Advent Lutheran Church

"Give Our Whole Heart"

John 12:1-8

12Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. ²There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. ³Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them^* with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ⁵‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii^* and the money given to the poor?’ ⁶(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) ⁷Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it^* so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. ⁸You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’

Judas wants to have his say on what to do with in resources that belonged to God. In this case it was perfume, which Judas wanted to get his hands on.  How often do we want to have a say in what belongs to God.  Do we think of other ways we could better spend our money instead of putting what we should in the offering plate? Do we come up with excuses to not volunteer our time or our talents when asked to do so?

Mary was thanking Jesus in a way that she knew how to thank him. She used expensive perfume.  She used all of the expensive perfume she had.  Not just enough perfume to “look good”.  Mary was thanking Jesus for the gift of life for her brother Lazarus.  How to we thank Jesus for the gift of eternal life that he has given us?  Do we give Jesus our most precious procession, our heart, in return for the gift of eternal life that he has given us?  When we give our whole heart to Jesus we don’t come up with excuses on ways we can better spend our offerings or ways that we can better use our time. We give them freely.  We don’t “help ourselves” to what belongs to God.