All or Nothing?
Elaine Poproski Download: Audio
Sunday Scripture Reading: John 12:1-8 (NRSV)
1 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Read more…
Looking to Sunday: Preparing to Hear From God
by Elaine Poproski
Not long before Jesus was arrested and executed for treason, He and His disciples were having dinner with Jesus’ good friends, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. On this particular occasion, Mary took some very expensive perfume and poured it all over Jesus’ feet. I imagine everyone else looking on with shock, perhaps those with scent allergies bolting out of the room, and I Imagine the horror in Judas’ voice when he said to Jesus, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?!” I can further imagine the incredulous looks they all gave Jesus when His response was to chastise Judas rather than Mary. After all, one of the things scripture is clear about is God’s preference for helping the poor.
On Sunday, we’re going to confront the apparent contradiction between this story from John 12:1–8 and instruction like that found in Isaiah 58:6–7 where God’s preference for the poor seems clear and obvious. As you prepare for Sunday, consider other apparent contradictions: have a look at 1 Chronicles 28:11–29:9 and imagine, as you read, the incredible wealth that God required for the construction of His Temple in Jerusalem. Do you find yourself saying, with Judas, “Surely all that wealth would have been better spent on the poor than on a building!”? As you prepare for Sunday, consider what God might be trying to tell us by including such apparent contradictions in the Bible?