A purpose, a plan, a mission. Easter 3 year C 4th May 2025

2025  05   04   Easter 3C

Acts 9:1-6, (7-20)  Psalm 30    Revelation 5:6-14      John 21:1-19

 

Quite often, when we read from the book of Revelation, we find imagery and language which is mysterious and hard to understand.  Today we read about a lamb that was slain.  That part is easy; it is talking about Jesus, who is the lamb of God, who was sacrificed for our sins. 

 

All those unusual images in the book of Revelation have references in the Old Testament scriptures and make a lot more sense to the original readers who were predominantly Jewish and understood things such as the seven-fold spirit.  Seven is the number of completeness and perfection, and it is God’s number – it tells us that this Lamb with seven eyes is God – Jesus is God.  Eyes in front and back is about the ability to see the past and the future.  Revelation is the title of the book because there are truths revealed about the plan of God.  It is revealed that Jesus, the Messiah, came and achieved what the ancient prophets said that he would accomplish.  In particular, there is a prophecy in Zechariah 3:8b-9 that says; “For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.  For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua:  Upon the stone are seven eyes.  Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.”   Jesus removed the iniquity of the land in one day.  Jesus paid the price, and it is finished.  

 

You may have heard me say this before, but it is something of importance; “were your sins in the past or the future when Jesus removed the iniquity?”   They were all in the future and we know that Jesus, who now sees both the past and the future, saw them all and paid for them all.

 

This doesn’t meant that sin no longer matters.  Sin has a consequence – a natural, physical and emotional consequence.  However, every single sin – past, present and future, is paid for by the sacrifice of Jesus.  The spiritual consequence of sin was separation from God, but Jesus has reconciled us to God.

 

It might seem that I harp on about this a bit, but it is really important that we understand, because the difference is in being a Judas or a Peter.  Judas didn’t understand that he could be forgiven.  Peter did.  Our future depends on us understanding the Good News. 

 

This doesn’t mean Peter didn’t feel rotten and experience some natural consequences .  Peter had denied Jesus three times.  In Jewish thought, repeating something three times can signify confirmation, emphasis, or the fulfillment of a requirement.  When we make a statement once we declare intention.  Twice, we confirm our resolution and the third time it is a done deal.  Peter didn’t know Jesus.  He had really a truly sinned. 

 

I think that we generally fail to realize the seriousness of Peter’s denial, but today’s Gospel message is important for all of us mere humans who fail to be perfect.  May one day we will find ourselves in some kind of denial of Christ.  Maybe in our words or maybe in our actions.  It is serious.  Scripture tells us 2 Timothy 2:12-13 “¹² If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.  If we deny Him, He also will deny us.”  This is about rejecting Christ and it means that we are considered outsiders.  This is Peter.  He really and truly rejected Christ.  But the following verse says that Jesus is faithful even if we are faithless.

 

Turning away from God is serous BUT…. every sin has been paid for…. Past and future.

 

If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend seeing the musical Disco Inferno.  The show features awesome songs from the 1970s and tells the story of a wanna be music star who works at a club.  He makes a deal with the Devil and all his aspirations come to fruition, but then things go pear-shaped as his girl friend and best friend are dismayed at the changes in him.  Then there is a tragic accident.  In deep despair he cries out he sorry he is and how he wishes he could take it all back, turn back time and go back to being the simple person he was.  Suddenly he is back where he was before it all began.  The devil, Lady Marmalade, sees him again and explains that they – workers for the devil-  spend so much time working on people only to have them repent at the last minute, making the whole contract with the devil, null and void.

 

Peter had denied Christ, but it was clear that he was repentant.  As far as Christ was concerned, all was forgiven.  I listened to a great pod cast recently about building healthy relationships and they said that forgiveness is free – but trust is earnt.  Jesus has paid the price and all is forgiven, but what do we need to do to fix the mess in the physical?  To say that we are forgiven and not bother to change anything is not helping ourselves or others.  I suspect that Peter was aware of this dynamic and felt that he no longer deserved his place of leadership among the disciples.

 

Christ had appeared to him.  He was overjoyed, but probably unsure about where he fitted in.  He did know fishing.   He went back to where he was sure and comfortable.  It is probable that the other disciples were somewhat unsure of what they were to do next also.  They knew fishing too.  In times of stress, it is natural and probably good to go back to a safe place that we know.  And Jesus knew where to find them.

 

The discourse between Peter and Jesus loses a lot in the translation, but to make a long story short; when Jesus was asking Peter if he loved him those three times, he began with the word love and Peter responded that he liked him.  The last time that Jesus asks Peter he changes his word for love and matches Peter’s word.  Jesus meets Peter where he is at.  Peter was the one who previously boasted of his great love and loyalty, but he is now humbled and knows the limit of his love.  Peter has given up the fisherman trait of exaggerating, as he knows that Jesus knows him better than he knows himself.  He agrees with Jesus… and this is what repentance is!  It is to stop pretending that we are better than we are, and to agree with God that we are limited, and need his help.

 

Saint Paul learnt this lesson straight up.  He had also been quite arrogant. He was a perfect, law-keeping Pharisee.  He was so perfect that he was going to persecute and kill anyone who thought and believed differently and was a threat to his belief.  Jesus appeared to him and the effect caused him to be blind.  The men with him heard the voice from heaven but saw nothing.  What impact would an event like this have on you?

 

I remember writing a song about this when I was 17…. “So many people say you’re not there.  So many learned and wise, but I’ve felt your hand oh Lord, upon me, and I refuse to compromise.  Could Paul when struck down blind, have said it was in his mind?  Could Thomas doubt, after seeing Christ’s wounds the nails had brought about?  They did not change their mind.  They stood and they testified.  Their faith was real, and so is mine.”

 

Back then I was a bit like Peter… “I won’t deny you Lord”, but life is tough and intimidations are a plenty and not to mention so many other influences.  Let me emphasize once more; we need to know, that because of Jesus, the father only sees us as perfect in him.  We wear a white outfit for baptism because the Bible tells us that we are clothed in Christ.  Being clothed in Christ means that God identifies us as His perfect son.  He will never turn his back on us.  He has already paid the price for every sin in our future.  But we too may bear the scars of our own actions.  Best idea is to stay connected to our Church community.  This is why WE are the body of Christ.  We keep each other focused and supported so that we can live the abundant life that God wants us to live.

 

The sacrifice of Jesus is God’s gift to us.  It is free.  However, there is a call.  Peter was restored and then Jesus gave him a future… a purpose, plan and mission.  St. Paul although temporarily physically blinded, in that moment, his spiritual eyes were opened.  He was also restored to a right relationship with God and given a future… a purpose, plan and mission.  All of us are restored to a right relationship with God and given a future… a purpose, plan and mission.  The question for today is; what is the purpose, plan and mission that God is calling us into?

In this time between Easter and Pentecost, let’s make it our task to come before God and seek His plan for our future.  What is the mission to which he is calling us?

EGO - It really is a dirty word ! Resurrection Sunday 20th April 2025

 2025  04  20  RESURRECTION SUNDAY

 

It was ladies who saw the Angel, received a message, and delivered that message to the disciples, but the disciples didn’t believe them.  And that, my friend, is the joy of being female!

 

Seriously, I’m not someone who is going to shout women’s liberation at you, because I know God made us different and complimentary.  And I know full well from what we do on the streets with Street Chaplaincy, that we ALL are needed, though we bring different strengths to the table.  Also, it isn’t just females that experience disbelief when there is something a little fantastical to tell, (like the size of that fish that they caught), but I can’t tell you how many times in the past, I have tried to tell someone something about how to solve problems with sound systems and they completely ignore me because, at the time, I was just a young girl.  And this is not just something that comes from males either.  Telling tales here, but when I first got the keys to a certain Mitsubishi, it was said to me, “Maybe you can get Rex to program your phone in.”  And that was hilarious, because I’m way more tech savvy than he is.   Also, I recall a recent trivia game where a young female who had previously worked in a vet tried to tell us all that Koalas CAN have twins, but no one believed her – until the answer was given and she was proved correct.   How often might we have we missed the truth because we didn’t expect the message to be valid from the person delivering that message?  Is it a sense of pride, or a sense of our superiority that prevents us?  Our ego?  Or our unwillingness to let go of our own opinion?  Not to mention that dear stumbling block of tradition – and we all have traditions we hold dear – I personally love the Easter fire – this liturgy….  But what about that one, based on a single scripture (a text taken out of context) that only men can preach…  ?

 

God is so good and gracious to choose these women as the ones to first tell the Gospel.  As a female who has felt called into a speaking ministry since I was 18, I am SO grateful.  These women diligently did as the Angels told them, and the men thought that their words were idle tales.  But this morning is not about shouting the virtue of having woman in ministry – we DO need both!  Today is about examining why those disciples didn’t receive the message and learning from them.  Was it their pride, and ego that prevented them from receiving the Gospel?  Gospel simply means Good News, and those good apostles were slow to receive it.  However, the bad apostle… that one who had denied Jesus, with no self-pride or ego intact, to his credit, ran to the tomb. 

 

Peter had learned so much in his time with Jesus.  He especially learned to expect the unexpected and he learned that God does things differently to what we might expect.  This would prove to be a vital quality in Peter being chosen as a leader.  Peter would be the one who would first go to the Gentiles… something incredibly out of the box for a Jew, as Jews generally looked down at Gentiles and believed them to be unclean.

 

This Good News, which is our Gospel, truly is something out of the box.  Jesus Christ who was so very disfigured by the whipping and the crucifixion, and completely and utterly dead… so much so that his side was pierced rather than the traditional breaking of his legs, was now alive.  This is crazy, and humanly impossible and so very unbelievable – but it is true.  We know that eventually Jesus would appear to over 500 witnesses, proving that he did, in fact, rise from the dead, and this is vital for our faith.

 

Jesus is called the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  There is a story about Jesus healing a lame man by saying, “your sins are forgiven”.  The Pharisees were upset by this because only God can forgive sin.  Jesus IS God, and he proved it in the next part of the story.  Which do you think is easier, to say, “your sins are forgiven”, or to make a lame man able to walk?  Of course, saying that your sins are forgiven is easy – anyone can say it.  However, it doesn’t mean that those sins are forgiven.  Jesus proved that he could forgive sin by the action of also healing the man.  The man was healed spiritually and physically, took up his mat and walked.   More often than not, those who experienced healing were people without “ego”.  They were those, who were in touch with their humanity and fallibility.  (And we can note that it was their ego that stopped many miracles in his home town, as they looked down at Jesus as the carpenter’s son – how can he do miracles?) 

 

Jesus is the Lamb of God who died to take away the sin of the world.  Once again, this is easy to say, but where is the proof that this is a fact?  But if Jesus who said that he said that he died for the sin of the world, is risen from the dead, then we can bank on that fact that our sins are really and truly atoned.

 

When I talk to non-believers about Jesus, I get a little frustrated because there is a belief that everything about Jesus is a matter of faith.  However, it is a Fact that Jesus was born, died and was crucified.  It should be indisputable as the evidence is enormous.  However, I do generally concede that the resurrection is a matter of faith, although there does exist plenty of evidence for that also.  I would go so far as to say, the main thing that holds people back from faith in God, is not that the resurrection is a fantastical story, but what holds us all back from anything of faith, is the same thing as what we see in our Gospel reading, that held back the apostles from believing the women.   Ego… it really is a dirty word.  The etymology of the word is “I” and it is the opposite of all that God calls us to be.  We use it as an excuse for doubt, but often it is just that we want to do, what we want to do and we put, “I” as of first priority instead of God.   

 

There is a song that captures this understanding, by Christian singer, Jeremy Camp, called NO SURVIVORS.  It’s pretty tough.  Check out the lyrics:

I'm at war with my humanity - Trying to reclaim my sanity
Nothing in my veins but vanity - It's the same old, same old

You told me it's Your battle, God, so I need You to fight
'Cause if I'm gonna live then there's some things that need to die

My ego, my pride - My grip on my life
Throw it all into the fire - And leave no survivors   Survivors

Somebody give my past my sympathies  - Tell the old me I'm not missing me
He can call, but I'm not listening (woo) - To the same old, same old

My ego, my pride - My grip on my life
Throw it all into the fire - And leave no survivors    Survivors

You're pushing back the dark to get me closer to the light
Somebody tell my enemies there's nowhere left to hide
You told me it's Your battle, God, so I need You to fight
'Cause if I'm gonna live, then there's some things that need to die

My ego, my pride - My grip on my life
Throw it all into the fire - And leave no survivors - -Survivors

 

It’s a pretty tough song, but it actually fits perfectly with our letter to the Romans, which tells us, that our old self was crucified with Jesus so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.  We are to walk by faith as a new creation, but even this is not in our power.  As the song tells us, the battle is God’s.  God has won this fight for us.  All we need to do, is to surrender and submit our lives to him.  Raise the white flag to God and accept the life of Christ in place of our own.  Our life is mortal and finite.  His is eternal. 

 

We have lit our Easter fire, signifying that we have passed over from darkness to light and from death to life, and this is a reality through our union with Christ which we declare in our baptism and our creed.  We now live in the joy that we are a new creation… the old is gone- as the song says, “Through it all into the fire”.    There is to be no ego or “I” but only Christ who lives in and through us.  He calls us to a new life.  He calls us to be resurrected with him.

 

Now is the time for letting go of all that is in our past.  The times we failed, and even our expectations and disappointments.  Today, we are called to reflect on the elements of our “I”…  those things that we hold back from God…. God who loves us so completely, calls us submit them all to his holy fire.  God who loves us so completely calls us to resurrection.   We are resurrected with him.  We are eternally the beloved children of God.  And it isn’t a fantastical story, but it is reality.  Christ is risen.  Alleluia.  – He is risen indeed – Alleluia.

 

 

 

The whisper - GOOD FRIDAY - 18th April 2025

GOOD FRIDAY  18^th April 2025

 

Amazing love!  Oh what sacrifice!  The Son of God given for me!

We know the story because we hear about it all the time, but have we heard it personally?  Have we heard Jesus whispering quietly to us, “I do this for you” ?

 

I dearly want to tell you some of the theology and draw out just some of the meaning in this event, but all the most eloquent words in the world are meaningless, unless we are willing to sit in silence waiting to hear the whisper of God’s love personally.  Today, we are called to listen.

 

Listen to the silence of Jesus as he accepts a punishment he doesn’t deserve.  Listen to feel the beat of God’s heart as he shows the world that they not only have reject him, in rejecting God the son, but they so vehemently reject him, that they cruelly crucified him.

 

This is the story of mankind.  We, like the Pharisees, say if we were there, we would not have done this….. but is that true?   Over and over again, throughout all of history, God sent his messengers and the people rejected them, mocked them and killed them.  They still do.  God sent his son, not only to reveal the truth – that mankind would again reject and kill, but also to save any who turn to him.  He is the pure and holy Lamb of God, whose shed blood saves us…. makes restitution for us, redeems us and brings us back, reconciled us with God and truly bringing peace.

 

We call it Good Friday.  But why is it GOOD?  Jesus suffered, not just the humiliation of the mocking, but severe flogging and the injustice of being punished for being exactly who he was -  God!   and then being crucified.   We can say those words without emotion.  The truth is not easy to convey.  It hurts.

 

The closest friends of Jesus ran away, betrayed him with a kiss and denied him.  These were his supporters!  His own people insisted that he be crucified, and the Romans enjoyed taunting and mocking him.

 

There are three different kinds of whipping that the Romans did when ordered to punish someone.  The most severe form was done to those sentenced to be crucified, using whips with bits of bone attached, which ripped into the recipient’s flesh.  Sometimes the recipient didn’t survive the whipping, saving them from the work of crucifying perhaps.  This is what Jesus received. ……..

 

This is just one aspect of the pain that Jesus went through.  Should we talk about them all?  Isaiah, roughly 700 years before Christ, tells us about him; “See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. Just as there were many who were astonished at him  —so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals”.  This tells me that the pictures we have of Jesus on the cross are the “Nice” versions and not a true depiction.

 

Then there was the emotional pain.  When Jesus was on the cross and cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  he was experiencing the separation from God, which is a reality of humankind due to sin.  Jesus, on the cross, was baptized into the sin of the world and experienced acutely that separation.  He hadn’t sinned, but he took the punishment that was due to us. 

 

When Jesus cried out that statement, he was also quoting Psalm 22.  It should have been a wake-up call to the people who insisted on his death, namely the religious leaders.  That Psalm describes the scene in front of them, right down to the casting lots for his clothes. 

 

In the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion they tell of spiced wine offered to Jesus.  One he refuses, the other he accepts.  The one he refused was offered in mocking by the Romans, the one he accepted was offered by a bystander… but there is more to it than that.

 

“They put the sponge on the stem of a hyssop plant. Then they lifted it up to Jesus’ lips.  After Jesus drank he said, “It is finished.””  The mentioning of the hyssop plant is significant.

The first sponge is believed by experts to be one of the tools of the Romans.  It was used for hygiene and was most likely full of filth.  The second was different, an act of mercy, given at the end of Jesus’ time on the cross, and the hyssop was yet another important prophetic sign.  When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, the Israelites were told to dip a hyssop branch into the blood of the sacrificial lamb and paint its blood over the door, thus saving the family from death.   Jesus is our Passover lamb.  As the hyssop was lifted up to him, it was a picture of painting the blood of the lamb over the door, saving the people from death.

Hyssop was a symbol of God’s cleansing.  King David’s Psalm 51, that he wrote after his affair with Bathsheba, says this; “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

 

Isaiah also tells us some more about this Lamb of God who takes away our sin and saves us;  Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

 

Throughout the Gospels we witness the connection between God saving and God healing.  We are saved and we are healed by the blood of Jesus.  I met a lady once, who said she’d had a vision of every disease written in the drops of Jesus blood.  Meaning that Jesus had made a way for the healing of absolutely everything.  There certainly is a lot I don’t know and don’t understand, but I do believe that Jesus loves us, died for us and shed all his blood on the cross…. Blood shed for us… His blood, that saves us.

Today we are called to listen...  to hear that whisper.  Let us pray; “Lord, open our hearts and minds to accept and know the extent of your love for us. Lord, we sit now, in your presence.  We listen to hear that intimate whisper.  We know that you, Jesus, died for the sins of the world, but Lord, let me hear what it means that you died for me.”

To Follow Him HOLY THURSDAY 17th April 2025

 2025  04  17  Maundy/ Holy Thursday

 

Psalm 116 tells us;  “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD”.   The words in the original language convey a deliberate and zealous taking up of the cup.  This is a psalm of David, and he is talking about a specific cup that is drunk from during the festival of Passover.  When the Jewish people celebrate this feast, they retell the story of God saving them from the Angel of death when they were in the land of Egypt, where they lived as slaves.

 

In that story, a lamb was sacrificed and it’s blood was painted over the doorway.  Those from that house were kept in safety that night, but those who didn’t partake awoke to find the first born male of every house hold was dead.  The Jewish people were quite literally saved by the blood of the lamb.

 

After this event, we know that Pharoah, let the people go into the desert…. Although he changed his mind again after they had set out, and the Egyptian army pursued the Israelites.  God parted the sea so that the Israelites could cross on dry land.  The Egyptians began to follow them, but the sea came back, and they were drowned.

 

This event is remembered by the Israelites and commemorated each year as a feast called Passover.  unleavened bread is used, along with lamb, bitter herbs and salty water.  All are part of the telling of the story.  There are also multiple cups of red wine, consumed at various times in the meal with varying remembrances.  Something that really stood out to me, when I celebrated a Christian version of this, was that during the ceremony the finger is dipped into one of the cups (probably the 2^nd cup) and drops of wine are placed onto the plate.  This is to signify each of the plagues that God sent because Pharoah would not let the people go, but in doing so, from the cup of wine, also symbolically shows that the cups are less full, and the victor’s joy is less because salvation came at a cost of great pain to the Egyptians.

 

Jesus was taking part in this ceremony with his friends on Holy Thursday.  As I mentioned, there are multiple cups of wine that are used.  They are associated with God’s promises from Exodus chapter six, verses six and seven.  Firstly, there is the cup of Sanctification, which is associated with the promise; “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”  It might help to understand that sanctification means to set apart.  The second cup is the cup of Deliverance, which is associated with the promise; “I will rescue you from their bondage.”  The third is the Cup of Redemption, also known as the cup of Salvation, with the promise; “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.”  And the fourth cup is the Cup of Praise; also known as the cup of consummation.  Associated with the promise; “I will take you as My people.”

 

In our Psalm, we read about the cup of Salvation.  This is the third cup, and it is this cup that we believe Jesus took up, as he said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."

 

Jesus had already taken bread, broken it and declared; "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."  The meal and the remembrance served as a prophetic sign declaring the salvation that God would bring.  Every Israelite knew that God had promised a Messiah to come.   John the Baptist declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God that would take away the sins of the world.  You know, in our modern society, and to those not brought up in the church, this must seem very odd indeed. 

 

We have a society that doesn’t like the idea that we have sins to be taken away.  We have a society that declares all our sin to be “not sin”.  More and more, the laws of the land are changed so that no one is really guilty.  And even when people are found guilty, many will declare them a victim of circumstance.   It is true, to some extent – we are victims of circumstance, and there but for the grace of God go I, however, you don’t have to look too hard to know that our society is more messed up than ever.  The more our culture moves away from Christian and Godly values, the more confused and lost people become, and the more depression and mental illness abound.

 

God would not send his only beloved son to die on a cross if it wasn’t the ONLY way that we could be redeemed and brought back into a right relationship with God.

 

We are told how this all began in the garden of Eden; mankind decided they wanted to be their own God.  That was the essence of the fall.  It was a selfishness that put themselves as the “top dog”, and the desire to be “More”, and to be equal with God.  It was our selves becoming our own God.  It was something that impacted not just the physical, but also the spiritual.  Death was the price for sin.  Not just physical death, but eternal and spiritual death.

 

Jesus lived as perfect human was intended, in submission to the God the father and as a servant leader.  Being a servant and giving ourselves for the good of another does not make us less.  Servant leadership is powerful…. How do we know?  Because Jesus, through unselfish giving and pouring himself out for others, brought about the salvation/ redemption of the world.  Jesus was without sin and therefore, the perfect lamb of God, who saves us all from the eternal death.  Yes, will still physically die, but spiritually, we live because we live in, and declare our allegiance with Christ – and we declare that allegiance each time we take communion.  In that allegiance we declare our submission to God the father.

 

Tonight, as we partake in the Easter Triduum, we are reminded how the greatest and most powerful of us all, came to serve.  He took up the cup of salvation and become our hope.  He gives us his life, brings us salvation and calls us to follow him.

That we might give... Lent 5C 6th April 2025

 Fifth Sunday in Lent

Isaiah 43:16-21    Psalm 126    Philippians 3:4b-14    John 12:1-8

 

There are things in this life that are somewhat mind blowing when we have the privilege of hind-sight.  Today we read about the covetousness of Judas, in contrast with what some have called the extravagant adoration of Mary, who anointed Jesus’ feet with the expensive perfume.

 

In today’s economy, the 300 denarii which the perfume was worth the equivalent of about a year’s wage.  Can you imagine yourself doing this?  Imagine that you have a jar of an expensive substance worth a whole year’s wage.  Now imagine that you see Jesus and you pour that whole jar on his feet.  Take a moment to contemplate the enormity of this act…..  It is MIND blowing.   But of course, there is more going on than what meets the eye.

 

The perfume was “Nard”.  It was made by squeezing certain grasses in the Himalayas in India and had calming properties as well as antibacterial properties.  It was an oil perfume used by Kings and also used as a foundation oil for burial, as it helped the myrrh to adhere to the body.  Myrrh, we know was given prophetically by the wise men to Jesus at his birth.  Mary was being a prophetess in that moment.  She was signaling his death.  She was also ministering to Jesus, anointing him with the calming oil perfume to strengthen him for his task, being baptized into the sins of the world and making atonement for them by going to the cross. 

 

 

Are you someone who notices prophetic signs?  If not, and most are in this boat with you, perhaps you can somewhat sympathize with Judas, who missed the prophetic significance and who saw this as an incredible waste…. In fact, it would appear, that for Judas, this incident was the final straw.  Something was going on inside of him and seeing this scene of such lavish waste, set the wheels in motion for his going to seek the authorities, offering to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

 

According to my quick google search, 30 pieces of silver was the equivalent of 120 denarii in Jesus’ day.  A little less than half what the perfume was worth, but still a sizeable amount of money, the equivalent being about half a year’s wage.

 

We generally look at the character of Judas and designate his place as one of an enemy… an outsider…  a necessary evil.  While this may be true to some extent, was he really?  Judas serves as a vital warning that should not be overlooked.

 

Judas was a follower of Christ.  Judas was one of the chosen few, and had the privilege of contact with Jesus, such as a close friend or family member.  When Jesus sent out the disciples in twos, giving them authority over unclean spirits, Judas was there, and he was also given that authority.  The Gospel of Mark 6:12 tells us; “So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 

and they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.”  Now read it again, changing the word “they” for “Judas”.   Judas was an integral part of a powerful ministry!

 

One comment I read describes Judas as having a form of Godliness, that hid his weakness in coveting.  And here is the warning; a person can be Godly, have signs and wonders that affirm their ministry and the authority given them by God, and they can still fall so very significantly.

 

We have seen this often in fact.  Many great and influential ministers in Christian history fell into some kind of scandal.  Our own more orthodox churches have not been untouched either, as our church still struggles and pays the price for the leadership who were involved in paedophilia.  There is a commonality, and it is the image of Godliness, coupled with a hidden covetousness that denies their own sinfulness.

 

We mustn’t make the mistake of thinking that these people are so different from us.  Judas is named as a chosen and precious follower of Christ.  When Christian leaders fall, many are left disillusioned.  A wise world-renowned Bible speaker once warned, “Don’t ever think that you’ve become too holy to sin.  Because while we are in this human flesh, we will always be just as easily able to sin.”

 

In the book of Genesis, God says to Cain when he was jealous of his brother; “If you do the right thing, won’t you be accepted? But if you don’t do the right thing, sin will be waiting at the door ready to strike! It will entice you, but you must rule over it.”

That “right thing”, was to offer a sacrifice.  The offering that Cain gave, was not acceptable because it was the “work of his hands” rather than a sacrifice – prophetically showing that we need to come to God through Christ, rather than coming to God by our own Goodness.  Coming to God by the “work of our hands” is self-righteousness and a form of Godliness which denies our sinful nature, thus making God to be a liar, who said that all have sinned and fall short of His glory.  Saint Paul came to understand this by heart, and he explains it in our letter to the Philippian’s.

 

St. Paul was pretty darn perfect before he became a Christian.  He really was!!  According to the law, St. Paul was faultless.  There was just one fly in the ointment; Just as Mary anointing Jesus’ feet annoyed Judas, the Christians irritated Paul.  They upset his world view, and it messed with his view of how God worked.  Saint Paul was perfect, in regards to God’s law, yet, after meeting Jesus, he regarded all his former life as loss compared with knowing Christ.  He tells us in our reading;  “Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.  More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.”

 

This is MOST important for us to understand.  We must regard the value of having Christ as of the utmost importance and the righteousness that come through faith in him.  It is all about Christ and not our own works.

 

Righteousness is a weird word that means being “right”, but in our context, it means being right before God.  None of us can ever be right before God, in and of ourselves.  Yet through the sacrifice of Jesus, and our faith in him, we are counted as being righteous.  This is not dependant on anything we have done. 

 

Last week we had the parable of the Prodigal son.  Being given enough rope, the consequences of his actions showed him the truth of his error.  It was not God punishing him, that all went wrong, but the consequences of his own actions…. It took a while for him to realize this.  The son set out full of self-righteousness.  He came back with understanding the truth about himself – Father I am not worthy to be called your son…..  When we understand that we have no right standing before God in and of ourselves, but we come to God through the grace and mercy of relationship with Christ, we are considered by God to be in a right relationship with him. 

 

This is a way in the desert - the way in the wilderness of our sinful human nature.  There is no need to stay away from the love of the father, because he has already paid the price for our return.  It seems like there are always two messages in the Gospel… one of love and one of warning.  God’s standard and the warning to live God’s way remains and doesn’t diminish, yet God’s grace and Christ’s sacrifice has made a way in the desert.   

 

The Prophet Isaiah tells us to not look back at the former things, because he is doing something new.  That new thing would usher in a time when he would give water in the desert to His chosen people so that they would praise him.  Now I have to tell you, that this image is not a new thing –When the Israelites were in the desert, God made water flow from the rock and he gave water to his thirsty chosen people.  So, Isaiah is using an old story – or picture to proclaim the new thing that God was going to do.  The water is a symbol of the refreshing Good News and of the Holy Spirit.  The new way that God would give water to His chosen people was through the gift of His Holy Spirit.

 

Saint Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit of God, and his extravagant act of worship was not the pouring out of expensive perfume, but he spent the rest of his life advocating for the way of God.  That was his extravagant worship.  The apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit of God and gave their lives to the to God and followed the Spirit’s leading also.  The Holy Spirit would teach and guide them, and the Holy Spirit will teach and guide us! 

 

Every human is fallible.  Even you and me!  We absolutely need each other, and we learn from each other, and we even learn from those who were great in ministry, yet fell.  We do well to learn, while keeping in mind that all are fallible.  Let the Holy Spirit confirm in our hearts what is true in what we are being taught and pray for each other and especially pray for our leaders.  Understand that while none are beyond falling, in Christ, none are beyond redemption.  Remember, the prodigal son, was a son…. Not an outsider who was to come to God never having known the father’s goodness, but a son who knew the father and his ways.  The father welcomed him back.  Judas seemed to miss this message.

 

The apostles and early Christians, were a diverse lot.   Like us, they had strengths and weaknesses and the ability to fall – if we read the New Testament, it becomes obvious that many did, in some form or other, but they knew that they were safe in the father’s love through Christ.  Mary poured out perfume and St. Paul poured out his life.  For both, it was a natural response to knowing Jesus.  May we so encounter Jesus… really and truly, that we too can give, not just perfume, but unreservedly give our hearts to God.