What a Waste!

Matthew 26:8 – But seeing this, the disciples were indignant, “Why this waste?”

There are so many things going on here, I could talk for a week! Ugh. Men criticizing women’s disposal of their own property, the focus on money over humanity, the idea that an extravagant gesture of love is necessarily a waste of resources, and what do these men think of the beautiful expensive temple where they worship? Was that too a waste? Think of all the people that could have helped. In our own day we have these magnificent churches serving congregations that are not always good neighbors to “the least of these.” This all boils down to one idea though: what makes something ‘a waste’ depends on your point of view.

The disciples have been with Jesus a long time and they have yet to really take on the new way of seeing and being that Jesus is offering them. They have yet to let it change their hearts and their minds. As the theme song for the Wonder Woman TV series notes, “Change their mind and change the world.” But such an extravagant change takes time, more time for some than others. The disciples aren’t there yet. Their focus remains oriented on economic rather than human concerns. So they miss the love, the crowning, and the sedition inherent in her action. All they can see is the money. 

Of course, I don’t blame them. When one has little money and few prospects for getting money or security, well, that becomes a focus. It becomes a matter of survival. When we are sick, our focus is on getting well. If it is chronic, our focus becomes managing the disease. When we have a disability, a big focus is managing it. Of course, not everyone and not all the time. It’s not unusual. When I first became sick, that was my major focus. I read books, went to the doctor, noted my symptoms. It consumed me for a while. But over time, that becomes both boring and unnecessary. Now, I’m fortunate enough to be able to manage it easily, but navigating poverty is not so easy. It takes a lot of time and hard work. So, the disciples, who are poor, seeing a woman pour out an expensive jar of oil on Jesus and getting angry is understandable. I’m being super generous here, though, because they go on to give a different reason. 

On its face, though, it’s a good thing to think about. Was this a waste? Why or why not? This brings to mind some broader questions: are we obligated to use our resources with others in mind? Is this use a waste? The oil by itself could not solve the problem of poverty, but it could help. Is it okay in that circumstance? What if it could solve poverty? Would that change the answer? What about stewardship of our own resources? Do we think of the planet when we make decisions? Do we think of others? Do we, in other words, waste our own God-given resources? 

The answers to these questions are not universal. There will be different answers in differing contexts and with differing purposes. In the example Matthew gives, the context is anointing King/Christ and expressing love. It is also an act of resistance to empire. There was a purpose to her act. She knew what she was doing – she was not mindlessly using the oil. to me, these things lean toward her action not being wasteful. 

In the real world, it is not so easy. If I go to a movie for entertainment and I am in need of taking my mind off something, okay. If I go because I’m escaping from living itself, well, maybe not a good use of resources. I have been thinking lately about how my husband and I spend our money. We have tried to support restaurants, the USPS, organizations who are helping out in this time of covid-19, as well as ourselves. We didn’t often go to restaurants before the pandemic, but there are some we want to be there when it’s over. My husband and I have decided to spend money for good purposes, from a love of God and hopefully furthering God’s ends. Spending money intentionally, acting with purpose as this woman did, is not wasteful to my mind.

It’s easy to judge others without knowing their circumstances. Honestly, we probably do it more often than we’d like to admit. For today, let’s think about the resources at our disposal. I have discussed money, but time, property, other possessions are also resources. How are we using our resources? Do we express our love and gratitude to God? Do we act to increase the love in the world? Or do we satisfy our wants and desires instead?

B

Anointing

Matthew 26:7 - … a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head, as he sat at table.

I think 21^st-century Americans might wonder how an apparently random woman came into the house without being stopped. Part of the answer lies in how houses were structured in the ancient world. Houses were built around a central courtyard, open to the sky. The front of the house – in Roman houses, at least – was open to the street. People could literally walk in. Usually someone was on guard, but if they were occupied elsewhere, it could be done. Rich people often had people they supported who did thing for them and whom they helped. The houses were open so they could easily come in. I’m assuming here that Simon the Leper was relatively rich.

So, this woman, possibly not random but rather known to them, pours expensive oil on Jesus’s head. Matthew doesn’t say what it was, just a general oil. However, chances are good it was spikenard, frankincense, myrrh, or cedar. Being desert perfumes, these are all resins from trees. They have a bitter aroma, as Balthazar notes in the hymn, “We Three Kings.” 

 Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume
    Breathes a life of gathering gloom;

These oils are associated with both kingship and death. Death due to their bitterness and ability to somewhat hide the stench of decaying bodies. Kingship due to the prophets anointing of kings. The Old Testament has several stories of prophets of the Lord anointing people king, notably Saul anointing David. This symbolism would not have been lost on anyone present.

This unnamed woman comes in and anoints Jesus king. Jesus has a different interpretation, but for now, I think remembering that this act was seditious – because Caesar was emperor and Herod was King – is important. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, in the introduction to In Memory of Her, notes that “the anointing of Jesus’ head must have been understood immediately as the prophetic recognition of Jesus, the Anointed, the Messiah, the Christ” (xiv). What was the Christ to the disciples but an earthly king who would rid them of Roman rule? Over and over they urge Jesus to become such a king. Johnson doesn’t go so far as to use the word sedition, but that is what this woman’s action was. 

In the Woman’s Bible Commentary, Amy Jill-Levine notes that “the woman is cast in the role of priest and/or prophet” (474). It was always a prophet of the Lord in the Old Testament that anointed the king.

Finally, it is an act of intimacy and love. Margaret Starbird notes this in The Woman with the Alabaster Jar. Indeed, it is a loving act, whether preparing the body for burial, signifying Jesus as king, or part of the ritual of marriage, as Starbird argues. We don’t pour costly, expensive perfume over the heads of people we loathe or dislike. I think this is the most important point here. The woman’s act is an act of love. Just as the prophets acted from love of God, so the woman anoints Jesus out of love of God as Jesus.

The more I think about our situation in the US today, the more I think we need to act out of love; not just love for God, but love for others, even those we dislike or even abhor. Because Jesus has told us we need to see him in “the least of these.” You may not think Donald or our Republican leaders are the least of these, and they’re not in this world, but they are in a moral sense. Their actions reveal how lost they are; how unhappy and hurt. Happy, centered people do not act like the Republican leadership. If Jesus’s message was a message of love, the question becomes how to love everyone. Even as we fight for justice for the many oppressed in our society.

What about us? Who can we lift up today? Who can we anoint in an act of love? 

B

Simon the Leper

Matthew 26:6 – Now, when Jesus was in the home of Simon the Leper …

This verse convicted me this morning. At the start of our stay-at-home orders, our neighbor was having a hard time getting to work. For reasons, he must take a taxi or an uber. Yet, not many people wanted to drive others at the time of the morning our neighbor had to go. So my husband came to me and asked if he could drive him to work. I was afraid of the risk and said no. My husband, however, couldn’t let it go. I think because our neighbor has been having a harder time lately. 

I read this verse this morning, and I read something else about hoarding our time, our love, and our resources. And I asked myself whether I was hoarding. So I thought about what it would take to make me feel safer about this. Then I told my husband that I would be okay if he agreed to do these things.

Jesus went willingly into the house of a sick person, a sinner. At the time, they thought leprosy was more contagious than it is. Jesus’s action took courage. He risked his health to have dinner with another person. I am reminded of Luther’s words during the plague of his day: stay at home, fumigate, take care of your neighbors as needed. You may have seen the memes going around. Letting my husband drive my neighbor to work is a risk, but it’s a small one as long as they wear masks and the car is wiped down each day. I’m not good at taking those kinds of risks. I let my fear, safety, and desire for comfort take priority over another's need. There was a clear need, and I was letting my very human fear stop me from helping my neighbor. 

I don’t tell this story to pat myself on the back. I don't think it makes me look good, particularly. It’s more to remind me – and anyone else who wants reminding – that even in this time of covid-19, I can do more than I’m currently doing. And I can do it while taking care of my own needs and with love. Just as Jesus went into the home of a leper(!), we are sometimes asked to go places or take actions we’d rather not go or take. 

Are we willing to take that risk today? 

B