John 12:1-8 (5th Sunday in Lent) – April 6, 2025

Narrative Context

This passage in John’s Gospel marks a shift in our Lenten journey. Up until now, we’ve largely been hearing from Luke’s Gospel, filled with parables and teachings that encourage reorientation and challenge assumptions. But as we approach Holy Week, John’s Gospel pulls us into a different kind of story, one that is deeply personal and intimate.

We find ourselves in Bethany, six days before the Passover. Jesus has returned to the home of his close friends, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Just one chapter earlier, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. An event triggering faith among some and fear among others. The religious leaders, hearing these rumors and seeing the crowds that are joining him, see the threat in Jesus’ actions and claims. And now they have begun to plot his arrest and death. Now, just days before his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus is back in Bethany, sharing a meal with those he loves.

Mary’s Act of Faith

At the heart of this passage is Mary’s extravagant act of devotion and faith.

Think of everything that Mary has just been through recently. It is very likely that she just did this very same thing for her brother Lazarus when he died. It is possible that she and Martha took care of Lazarus’ body knowing that they would never see him again. Anointing him. Preparing his body. Laying him in the tomb.

But even though they were sure that he was gone forever, Jesus raised him from the dead. Despite everything they once knew to be true—that death was the final word—Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead and he once again walks among the living.

Now just days later Mary is here with Martha, Lazarus, and the other disciples. Jesus has told them that he will be going to Jerusalem to be betrayed and killed. While the other disciples are in denial of Jesus’ words, Mary is already leaning into hope. Hope in the promise of the resurrection.

Just as she cared for her brother’s body, she cares for Jesus. Anointing him. Preparing him for what is to come in the days ahead. Preparing his body to be buried. All the while, Mary has witnessed what Jesus can do. Mary has seen the promises of God fulfilled in Jesus’ actions. So, she has hope. Profound and certain hope in his resurrection.

And in that hope, Mary uses the entire bottle of perfume. A whole pound. To the last drop. Because after Jesus’ death, she believes that will he rise again. She believes that he will conquer death, and death will be no more.

Judas, however, disrupts this profoundly beautiful theological moment. He questions the wastefulness of the perfume, suggesting that it could have been sold to help the poor. Of course, John quickly points out that Judas’ concern is not genuine (he has a history of taking from the common purse). But even apart from Judas’ motivations, his question echoes a tension that many still wrestle with today: What does true devotion to Christ look like? Should resources be poured out in extravagant worship, or should they be directed to practical, charitable work?

Preaching Possibilities

Mary’s Extravagant Hope

Mary’s act challenges us to consider what it means to respond to Jesus with our whole selves. Her devotion is not measured, cautious, or practical—it is abundant, overwhelming, even scandalous. She does not hold back (using the whole jar), because she believes in Jesus’ promise of life beyond death. How might we embody such faith today? Where are we called to pour out love and hope in ways that defy logic but point to the abundance of God’s grace?

Distractions from Jesus

Judas’ objection, even if disingenuous, highlights how easy it is to miss the main point. There will always be other concerns vying for our attention, even good and necessary concerns. But Jesus redirects the focus: “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” This is not a dismissal of serving the poor. Jesus’ entire ministry has been about justice and care for the marginalized. Instead, he is emphasizing the urgency of the moment. There is a time for work and a time for worship. Lent and Holy Week call us to a deep, intentional centering on Christ. How do we resist the temptation to let distractions (even seemingly noble ones) pull us away from experiencing Jesus fully?

Preparing for Holy Week

Mary’s act of devotion is an invitation to prepare our hearts for what is to come. As we enter Holy Week, there will be many details that can pull our focus in different directions. We may get caught up in the betrayals of Judas and Peter, the brutality of the Roman soldiers, the manipulation of Pilate, or the fickleness of the crowds. But this passage calls us to fix our eyes on Jesus. Mary’s devotion is a model for how we are invited to approach this sacred time: kneeling at Jesus’ feet, trusting in his promises, and believing in the power of resurrection.

As we near the culmination of Lent, this passage encourages us to center ourselves on Christ. Like Mary, we are called to an intimate, wholehearted faith that does not hold back. And as we follow Jesus through the events of Holy Week, may we keep our focus on the hope that lies at the heart of the Gospel. The promise that death is not the end, and that through Christ, God’s extravagant love and life prevail.