“Check All That Apply”
Original sermon given on April 6, 2025 written and delivered by Pastor Jeff Leininger at First Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church.
Watch the sermon live.
“Check All That Apply”
John 12
John 12
In the name of the Living God and the crucified Christ. Amen.
Some insider information on preaching: so often as I prepare, I’m caught in a particular paradox. On the one hand, the Holy scriptures are very far removed from us, culturally, historically, and even geographically. And so, they require study, interpretation, and explanation. On the other hand, they are and must remain relevant to us. Led by the Holy Spirit, we must find ourselves in them. This is their beauty and power. That they speak universal human truth, but even more, reveal divine truth into our human condition.
This is certainly the case with this morning’s gospel account of the anointing of Jesus at Bethany, which is in preparation for Holy Week. Its ancient Jewish cultural details seem far removed from us. Jewish religious festivals and burial customs, people “reclining” while eating, “pure nard” (?? it even sounds funny) poured over Jesus’ feet. What are denarii? Who keeps your travel money box for your family these days?
And yet in each of the characters of this account, I am going to challenge you to try and find yourself, or an aspect of yourself. If you have ears to hear, eyes to see, hearts of soft soil for the planning of God’s word, you’ll find both comfort and conviction in connecting with these characters.
So here are some options for you. (Check all that apply.) Let’s start with Lazarus. Okay, you haven’t literally been raised from the dead, but we know what it means to have been summoned from the death of sin into new life through the word of Christ. Through Holy Baptism, the Old Adam in us is put to death, and new creature arises daily. Note how St. John now names Lazarus. “Lazarus, the one who [Jesus] had raised from the dead.” That’s quite a name, isn’t it. Quite the new identity. Not “Lazarus of Bethany” or “bro to Mary and Martha” or “Lazarus, the whatever-his-job-was or “Lazarus, who gave his heart to Jesus and made a big decision to come out of the tomb.” No, his identity is no longer about himself, but solely in what Christ has done for him. He's the “once dead, but now alive because of Christ” guy.
One the other hand, maybe you can connect with Martha. Busy, busy, busy. Lists to be made. Spreadsheets to follow. Easter dinner plans completed yet? We know about her from Luke’s account of another dinner with Jesus. Martha’s identity is in her productivity and service. Somebody’s got to get it done, right? But has she forgotten already what Jesus had previously tought her? The one thing needful? It is the Lord who serves you through his word.
I pray that we can all connect with Mary, in her worship of Jesus in this text. I’m struck by the incredible details we’re given. We know the quantity and quality, the contents and the cost of what she pours over Jesus’ feet. This is a firsthand account. It is no idealized mythic story made up centuries later.
Mary extravagantly, even offensively, expends so much in worship of her savior. The aroma of her worship and love for him fills the whole house. In the greatest humility, she offers the very best she has for her Lord — not because he needs it, but because she needs to, so full of love in response to his grace and his presence.
Unfortunately, we can probably also connect with Judas, can we not? Hypocrisy. Covetousness. Self-preservation, turning inward to self, which ironically and tragically will lead to our own destruction. Cynicism and realism which allows no room for the extravagant excess of love and praise. Technically, Judas is right. What Mary “wastes” on the feet of Jesus would be worth tens of thousands. But Jesus here receives what she offers, for it was a recognition of who he was and what he was about to do.
And we certainly can relate to the religious leaders too, or I hope to challenge us in this way. Jesus makes them uncomfortable, as he does us as well. The Lord despises nothing worse than religious hypocrisy. Jesus rejects their sinful ways, and so in response they reject him and even plot to kill him. So, here we see that the ultimate result of our sinful rebellion and rejection of God is the crucifixion of the Son of God. We have to take that seriously during Lent too.
But you may not have thought about it in this way ever before: is your entry into this account actually Jesus himself? Not that you or I are actually Jesus. But that we too like our Lord are placed into situations where we must focus solely on following the will of the Father; where we will be persecuted for doing right; where we will feel abandoned, alone and afraid; where we will need the fullness of the Spirit to lead us down dark and difficult paths.
So, what’s your entry point into today’s gospel reading? Check all that apply. By divine inspiration, every window into this account both confronts and comforts us.
How about I close with comfort? Back to Mary. Jesus, the eternal son of God, holy and righteous, all powerful and all knowing, could have rejected Mary’s oblations: what a waste; don’t touch me sinful woman; is that all you got, really? Get busy doing something useful. But he doesn’t. His acceptance of her worship is acceptance of her person, all done in the light of what he’s about to do for her, and for us, and for the whole world.
He also will not reject you and me today either: not our worship nor ourselves, as we pour everything at his feet in repentance and praise, and as we empty ourselves to others in love and sacrifice. He will not reject us because he has already received us in his blood of cleansing, his suffering on our behalf, his atoning death, and his saving resurrection. His wondrous love.
Come soon Lord Jesus. Amen.