Plot & Perfume
4TH and 1
The Plot & The Perfume
The
Plot (11:45-57)
Though many believed Jesus after He raised Lazarus
from the dead, others reported Him to the religious watchdogs (the Pharisees).
They, in turn, brought the matter before the ruling council (the Sanhedrin).
The Sanhedrin was responsible to Rome to
keep the peace, or else. They feared that Jesus’ growing popularity would be
viewed by Rome as a sign that they didn’t have things under control. If Jesus
wasn’t stopped, they’d lose their privileged position.
Caiaphas was the High Priest
(basically, the chairmen of the council). He stated boldly what most of them
were probably already thinking: Jesus needed to die. Of course, getting rid of
someone isn’t a casual thing, so Caiaphas made an argument to justify this
plan. Using Jesus as a scapegoat could save the nation.
Caiaphas convinced the council (it was believed
that the High Priest was given the gift of prophecy during his time in office).
In hindsight, of course, his words do seem to be prophetic and Spirit
led. Jesus did die for the nation (and others!). Their plot was delayed when
Jesus withdrew from the area for a time, and the coming holiday would
complicate matters further.
The
Perfume (12:1-11)
At a dinner party, Mary (of Bethany)
anointed Jesus’ feet with an large amount of pricey perfume and wiped His feet
with her hair. (Compare/contrast with Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9 &
Luke 7:36-38).
Judas raised a seemingly strong objection
to Mary’s behavior. Shouldn’t the perfume have been sold and the money used for
charity? Unfortunately, in this case, Judas was not actually motivated
by a concern for the poor, but by concern for himself.
Jesus’ response to the objection (in Mary’s
favor) has sometimes been used to fuel the debate about the balance between piety
and social-activism. This, however, was a special case (anointing Jesus
for His 1 time burial). Piety and social activism must be balanced. Piety must
lead to real action and action best comes from a deep piety.
It is debated whether Mary knew the
significance of her action or not. At the very least, it was a costly, humble
& uninhibited act of discipleship. Mary is depicted as a model disciple
(much as Martha had made a model confession). But it is quite possible that
Mary was aware of the significance of the anointing.
Verses 9-11 bring us back to the big issue. The
Jesus Movement was out of the hands of the establishment.
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