congregation who will remember the text of the old Christian Endeavor Society, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (4:13). The preacher can cull out other examples. Today's reading contains two such memorable texts, verses 10-11 and 13-14. The former is particularly well suited to this particular Sunday as we near Holy Week. "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead."
What catches our attention is the way Paul links death and resurrection as present as well as future experiences. Paul has already died to many things to which he clung for identity and security, things not bad in themselves but enslaving when we treat them as ultimate: family lineage, ethnic pride, organizational affiliations, public recognition and honors. Paul had his share of what he called "grounds for boasting," the symbols of success in the culture around him. He died to all of them on the outskirts of Damascus of all places.
Our text suggests that this was not a once and for all experience. A former mentor of mine shared with me his reasons for accepting a call to another parish, a call that involved leaving behind a post in which he had accumulated many honors from within the church as well as the community at large. He said, "I have become too dependent on all these things."
John 12:1-8
Keeping in mind the Johannine perspective indicated in the introduction above, there are three homiletical paths that open up. Two of them center on individuals who are part of the story, Mary of Bethany and Judas. A third path is suggested by the extravagant action of Mary and the critical reaction of Judas.
Mary of Bethany in this narrative comes out from under the shadow of her feisty sister, Martha. She does not speak but her bold action speaks volumes. She is no longer the docile and silent listener. Here is a suggestive quotation from the chapter on Mary of Bethany in The Women Around Jesus by Elizabeth Moltmann-Wendel (Crossroads Publishing Company, 1982).
"If Martha has felt the reality of the resurrection, Mary experiences the nearness of Jesus to death, the danger, the anguish which she herself feels in many little anxieties. There is something of her story in the story of Jesus. That makes her free, untroubled and capable of action. She is still tongue-tied. She still seems to be attractive and capable of fitting in with others. But she has become herself and is doing something which no one else has, even the hasty Martha. In doing what she does, she provokes conflict, even with a man, which one would never have expected of her. She is no longer overshadowed by Martha, but at the same time she is no longer under Martha's protection. She lives in an unprecedented independence which she has learned through Jesus. A woman is freed from innate and inculcated patterns of behavior. She learns to be herself, or, as Meister Echart puts it, she learns to live" (p. 57).
Judas is the second character apart from Jesus and he is treated by John with obvious hostility. He is called a thief, a comment that probably reflects the growing odiousness the young church ascribed to him. There is not much that we actually know about him from the gospels. Matthew reports that he committed suicide (Matthew 27:3-10) and Luke reports a dreadful death in a field he had purchased (Acts 1:17-20).
Why he betrayed Jesus is a matter of conjecture and all the theories leave unanswered questions. The real question that challenges us is not why he did what he did, but did the church use him as a scapegoat? The record in the synoptics reads that all the disciples forsook him and fled. Dante placed Judas in the lowest rank of hell. Is castigating Judas a way of white-washing the disciples, even a way for us to avoid coping with the question, "Who crucifies Jesus today?"
In our reading Judas comes across as a humorless character who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. This leads to a third homiletical path involving the extravagant action of Mary and the criticism of Judas. It was an extravagant action considering the tremendous cost of the perfume. But can you put a monetary value on actions of love? Is there not a time and a place for extravagance? Judas represents the dollar and cents kind of second thoughts that often stifle generous impulses.
A story that has made some rounds comes out of a story in Norman Collins' London Belongs To Me. The story is about two characters, Mr. Puddy and Connie, who live at 10 Dulcimer Street in London. Mr. Puddy who lived in an attic was a morose overweight man who could never hold a job for long and enjoyed eating. Connie was an elderly lady who lived in a flat on the second floor and worked in the cloakroom of a night club. Connie was involved one evening in a traffic accident. Mr. Puddy urged her to go to a solicitor and make a claim even though she was not seriously hurt. To her surprise she received 65 pounds. Because without Mr. Puddy she would have nothing, she thought she would give half the amount to him, an impulsive and generous thought. Since she could not cash the check right away she had time for second thoughts. Since the accident involved her and not Mr. Puddy, half the amount would do as a gift to him. But then, she thought, was it proper for a lady to give money to him? Perhaps she would buy him a gift. Later in her room Connie felt a twinge of pain that might indicate something was wrong in which case she would need all the money. Then she got the happy idea that instead of a gift she would make Mr. Puddy a tin of soup for his supper. An even better idea occurred when she thought of adding more water to the soup so there would be enough for her as well. So in the end her expression of gratitude was a can of watered down soup. Well, Judas would understand.
