Pausing for Grief and Joy
John 12:1-8
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 reclining with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But 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.) 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
Queries:
What am I rushing through that I need to savor?
Who needs my presence, connection, or touch? Do I need these things?
What does “taking a breath” mean in the context of my important commitments and relationships?
What strikes me about Jesus, Judas, or Mary in this scene? Do I identify with any of them?