29 March, Monday – What Kind Of Believer

Monday of Holy Week

Isa 42:1-7
Jn 12:1-11

“Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor?”

What is the quality of our worship? And against what yardstick are we to measure this? Those are the questions posed to us as we ponder today’s gospel story of Mary and her bottle of spikenard oil. The players in today’s gospel each represent a particular type of believer – Mary, Martha, Judas Iscariot and the Chief Priests and finally, the throng of Jews. Let’s take each one in turn:

Mary – The significance of Mary anointing Jesus with spikenard, using her hair to wipe his feet, was not lost on Jesus. Spikenard oil, in Jesus’ time, was used for consecration and worship at the tabernacle. Costing a year’s wages, the oil was likely Mary’s prized possession. She gave her most precious belongings – her treasure and her hair, her crowning glory – to honor him. Mary’s worship was like “Christ’s fragrance rising up to God, and perceived by those who are saved as well as by those who are lost” (2 Cor 15). Mary represents the believer who through faith, perceives Christ for who he is and understands the significance of the moment. Mary is the kind of believer whose faith is so pure, she inspires us to be faithful as well.

Martha – When we first meet Martha, she is obviously the alpha female of the house (Luke 10:38-41), opinionated and unafraid of confrontation. Then she experiences the life-changing miracle of her brother’s resurrection (John 11:1-44) and is transformed. Today’s gospel reading shows a humbled Martha, serving dinner, at peace with her vocation. Gone is the smart-mouthing; in its place instead is quiet contentment. Martha represents the believer who, through a deeply personal experience of Christ, opens her eyes, sees Christ for who he is, and finds her peace – “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world” (John 11:27).

Judas Iscariot and the Chief Priests – Both of these are really the same kind of believer. They may have started off with good intentions, but they let money and power corrupt their perspective. Judas and the Chief Priests are like those who have subverted Christ’s cause for their own purpose. We see these believers all the time, usually aspiring to positions of higher office in church. We may even possess shades of Judas ourselves, if we have ever served with intentions other than to do God’s work. These believers are like the Pharisees who “appear as religious to others, but are full of hypocrisy and wickedness within” (Mat 23:28). They’re more interested in the things of the world – money, position, politics and power – than in God’s purpose.

The throng of Jews – These are the believers who are searching for any form of authentic worship, whose hearts are open, but whose spirits may not necessarily be ready for the long haul. Jesus described them in the Parable of the Sower (Matt 13:20) as those who accept the Word with joy, but who lack the tenacity to hold on when they are subjected to trials.

Brothers and sisters, wherever we are on our faith journey, there are shades of each of these believers in all of us. We are neither wholly good, nor wholly bad, not so perfect that we don’t need salvation, not so evil that we’re beyond redemption. The question is, in what general direction have we been moving lately?

(Today’s OXYGEN by Sharon Soo)

Prayer: We pray that God will open our eyes so we may perceive as Mary and Martha did, the things that are truly significant in our lives.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all the examples in Scripture that so vividly depict our human condition, and all that ails us.