MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK
6 April Anno + Domini 2009
"The Difference between Faith and Unbeliefâ€
John 12:1-23
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
On the day before Palm Sunday, when He would triumphantly enter Jerusalem, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus threw Jesus and His disciples a dinner party. One last hurrah before Jesus would mount that fateful donkey and ride into His holy city to complete the work of the world's salvation. It must have been some party. Jesus was the guest of honor, of course, but I have to believe that Lazarus garnered just as much attention from those in attendance. I mean, after all, that guy was dead. He had been laid in the tomb. His body was four days expired, beginning to decay. The funeral service had been held and the period of mourning had commenced. But, Jesus had changed all that. He has that way about Him. He is the Author of Life; He makes all things new. So, when He said, "Lazarus, come forth,†Lazarus came forth. The Word of Jesus brought life to Lazarus' dead body. And now, miracle of miracles, the one who was dead, is reclining with Jesus and the disciples at the table. They must be simply amazed. After all, it's not everyday you get to eat dinner with a guy who was raised from the dead.
But, then, there's Mary, Lazarus' sister. She has no doubt been in a constant state of amazement and thankfulness since Jesus raised her brother from the dead. But, that is not what preoccupies her thoughts now. Her Lord is there. Her focus is completely on Him. She seems to be the only one there who understands the significance of this dinner party, that it is a going away party for Jesus. She is devoted to her Lord and, moved by faith, she anoints His feet with expensive ointment, wiping His feet with her hair. She falls prostrate before her Lord and worships Him. And, more than that, she readies Him for His impending death and burial.
Judas, the betrayer, is not impressed with this act of devotion. He considers Mary's use of this expensive ointment to be a waste of a valuable resource. He pretends to be concerned for the poor, but, as St. John reveals, his rebuke is made out of greed, for he was a thief and liked to help himself to the moneybag.
So, dear friends, as we embark on this holiest of weeks in which we meditate upon our Lord's Passion and Death, and prepare for the joy of celebrating His glorious Resurrection, we have put before us two completely contradictory approaches to Jesus.
On the one hand, there is Mary, whose sole desire is to bow before her Lord and worship Him, who treats Him with the reverence and respect, the honor and dignity, He most certainly deserves. Her focus is completely on Jesus, her Savior. Nothing is too good for Him.
On the other hand, there is Judas, whose sole desire is to satisfy his greed, who treats Jesus with utter contempt, refusing to acknowledge that all the expensive ointments in all the world would never be enough to show Jesus the honor He deserves. His focus is completely on himself. He has no concern for Jesus.
And here we see pictured for us the difference between belief and unbelief. Mary believes, and her actions show forth her faith. Judas does not believe, and his actions show forth his lack of faith. Mary recognizes her need for Jesus and gives us an example of the proper posture to take before Him, as she bows at His feet. Judas is a pretender. He's just along for the ride, seeking what he might acquire for himself by following Jesus. Mary is a true Christian, a true disciple of Jesus, like all those who worship Jesus in Spirit and truth. They come to Church because they need what Jesus desires to give them - forgiveness, life, and salvation. And, they respond in faith, looking for opportunities to serve their Lord and their neighbor however they can. Judas is not a Christian. He's a pretend disciple of Jesus, like all those who pretend to have a connection with Jesus, but care only about themselves. They come to Church just to make a show of themselves. They're more interested in getting caught up on the latest gossip than they are in having their sins forgiven. Like Judas, they just go through the motions. And, like Judas, they're greedy, desiring to keep for themselves what should be given to their Lord.
The message to us is obvious: Learn from Mary, not Judas, how to approach Jesus. The author of Hebrews tells us, "For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the Blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God†(Heb. 9:13-14).
This is what the Blood of Christ does, when we receive it in repentance and faith: It purifies our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. That Body prepared so lovingly by faithful Mary for death, went to the cross and suffered and died for you. His Blood made atonement for all your sins. And that same Body and Blood is offered to you here from this holy altar to cleanse you, to forgive you, to strengthen and preserve you, so that you might depart in peace to serve the living God. It is the greatest gift we can possibly receive here on earth. It is the very medicine of immortality and the power of God unto our salvation.
But, it is not so for those who follow in the footsteps of Judas. Those who approach the altar without repentance and faith do not receive blessings, but judgment. For them, the cup of salvation becomes a cup of wrath. As Dr. Luther says, "This is no child's play. God cannot be mocked.â€
So, dear friends, learn from Mary how to approach Jesus, your Lord and Savior. Come in repentance and faith. Come in humility. Come with sorrow over your sins, trusting in Jesus, your Savior, who died to forgive those sins. Come with the desire to have the Blood of Jesus purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. If you come thusly, you have the sure and certain guarantee that you have the blessings this Most Holy Meal delivers. To put it quite simply, dear friends, if you realize how unworthy you are to bow before your Lord and receive His Body and Blood, you follow in the example of faithful Mary and receive from this altar the very Bread of Life. Lord, grant this faith unto us all. In Jesus' Holy and Precious Name. Amen.
Now the peace of God that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.